Colorado strongly enforces some of the toughest environmental and occupational air quality standards in the nation with regards to asbestos. The regulations for managing and handling asbestos are overseen by the Asbestos Compliance Assistance Group of the Air Pollution Control Division of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
In Colorado, neglect that leads to exposing the public to asbestos fibers can be grounds for a lawsuit against the responsible parties. If, for instance, a contractor or building owner fails to take the proper precautions to contain asbestos when doing renovation or demolition, and hazardous substances like asbestos migrate to neighboring properties, the abutting neighbors may have grounds to bring suit against the owner for recovery of cleanup costs and damages.
The Colorado courts have also affirmed the responsibility of a company to clean up its own environmental messes. In a 2005 case, the Colorado Superior Court held that Asarco, a mining company that owned and operated a number of mines in Colorado, was still financially responsible for cleaning up the leaks from one of its mines even though the company had entered bankruptcy protection. The bankruptcy was triggered by, in part, nearly 100,000 lawsuits alleging asbestos exposure and asbestos poisoning. The 2005 Asarco decision is a departure from traditional court rulings which have often reduced or eliminated fines and cleanup costs for companies in bankruptcy.
In Colorado, neglect that leads to exposing the public to asbestos fibers can be grounds for a lawsuit against the responsible parties. If, for instance, a contractor or building owner fails to take the proper precautions to contain asbestos when doing renovation or demolition, and hazardous substances like asbestos migrate to neighboring properties, the abutting neighbors may have grounds to bring suit against the owner for recovery of cleanup costs and damages.
The Colorado courts have also affirmed the responsibility of a company to clean up its own environmental messes. In a 2005 case, the Colorado Superior Court held that Asarco, a mining company that owned and operated a number of mines in Colorado, was still financially responsible for cleaning up the leaks from one of its mines even though the company had entered bankruptcy protection. The bankruptcy was triggered by, in part, nearly 100,000 lawsuits alleging asbestos exposure and asbestos poisoning. The 2005 Asarco decision is a departure from traditional court rulings which have often reduced or eliminated fines and cleanup costs for companies in bankruptcy.
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