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In late December 2008, Kevin Harley, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General (AG) described the AG's interest in an alleged illegal dumping of demolition waste. The Essroc Cement Corp. in Nazareth, Pennsylvania is the site of the dumping of 22 tons of waste that probably contains asbestos, trucked there from a demolished school in Newark, New Jersey.
Asbestos Found in New Jersey Demolished School
Essroc employee John Gower found the waste Dec. 17 and reported it to the police in Nazareth, a small town (pop. approx. 6,000) on the eastern border of the state. The Elliot Street School was torn down in September 2008, some two years after a bolt of lightning hit the school and caused severe damage.
According to the New Jersey School Development Authority (SDA), the school's construction included many asbestos materials. Gower found the pile of debris and noticed a cup labeled ''Elliot Street School Celebrates 100 Days of School.''
Criminal Violations for the Dumped Waste
The Northampton County District Attorney's Office was soon notified about the waste, as was the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). A preliminary investigation revealed that the waste was dumped at the Essroc plant near Route 248 by a New Jersey-based company, KNW Trucking. Newark is approximately 75 miles east of Nazareth.
Trucking Company under Suspicion
The New Jersey SDA also told authorities that KNW had been removed from their pool of contractors because the company does not have proper demolition permits. According to a report in the Newark newspaper Star-Ledger, when KNW was contacted about the waste, a representative of the trucking company told police that the company was not aware of any illegal dumping, and that KNW would send trucks to Essroc to clean up the waste.
Northampton County D.A. John Morganelli said that Essroc is not under investigation, and that the cement manufacturing company is cooperating with the AG's environmental crimes division.
(Source: Le High Valley Live)
If you suspect that asbestos waste has been dumped in your community or if you have any other asbestos-related concerns, contact us to speak with a mesothelioma attorney in your area today.