[CPEO-MEF] Badger Ammo Plant (WI) asbestos

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Press Release
November 10, 2005
For more information contact:
Laura Olah, CSWAB
 
WDNR Charges Army with Mishandling of Asbestos at Badger

Improper handling of asbestos at Badger Army Ammunition Plant has placed
the health of workers and contractors at risk, according to a formal
Notice of Violation issued to the Army by the Wisconsin Department of
Natural Resources on October 10. The violations were witnessed and
videotaped by WDNR personnel visiting the site.

"On September 22, 2005 WDNR staff were at the Badger landfill and
observed asbestos containing material being compacted without any cover
soil," said Laura Olah, Executive Director of CSWAB. "The WDNR permit
requires at least three feet of soil over friable (easily crumbled)
asbestos prior to compaction." 

 "Landfill operators drove directly over asbestos-containing materials
which can result in the uncontrolled release of asbestos fibers to the
air and the environment," Olah added.

CSWAB, a local environmental group that has been monitoring the cleanup
at Badger for more than 15 years, has formally requested OSHA's
involvement in the matter.  

"These violations place workers' health at great risk," Olah stressed.
"Inhalation exposure to asbestos fibers can cause lung cancer,
mesothelioma (a rare cancer of the lining the abdominal cavity) and
gastrointestinal cancers." 

The WDNR described the Army's actions as "potentially dangerous to
onsite personnel and contractors" and ordered the Army to submit a
detailed plan within 30 days that describes how the Army will correct
its site procedures and inspections. 

The WDNR also found that friable asbestos-containing material was left
uncovered at the end of the working day, violating requirements for
daily soil cover. 

In addition to cancer, chronic (long-term) exposure to asbestos in
humans by inhalation can also result in a lung disease called
asbestosis. Asbestosis is characterized by shortness of breath and cough
and may lead to severe impairment of respiratory function. 

The landfill is located in the Township of Merrimac, west of the
Weigand's Bay area. 

END

--

Laura Olah, Executive Director
Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger
E12629 Weigands Bay S
Merrimac, WI 53561
phone: (608)643-3124
email: info@cswab.org
website: www.cswab.org 
 

-- 


Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org
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