Asbestos Litigation

The former health and safety coordinator of the Cape Breton Island Housing Authority in Canada was recently found guilty of not properly reporting a potential asbestos issue that may have posed a risk to tenants.

According to CBC News, the court decision revealed that James Della Valle was serving as health and safety coordinator in October 2005 when a worker reportedly discovered asbestos-containing insulation that had fallen from the ceiling of a housing unit.

Della Valle reportedly had the material tested, confirmed that it did, in fact, contain asbestos and alerted two maintenance supervisors. However, the court found that he did not immediately notify tenants about the issue and action was not taken to remove the asbestos for six months.

Provincial court Judge Peter Ross wrote in the decision that Della Valle should have been more proactive in handling the asbestos situation. Fortunately for residents, no airborne asbestos was discovered in the housing complex, according to the news source.

Exposure to asbestos has been proven to cause a number of serious illnesses including asbestosis, lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that attacks the tissues surrounding a majority of the body's internal organs.