SUNY Asbestos Debacle Leads to Indictments
After a recent asbestos debacle at SUNY New Paltz, two federal indictments have been passed down. According to federal officials, Salvatore DePaola, a resident of Staten Island, has been charged with asbestos abatement violations related to work he did for Milestone Environmental on the New Paltz campus. DePaola has a questionable past, as he was charged nine months ago with manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. These charges stem from an incident where two firefighters were killed during a fire at the Deutsche Bank building at Ground Zero.
The SUNY New Paltz violations stem from work done over the summer to remove asbestos from the Bouton, College, and Shango dormitory buildings. DePaola and a second man, Espitia Oliveros have been charged. Both men did work on the dorms while employed by Milestone Environmental. College officials were quick to note that no students were exposed to asbestos during the incidents. "We moved quickly, and there was never any risk to students or staff," SUNY New Paltz spokesman Eric Gullickson said last week.
Asbestos violations are taken very serious by federal officials, as those who are exposed to asbestos may develop mesothelioma. This condition is a rare but aggressive form of cancer that has no known cure. The disease has a long latency period, meaning that it can be several decades after asbestos exposure occurs before the symptoms of mesothelioma are apparent.
DePaola has entered a plea of not guilty in the Deutsche Bank case, and is free on $50,000 bail in the SUNY asbestos case.