Mesothelioma and other serious diseases are caused by inhaling or ingesting asbestos, and strict regulations have been enacted to prevent this from occurring, even during disaster cleanups. But evidently, federal contractors clearing debris from the devastating California wildfires that struck the Eaton and Palisades neighborhoods disregarded their instructions. They sent asbestos-contaminated waste to regular landfills where workers weren’t protected from the carcinogenic fibers.
Asbestos Protocol Failures Put Workers at Risk of Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma advocates’ fears have come true as they’ve learned about the mishandling of asbestos during fire cleanup. It’s become clear that between February 28 and March 24, crews from the Environmental Chemical Corp. and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers gathered wreckage from six burned homes in Altadena, Pacific Palisades, and Malibu, and before waiting for mandatory asbestos test results, loaded the debris onto trucks bound for Simi Valley Landfill, and other local landfills. Testing done after the fact confirmed the presence of asbestos, the fire-resistant material whose fibers can cause mesothelioma and other serious lung diseases. Making matters worse, the incident wasn’t reported to landfill operators or regulators until mid-April.
Mesothelioma Concerns Rise as Workers Lack Protection
An examination of how the toxic material was handled is raising serious mesothelioma concerns for both landfill workers and neighbors living downwind of the dumping sites. During the period when the asbestos-contaminated debris was being dumped, Simi Valley Landfill workers handled the material without protective masks or respirators.
Similarly, Ventura County inspectors found workers without proper respiratory protection in the actual fire debris areas, with some wearing only cloth face masks instead of high-filtration respirators needed to prevent asbestos exposure. This oversight is particularly concerning because landfill workers regularly drill into waste layers, potentially releasing mesothelioma-causing fibers into the air.
Asbestos Contamination Highlights Broader Safety Issues
Environmental Chemical Corp. acknowledged its failure to follow safety protocols for asbestos abatement, seemingly excusing its mistake by asserting that the debris only contained “trace amounts” of asbestos. Still, the company couldn’t explain why the hazardous material wasn’t properly flagged. Jane Williams of California Communities Against Toxics questioned how many other cases went undetected, calling it “continued failure to effectively protect the public from ash” and pointing to the apparent lack of concern about asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma as evidence that workers and residents near landfills are considered “expendable.”
Despite the known risks of mesothelioma, regulators have not issued any statements on enforcement following this dangerous protocol breach. The Army Corps has cleared debris from nearly 9,000 properties, totalling approximately one million tons of disaster debris sent to four Southern California landfills, with Simi Valley receiving two-thirds of the material. UC Davis researcher Nick Spada is sampling air near the landfill to measure dust pollution and toxic metal levels, expressing particular concern for workers handling debris without proper respiratory protection. Waste Management plans to leave the asbestos-containing waste in place rather than risk releasing more toxic fibers during excavation.
It is natural to move quickly following a disaster like the Los Angeles fires, but the risk of a mesothelioma diagnosis following exposure to asbestos released during a fire is real. If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease and you need help, contact the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net today at 1-800-692-8608.
