Latest news with #CleanAirAsbestos
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
This Illinois man paid $20K to have asbestos removed from his attic — but the crew refused to finish the job
When Michael Flores paid $20,000 to remove asbestos from his attic, he didn't expect to find the toxic material still there — or to learn that the crew had never obtained a license in the first place. Flores had bought the 100-year-old Ottawa, Illinois, home with plans to turn it into a vacation rental near Starved Rock State Park. Knowing the attic was filled with vermiculite insulation — a material often containing asbestos — he hired a local crew to remove it safely. Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 6 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Nervous about the stock market in 2025? Find out how you can access this $1B private real estate fund (with as little as $10) But after the crew from Clean Air Asbestos and Mold Control LLC declared the job done, Flores went to check for himself — and was stunned. The dangerous insulation was still sitting in the attic. He sent photos of the leftover material to the company, expecting them to fix the issue. Instead, the owner insisted the work was complete. 'I was like, 'No, that's impossible.'' Flores told CBS Chicago. Flores called in another contractor for a second cleaning. That expert confirmed the attic was still hazardous and 'too dangerous for anyone to be here working.' Flores paid an additional $8,000 to finish what should have been done the first time. Whether you're a homeowner or a contractor, it's the kind of nightmare scenario that makes you ill — pay out the money to eliminate a serious health threat, only to discover the danger is still present. And Flores couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. When Flores later reviewed security footage from his garage, he was disturbed to see workers without proper protective gear — a clear breach of safety protocol. The vacuum being used didn't appear to contain the asbestos at all — it seemed to be blowing dust, likely full of fibers, back into the air. Suspecting something was wrong, Flores contacted the vacuum's manufacturer, who confirmed it wasn't designed for asbestos removal — only standard insulation. Flores ultimately escalated the issue to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), submitting camera footage, videos of his attic, and the email from the vacuum manufacturer. More than 200,000 people die each year worldwide from asbestos-related diseases, according to the World Health Organization. Toxic asbestos fibers, when inhaled, can cause devastating illnesses like mesothelioma, lung disease, and even death. The United States account for between 12,000 and 15,000 deaths each year. Read more: Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says — and that 'anyone' can do it Internal emails from the IDPH, obtained by CBS Chicago, revealed that employees knew Clean Air Asbestos and Mold Control LLC 'stretched the truth.' But Flores was out of luck. Under Illinois law, asbestos abatement licenses are only required for public buildings, commercial properties and multi-unit residences. That means companies like Clean Air Asbestos and Mold Control LLC can legally take on single-family home jobs — no license required. CBS Chicago contacted agencies across the country and found inconsistent rules. About 25 states responded, many with murky policies that don't regulate asbestos removal in private homes. Only seven states — Maine, Maryland, New York, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia — require a license for any asbestos removal, including single-family in private homes. Dr. Arthur Frank, an environmental and occupational health professor at Drexel University, called it a dangerous loophole. "It doesn't matter if it's a household or a commercial entity, or anyplace else,' Frank told CBS Chicago. 'If there's asbestos, you need to remove it properly and safely, and somebody ought to be regulating it. As little as one day of exposure has given some people and some animals mesotheliomas.' Asbestos removal is serious work — and hiring a properly certified professional is critical. If your state requires a license, confirm the company holds one and ask for individual asbestos removal certifications. Make sure they're certified by both the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Before the job starts, ask the contractor to walk you through the full abatement process. A reputable contractor should include an initial inspection, sealing off the area with HEPA filtration, minimizing airborne particles with a wetting agent, a final clearance test and proper disposal of all materials. As always, check reviews online with the Better Business Bureau and on contracting sites. For as large — and expensive — as asbestos removal, don't hesitate to ask for recent references. Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Robert Kiyosaki warns of a 'Greater Depression' coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 'easy-money' assets will bring in 'great wealth'. How to get in now This tiny hot Costco item has skyrocketed 74% in price in under 2 years — but now the retail giant is restricting purchases. Here's how to buy the coveted asset in bulk Here are 5 'must have' items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you? Like what you read? Join 200,000+ readers and get the best of Moneywise straight to your inbox every week. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
CBS News
03-06-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Man says company's asbestos removal from Illinois house was improper and incomplete, and state can't help
