Asbestos News

A county councilor in the UK has lashed out at fellow council members after it recently became clear that local residents will have to pay for properly disposing of asbestos waste at recycling centers, the South Devon Herald Express reports.

According to the news provider, Newton Abbot councilor Gordon Hook claims that Devon County Council's decision to charge for the disposal is "tantamount to criminal neglect."

"I spoke out against this at county and I voted against it," Hook said. "I believe it will encourage [illegal dumping], the pollution of our environment and will pose a danger to people who stumble across it."

The county will reportedly begin charging for certain non-household waste to be brought to the recycling centers next month, the news source said. The local authority said that the move represents a trend happening in a number of areas across the region.

It is important that asbestos is disposed of properly as exposure to the dangerous mineral can cause a range of serious illnesses including asbestosis, lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer.