Maine Developer Exposes Tenants to Asbestos Dust
The new owner of an old apartment complex in Kennebec, Maine knowingly exposed the buildings tenants to asbestos during a renovation process which will turn the structure into high-end apartments.
The Kennebec Journal reports that representatives from Harper’s Development Corporation told the tenants that they didn’t have to vacate until the end of the month and then sent crews in to begin gutting the units, tearing out walls and filling the air with construction dust. They failed to test for asbestos before the construction began, even though there was evidence that it was present.
“I knew it was there,” said Harper’s Operations Manager, Ed Sullivan. “The old boiler is insulated — obviously it’s asbestos — and there’s asbestos in the pipes and crawl space. A few of the rooms have vinyl flooring with asbestos in it.
“There’s no asbestos in the plaster, that tested negative, or the new sheetrock or joint compound, where I’m told it’s normally found.”
“I’m very angry with (Harper’s President Kevin) Mattson and his Harper’s Development,” said tenant Deborah Berube. “He knew before his crews started working here that there was asbestos in this building, and he deliberately put us in harms way.”
Harper’s eventually hired a company to test the building for asbestos, but only after tenants complained to the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
John Bucci, a compliance inspector in the lead and asbestos unit at the DEP, said asbestos was found in some of the units’ linoleum flooring and the basement.
“Asbestos is an issue here,” Bucci said Thursday. “If you look at the extent of the renovation, there’s a lot of other materials that would have caused a dusty environment, with all the plaster they took out. I understand why these guys are upset.”
“It’s hard to tell if anyone is at risk,” Bucci said. “We have rules and regulations to tell you how to (inspect and remove asbestos).”