You have likely seen the ads on CBS Chicago — lawyers looking for cancer patients who are deathly ill because of asbestos. A viewer reached out to CBS News Chicago, afraid he would get sick. He has been through a tangle with asbestos, and he ran into to a loophole in state policy that could leave anyone vulnerable. When Michael Flores purchased a more-than-century-old house in Ottawa, Illinois, it was supposed to be a vacation rental — a peaceful oasis by Starved Rock State Park. But it went from charming to alarming. Flores knew that asbestos lingered at the top of the house. It was insulated with vermiculite, a gavel-like insulation material that is known to contain asbestos. Flores also knew he would have to fork over several thousand dollars to remove the dangerous material before rehabbing the house. Only after that could families book the house as their lodging for getaways. "We just don't want to put people at risk," Flores said. Flores paid nearly $20,000 to have the material removed. He thought he had put the asbestos concerns to bed, but there were still piles of vermiculite left behind after the work was done. "Did I just get scammed?" Flores said. "Like, why did I pay $20,000 and there's still all this asbestos up there?" Flores took videos showing piles of asbestos-containing material still in the attic after hiring Clean Air Asbestos and Mold Control LLC to have it removed. The Aurora, Illinois-based company's owner insisted his $18,758.25 job for removal of asbestos was completed. "I was like, no, that's impossible," said Flores. So Flores decided to get another opinion from a different contractor — who said with the remaining asbestos, the attic was still dangerous "for anyone to be here working." Shock and anger followed. It cost Flores another $8,000 for that second company to clear what was left behind — as he fought for that nearly $20,000 refund from Clean Air Asbestos and Mold Control. Meanwhile, he got curious and looked at footage of the Clean Air workers from a driveway camera on the garage. "I saw workers without protective gear on, with not proper facemasks on," he said. The footage also showed a bag spewing dust into the air — particles that more than likely contained asbestos. "That made me investigate further because I'm like, well that's not right," Flores said. So Flores emailed the manufacturer of a vacuum used for the job — asking if the equipment was appropriate for sucking up asbestos. An email in reply from Wm. W. Meyer & Sons Inc. said, "The Versa-Vac and bags are not intended for asbestos removal. They are only made for insulation removal and do get very dusty during use." Flores sent that information, surveillance footage taken from the driveway camera, and one of the videos of the attic to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Internal emails between state employees said, "I knew something was wrong," and "I guess he was truthful with his answers, but the pictures and videos indicate he stretched the truth A LOT!" — referring to the owner of Clean Air Asbestos and Mold Control. But the IDPH staff also said the department had "no authority since it was a single family home." It turned out Illinois requires licenses for asbestos work in commercial, public, and large residential buildings. But there is no license mandated for asbestos removal in houses. That means Clean Air Asbestos and Mold Control remains on the IDPH approve list, and the state's hands are tied from taking any action against the company if warranted. "It just seems strange that it's like almost impossible to hold a company accountable for something that could potentially kill people," Flores said. CBS News Chicago wondered just how strange Illinois asbestos regulations are. All 50 states were asked about their rules, and about half responded — with answers that were all over the place. Most interestingly, seven states — Maine, Maryland, New York, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia — mandate a license for anyone to remove asbestos from anywhere. This includes office buildings, schools, and houses too. But nine states — Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Texas — have limited policies. People who clear out asbestos in those states have to follow strict rules, but those rules and the consequences for violating them are not in play if the removal happens at a single-family home. "That sounds like a loophole in regulations that is totally inappropriate," said Dr. Arthur Frank, an environmental and occupational health professor at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Frank has researched asbestos for more than 50 years. "It doesn't matter if it's a household or a commercial entity, or anyplace else. If there's asbestos, you need to remove it properly and safely, and somebody ought to be regulating it," said Frank. "As little as one day of exposure has given some people and some animals mesotheliomas." Mesotheliomas are cancers. It was last year when Flores shared with CBS News Chicago the cellphone videos of his attic with vermiculite still visible after the first asbestos treatment. But when CBS News Chicago started to investigate, Flores received a cease-and-desist letter from an attorney for Clean Air Asbestos and Mold Control. Nervous, Flores canceled our interview. But he said he feels comfortable coming forward now. "I think it would be really great for there to be some kind of governmental changes to kind of regulate better," he said. Flores is suing Clean Air Asbestos and Mold Control. The company declined an interview through its attorney, who "categorically denies" all allegations of wrongdoing.
