Asbestos News
Illegally dumped asbestos cleaned up in UK countryside
Cleanup efforts are underway in the UK to remove 20 metric tons of asbestos that was illegally dumped near a reservoir.According to the Bolton News, it will cost more than £1,000 to clean up the waste located at the Delph Hill Reservoir.
The property's owner United Utilities cleared the waste, which appeared to be from a demolition site.
A spokesman for the utility said that they are working with authorities to get to the bottom of the situation.
"We are working with Blackburn with Darwen Council to investigate this incident and we believe there may be an indication of who it was," he said. "It is a very dangerous practice and something we thoroughly condemn."
Illegal asbestos dumping can have serious consequences as the inhalation of the deadly mineral's fibers can cause a range of serious illnesses including asbestosis, lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma, a rare and deadly cancer that attacks the thin membrane that lines the chest, abdomen and many of the body's internal organs.
Darwen Council environmental crime officer Richard Waters said that such incidents of illegal dumping are sadly common in the countryside.
11/9/11
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