-April 16, 2008
Residents of Eliot, Maine are growing increasingly worried about their risk of asbestos exposure due to nearby construction work.
The construction is reportedly being done at the Great Hill Sand and Gravel Company and the community believes that the workers are dumping construction debris and soiled laced with asbestos illegally.
A Community Voices Concern
Christine Thistle, a resident in Eliot, voiced her concern at a recent Board of Selectmen’s meeting regarding the asbestos issues.
At the meeting she reportedly quoted a Massachusetts newspaper article that exposed the asbestos ridden construction debris that is coming from the site.
“My understanding is that the Maine (Department of Environmental Protection) told Great Hill sometime before August 2007 to stop accepting materials posing a mild or moderate threat, especially in light that the final stage seems to be a subdivision of homes,” stated Thistle.
Selectman Offers Support
Gary Sniden, a selectman on the board claims that they have been closely monitoring the asbestos situation at the construction site.
“The concern is that the soil would contain asbestos that is friable…which means that it is loose and could become airborne,” explains Sniden.
Sniden says that he and the other selectmen are pressing the issue with the DEP to provoke them to take more action.
(Source: Sea Coast Online)
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