Maryland contractor fined $1.2 million for asbestos violations
A Baltimore City Circuit Court judge ordered Eric Vera, LLC to pay $1.2 million in fines stemming from a civil lawsuit filed by the Maryland Department of the Environment.
The lawsuit was sparked by an investigation that followed a complaint from an anonymous caller who reported improper asbestos removal at a renovation site in Baltimore. An investigation revealed that asbestos debris was being dumped through a trash chute into an open dumpster on the street below, potentially exposing both workers and the community to toxic asbestos fibers. The company was ordered to stop work immediately and perform legal asbestos removal. More than 7,000 bags of asbestos debris were removed from the site.
Asbestos regulations are in place to protect workers and the public from the health risks associated with the toxic mineral. Asbestos exposure has been linked to serious illnesses like asbestosis and mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer.
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