A redevelopment firm that knowingly exposed workers to the risk of mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis has been ordered to pay a $500,000 criminal fine and to serve two years of probation. Applied Partners LLC, admitted to starting demolition work at a former automotive plant in Saginaw, Michigan, without first completing asbestos remediation. The federal criminal conviction cited the release of deadly asbestos fibers.
Company’s Lies About Completing Asbestos Abatement Created Mesothelioma Risk
The connection between asbestos and mesothelioma is well established, and so too is the presence of legacy asbestos in older industrial buildings that has resulted in federal laws requiring specific actions around protecting workers and the public when these buildings are renovated or demolished. When Applied Partners LLC purchased a 65-acre site that had belonged to TRW Integrated Chassis System in 2018 with plans to resell it after demolition, the company received a 2006 asbestos survey. Despite this and the laws surrounding asbestos management, the company remediated only the first floor of the powerhouse before authorizing demolition—then told its demolition contractor that abatement was complete.
According to court documents, the upper floors contained thousands of square feet of insulation and other asbestos-laden components that created a significant mesothelioma risk, yet demolition workers were never warned about their presence. From September to October 2019, the contractor—operating with no one on-site trained in asbestos exposure prevention—used heavy machinery to break apart brick walls and pull down equipment coated in asbestos, leaving debris scattered around the site. Regulators halted the work after sampling confirmed the presence of more than 160 square feet of asbestos in the rubble, and airborne fibers that likely already put workers at risk after weeks of unprotected demolition activity.
Federal Prosecutors Say Deliberate Violation of Laws Put Workers at Risk of Mesothelioma
“Applied Partners knowingly disregarded asbestos work practice standards designed to protect human health” from mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases, said Adam Gustafson, principal deputy assistant attorney general in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. The company’s deliberate misrepresentation that abatement was complete prevented workers from taking any protective measures against exposure.
The implications of the case extend beyond the $500,000 fine and two years of probation. Workers exposed to asbestos during the 2019 demolition now face the knowledge that they are at risk of developing mesothelioma 20 to 50 years in the future.
If you or someone you love has a history of exposure to asbestos and is later diagnosed with mesothelioma, the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net can help. Contact us today at 1-800-692-8608 to learn more.
