Repeat offender faces steep fine for improper asbestos removal
According to the Seattle Times, the owner of five apartment complexes in King County is facing a $165,400 fine for violating state asbestos regulations. The Longwell Company of Bellevue was cited and fined by the state Department of Labor and Industries, which said the real-estate firm was “willfully negligent and indifferent” to regulations related to the safe clean up of asbestos when it removed damaged “popcorn” ceilings.
The Sept. 2 fine is the third fine the company has been cited in the last 17 months. In all, four of the company’s seven complexes have been named in asbestos removal violations.
When materials with asbestos are disturbed, microscopic asbestos fibers are released into the air, where they can stay suspended for days. Inhaled, they can cause lung cancer, mesothelioma and a potentially fatal lung disease called asbestosis, according to L&I’s website.
