The Philadelphia Housing Authority is under fire for recent allegations of improper disposal of asbestos from people's homes.
Plumbers removed leaky pipes from a resident's home and left the rusty pipes - covered in a white gauzelike material - on the front patio. The resident removed the pipes herself, using her bare hands to dispose of the pipes in black garbage bags in a dumpster near her home.
The white gauzelike material may be asbestos, a hazardous substance with potentially deadly consequences if torn or disturbed. Asbestos exposure has been linked to the lung cancer mesothelioma, asbestosis, and other serious health related diseases.
This is one of many cases that have been alleged against PHA workers, who may have been responsible for improperly removing and disposing of asbestos covered heating and plumping pipes.
Both federal and local laws require that only trained, licensed contractors remove and dispose of asbestos in public buildings due to its hazardous potential. Asbestos debris must be enclosed in a sealed bag and then transported to special landfills.
Because of the implications, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has launched a formal criminal investigation researching the allegations. If the allegations are true, the employers of the PHA may be held liable for putting the health of its employees and residents at extreme risk.
Former employees have come forth, backing the allegations against the housing authority. Some employees, such as former PHA plumber, David Poulterer, accuse the PHA of suspending them without pay for complaining about the illegal asbestos handling.
The city Health Department also found asbestos fibers in apartments that the PHA had reported were clean of asbestos fibers. The discrepancy in the reports has caused the Health Department to demand that PHA re-inspect and clean the affected apartments.
The Philadelphia Daily News reported a resident described the experience. Channel Saunders claimed that the PHA was "much more concerned about me talking to the Daily News than about the health and safety of me and my children." Saunders resides in one of the affected apartments with her four children, aged 9, 5, 2 and 2 months.
Mesothelioma, the lung cancer associated with asbestos exposure, can manifest 20 to 30 years after the initial exposure, which may make it difficult to ascertain how the residents and workers will be affected if these allegations are indeed true. Further investigations will determine how much asbestos, if any, was removed from the apartments and how many other complexes may potentially be affected.
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