An Indianapolis contractor has recently been sentenced to four moths of house arrest and two years probation for alleged illegal asbestos removal.

The contractor plead guilty to the charges to the federal court, after allegedly performing an illegal asbestos removal from an apartment building.

Contractor Paul Walker will also be fined $2,000 for the improper asbestos removal. According to a United States attorney involved with the cases, Walker had been conducting maintenance and renovation on the building in question in 2015.

Some of the work reportedly involved asbestos removal from the insulation piping, as well as the boiler located in the basement of the building.

The lawyer stated that even though Walker told the building owner that he would use a subcontractor who would be licensed for asbestos removal, he instead removed the fibrous material himself.

By doing this, Walker put himself and the residents of the building at risk for asbestos exposure.

Overview of Asbestos Exposure Dangers

Under federal law, there are certain procedures that must be followed in conducting asbestos removal due to the extreme environmental risks the material presents.

Asbestos is a fibrous material that was popularly used for various construction and insulation purposes for its fire and chemical resistant qualities before the 1980s.

The peak of its popularity was in World War II when many United States Navy ships implemented asbestos into a number of their ships’ piping and insulation systems.

However by the 1980s, health officials discovered the extreme health hazards asbestos exposure presented to people. There are several major diseases associated with asbestos exposure, including the extremely rare lung cancer variant, mesothelioma.

This form of lung cancer attacks the mucus lining of the lungs, which is specifically linked to asbestos fibers.

When the fibers are either inhaled or swallowed, they become embedded into the mucus lining of the lungs and sit there for a number of years without the person ever knowing of their health impairments until its too late.

These asbestos fibers can sit inside the person’s lungs for up to 50 years before progressing to the point where symptoms appear, oftentimes leading to a latent diagnosis. Due to the danger associated with asbestos exposure, Walker’s actions were considered highly negligible by the federal court.

According to the case, later testing indicated that even though the asbestos levels did not reach any of the apartment’s inhabited floors it was still very risky. At this point, the asbestos has been removed from the building by a professional out of Walker’s pocket.

For his alleged illegal asbestos removal, Walker will be prosecuted for negligent endangerment under the Federal Clean Air Act.