Asbestos News

A recent spike in fly-tipping - a British term for the illegal dumping of asbestos - in Lincolnshire, UK, is reportedly costing taxpayers a significant amount of money, reports the East Coast Target.

According to the news source, figures indicate the number of asbestos dumping incidents has climbed over the past year, with only six prosecutions of fly-tippers ending successfully. The trend in Lincolnshire does not mirror that of England as a whole, however, as the overall incident rate decreased by 13.5 percent in England over the past year, the news source said.

Kristina West, a law enforcement officer, told the news source that illegally dumping asbestos is a major problem for people in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire.

"Fly-tipping is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated in East Lindsey. Fly-tips cost a lot of money to clear up - money that could be much better spent on other services to local people," she said.

Asbestos dumping can cause local residents to be exposed to the carcinogenic substance, which can lead to the development of asbestosis, lung cancer or malignant mesothelioma, a rare cancer that attacks the tissues surrounding a majority of the body's internal organs.