
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, October 13, 1995                   TAG: 9510130053
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B-7 BUSINESS   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: GREG EDWARDS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

HERCULES INC. AGREES TO PAY $1.2 MILLION ASBESTOS FINE

Hercules Inc. has agreed to pay a record $1.2 million fine to settle charges that it improperly handled asbestos, the U.S. Justice Department reported Thursday.

The government said the claim stems from removal of asbestos during demolition in 1992-93 of an office building the company owned in Covington.

The fine, levied under terms of a consent decree filed in a Virginia federal court, is the largest settlement ever under the Clean Air Act's asbestos regulations, the Justice Department said.

Hercules, an international maker of industrial chemicals and other products, formerly operated a plant in Covington that manufactured polypropylene film used in the packaging of snack foods and tobacco products. Hercules sold the plant and two others to Applied Extrusion Technologies Inc. of Salem, Mass., in April 1994. Wilmington, Del.-based Hercules also was former operator of the Army arsenal at Radford.

The Justice Department said that Hercules and its contractor, Carver Massie Carver, failed to follow standard asbestos removal procedures while demolishing the Hercules-owned building. The alleged violations included:

Failure to notify the Environmental Protection Agency prior to the demolition.

Not adequately wetting the asbestos during stripping and removal or during transport and disposal.

Failing to dispose asbestos-containing waste in a timely manner.

Federal law requires anyone renovating or demolishing structures with at least 160 square feet of asbestos-containing material to notify the EPA and state and local agencies at least 10 days prior to the work. Federal standards require that asbestos be wet during removal to prevent the spread of asbestos fibers. The fibers pose serious health risks, including the risk of cancer, the Justice Department said.

As part of the settlement, Hercules has agreed to take action to ensure it complies with asbestos regulations in the future. The company will name a national asbestos coordinator to review all demolition and renovation projects at its U.S. facilities and will require the training of supervisors and line workers in the safe handling of asbestos.

"This settlement makes it very clear that there's a price to pay for ignoring federal asbestos laws," Assistant Attorney General Lois J. Schiffer said.

by CNB