A man from Chattanooga, Tennessee will be forced to submit to six months of house arrest and three years of probation after going to court over asbestos violations.

Gary Fillers, along with three others, were accused of violating the federal Clean Air Act during work on a building at the corner of 17th and Watkins, bulldozing the area where the Standard Coosa Thatcher (SCT) building once stood. The four individuals, referred to as “the Watkins Street Project”, were allegedly to blame for the improper removal, handling, and disposal of asbestos from the SCT building.

Asbestos exposure is conclusively linked to the development of mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer. Mesothelioma affects less than 3,000 Americans each year, and while there are palliative treatment methods available, including chemo, there is no known cure. The majority of patients lose their battle with this cancer in less than two years following diagnosis. According to officials with the US EPA, “When asbestos-containing materials are damaged or disturbed by repair, remodeling or demolition activities, microscopic fibers become airborne and can be inhaled into the lungs, where they can cause significant health problems.”

The most common causes of asbestos exposure include “workplace exposure to people that work in industries that mine, make or use asbestos products and those living near these industries [as well as] deteriorating, damaged, or disturbed asbestos-containing products such as insulation, fireproofing, acoustical materials, and floor tiles.”

Fillers pled guilty; however, the rest of the group named in the case has entered pleas of not guilty.

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