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Doonin Plant Limited pleaded guilty to knowingly cause the deposit of controlled waste, namely, special waste, namely corrugated cement asbestos sheeting at Woodend Washer, Mill Road, Armadale on 11th February 2005.
“Inspections of the site by SEPA officers identified that Doonin Plant Limited had allowed quantities of corrugated cement asbestos sheeting to be deposited at their West Lothian site. Asbestos waste is a special waste and can be potentially dangerous to human life and SEPA regulates its movement to ensure safe handling and disposal,” said SEPA’s Catriona Walker.
Catriona added that SEPA would keep on using its powers to take adequate enforcement action against those who blatantly disregard the rules and regulations.
Asbestos is a combination of several minerals that separate into long, threadlike fibers. It is a strong and incombustible fiber widely used in the past for fireproofing and insulation. The small, buoyant fibers are easily inhaled or swallowed, causing a number of serious diseases including: asbestosis, a chronic disease of the lungs that makes breathing more and more difficult; cancer; and mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a rare cancer, usually found in those exposed to asbestos, in the form of a malignant tumor in the mesothelium of the lungs and or abdomen. Symptoms of this incurable disease are persistent coughing or coughing of blood, chest or abdomen pain, fatigue, and weight loss.
Colin Bayes, SEPA’s Director of Environmental Protection and Improvement said they want to help people avoid pollution and advice on how to do that. He said that the informations are easily available from their staff, offices and their website (www.sepa.org.uk).
"However, if a pollution incident occurs, we urge anyone to let us know straight away by calling our 24 hour pollution report line, 0800 80 70 60, giving as many details as possible so effective action can be taken," He added.
The trial was on yesterday after the case was reported to the Procurator Fiscal by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). The Linlithgow Sheriff court has asked them to pay an amount of £3000 as fine.
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