More Oversight of Private Asbestos Inspectors After NY Case Shows Gaps
Wednesday, July 21st, 2010
New York City environmental regulators are making changes to the city’s program that licenses and monitors private asbestos inspectors after a recent criminal case revealed significant lapses in oversight.
Former asbestos inspector, Saverio F. Todaro, pleaded guilty in March in federal court to environmental crimes and fraud, admitting to falsifying hundreds of reports that buildings were free of asbestos, though he never surveyed them. In fact, Todaro continued to falsify reports even after the city had suspended his license in 2004 for excessive notices of violation.
The case raised serious concerns about the oversight of New York’s more than 500 private asbestos inspectors who are licensed by the city. It also prompted questions about how many people were exposed to asbestos because of the fraud and lapses in oversight. Asbestos exposure is associated with serious respiratory disease including mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lung or abdomen, and lung cancer.
The city conducted a two-month internal review of its program and areas where improvements in oversight were needed.
In a memorandum obtained by The New York Times, the New York Department of Environmental Protection said it plans to increase the annual number of field inspections and nearly double the office audits of private asbestos inspectors. The city agency will share its database of licensing information to alert state and federal regulatory agencies of inspectors with suspended or revoked licenses. It plans to convert to an Internet-based filing system that will automatically reject asbestos surveys by inspectors whose licenses have been suspended or revoked.
Before older buildings are remodeled or demolished, building owners are required to survey a structure for the presence of asbestos. Certified asbestos investigators are hired to do that. All asbestos fibers must be carefully contained and removed before a building is remodeled or demolished because asbestos dust, if inhaled, can cause serious respiratory disease including mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of lungs or abdomen.
