More asbestos debris identified along Florida highway
Twelve additional sites have been identified by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) as testing positive for asbestos along the Sebring Parkway. Large piles of asbestos-concrete pipes have also been found at the Highlands County Landfill. There were 76 fragments analyzed from 14 locations that were discovered to be non-friable asbestos-containing material. Most of these fragments were sitting out in the open on the ground, including some that were found in the bushes near the Boy Scout Lodge.
Asbestos is a known carcinogen that was very widely used in construction materials and as insulation until the 1970s. Asbestos exposure can cause a variety of serious illnesses, including lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer.
There are strict environmental laws in place for the handling and disposal of asbestos in order to protect the health and safety of workers and the community. The FDEP and the county require hazardous material to be double wrapped in special bags for disposal. There must be records when the material is dumped, and the FDEP must be notified before removal begins. Landfill receipts show no records of asbestos dumping done by the county despite the discovery of large, open piles of asbestos waste there.
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