McLouth Steel Plant Asbestos Violations
The company that owns the site where the McLouth Steel Plant sits in Trenton, Michigan has been cited again for asbestos. Dust that potentially contained asbestos has been leaving the site, leading to the citations from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great lakes, and Energy (EGLE) at the end of November.
The cited companies are Crown Enterprises, Inc. and 21st Century Salvage/Next Generation Environment Inc., which are doing demolition at the site. The land is reportedly owned by MSC Land Company, which has the same listed address as Crown Enterprises.
When an inspector from the Air Quality Division at the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy was at the site in early November performing an asbestos inspection, a large asbestos containing oven was being demolished. A large cloud of dust was visible during the demolition that went north, eventually ending up off-site. Water was used during and after the demolition to try to control the dust, but this failed to do anything. This violated regulations, which require no visible emissions when asbestos containing products are being demolished.
EGLE is requiring Crown Enterprises and 21st Century to give a written response explaining the cause of the violation, what is being done to correct it, and what will be done to prevent this happening in the future. EGLE will be monitoring the site while the abatement process continues to ensure there are no other violations.
Crown and 21st Century were cited earlier in January for asbestos being friable at the site. The asbestos could easily crumble and become airborne, which could travel and end up exposing people in surrounding areas. In an email, Crown Enterprises president Michael Samhat wrote that the company would be working with EGLE and the EPA to resolve the issue. The company also promised not to demolish the industrial stoves at the site until everything has been resolved.
Officials in Trenton are awaiting results of air quality testing to see who was affected by the asbestos dust and what needs to be done to fix any issues related to the emissions. According to the companies, the first stove was removed as a test to see if the stoves were being removed properly, and the violation happened on the third stove. Once the violations are resolved, the remaining stoves can be removed.
If you now have mesothelioma or lung cancer because of asbestos exposure, contact us at 412-471-3980 or gpwlaw.com to see if you have a case and learn more.
