High School Contractors Arrested For Asbestos Project
Authorities Allege Two Men Left School In Dangerous Condition
Federal agents have arrested two men for their involvement in an asbestos abatement project at Fort Morgan High School.
Daniel Argil, 52, of Houston, and David Backus, 53, of Cheyenne, Wyo., were arrested for making false statements and mail fraud. Argil is also facing charges of
violating the Clean Air Act, according to the Environment Protection Agency.
Authorities allege that Argil and Backus failed to do their job when they were hired by the high school to remove asbestos and monitor the abatement project in the summer of 1999.
Argil was a project supervisor for the National Service Cleaning Corp., responsible for overseeing all abatement activities.
According to the indictment, Argil knowingly caused hazardous asbestos to be released into the air, placing Fort Morgan High School students, faculty, staff and employees and NSCC employees in danger.
Inhaling asbestos can cause asbestosis, a scarring of the lungs that leads to breathing problems and heart failure. The known carcinogen can also cause lung cancer and mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the lining of the chest and abdomen lining. It may be linked to cancer of the stomach, intestines, and rectum, as well, according to the American Lung Cancer Association.
Argil also allegedly caused pollutants from the school to be discharged into a public sewer treatment plant, and knowingly mishandled the asbestos during the removal process.
Argil told federal authorities that NSCC employees were fitted with respirators during the project, when in fact they were not, U.S. Attorney Richard T. Spriggs said.
According to a second indictment, Backus failed to adequately monitor and inspect the work of employees responsible for removing asbestos from the high school.
Backus is accused of certifing that NSCC had completed the abatement work and that the work area was acceptable for occupancy, when he knew that the opposite was true, Spriggs said.
Authorities claim that Backus and Argil left Fort Morgan High School contaminated with asbestos when students, faculty, staff and employees returned to the school in the fall of 1999.
According to the American Lung Association, improper removal of asbestos may increase the health risks to those exposed.
If convicted, Argil faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 fine for each count for making false statements, violations of the Clean Air Act, and mail fraud.
Backus faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for making a false statement, and for each count of mail fraud.
More Information:
Online Information About Asbestos
Daniel Argil, 52, of Houston, and David Backus, 53, of Cheyenne, Wyo., were arrested for making false statements and mail fraud. Argil is also facing charges of
violating the Clean Air Act, according to the Environment Protection Agency.
Authorities allege that Argil and Backus failed to do their job when they were hired by the high school to remove asbestos and monitor the abatement project in the summer of 1999.
Argil was a project supervisor for the National Service Cleaning Corp., responsible for overseeing all abatement activities.
According to the indictment, Argil knowingly caused hazardous asbestos to be released into the air, placing Fort Morgan High School students, faculty, staff and employees and NSCC employees in danger.
Inhaling asbestos can cause asbestosis, a scarring of the lungs that leads to breathing problems and heart failure. The known carcinogen can also cause lung cancer and mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the lining of the chest and abdomen lining. It may be linked to cancer of the stomach, intestines, and rectum, as well, according to the American Lung Cancer Association.
Argil also allegedly caused pollutants from the school to be discharged into a public sewer treatment plant, and knowingly mishandled the asbestos during the removal process.
Argil told federal authorities that NSCC employees were fitted with respirators during the project, when in fact they were not, U.S. Attorney Richard T. Spriggs said.
According to a second indictment, Backus failed to adequately monitor and inspect the work of employees responsible for removing asbestos from the high school.
Backus is accused of certifing that NSCC had completed the abatement work and that the work area was acceptable for occupancy, when he knew that the opposite was true, Spriggs said.
Authorities claim that Backus and Argil left Fort Morgan High School contaminated with asbestos when students, faculty, staff and employees returned to the school in the fall of 1999.
According to the American Lung Association, improper removal of asbestos may increase the health risks to those exposed.
If convicted, Argil faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 fine for each count for making false statements, violations of the Clean Air Act, and mail fraud.
Backus faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for making a false statement, and for each count of mail fraud.
More Information:
- Learn the health risks of asbestos, according to the American Lung Association
- The Asbestos Informer, compiled by the EPA
- Where Asbestos Can Be Found
- Information about asbestos from the Environmental Protection Agency
- Fact sheet on asbestos from the National Safety Council
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