Denver, Colorado water officials respond to asbestos dumping allegation
Denver Water has released an official response regarding recent claims that they were involved in an illegal asbestos dumping scheme. The allegations, made by a number of former Denver Water employees, state that Denver Water buried asbestos-containing cement pipes on a water treatment property nearly two decades ago.
Asbestos must be handled properly in order to prevent the material from becoming an environmental of public health hazard. Asbestos exposure has been conclusively linked to the development of mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer. Tragically, the majority of patients pass away from mesothelioma within 24 months after being diagnosed. Mesothelioma affects 2,000 to 3,000 new patients in American every year, but remains incurable at the present time.
Denver Water appears to be implying that the employees claims are part of an extortion scheme, and their allegations are not based in fact. Denver Water agreed to conduct an investigation into the matter if the employees provided further information about the incident, which the employees did not do. According to local reports, Denver Water officials say that the employees threatened to go public with their information unless they received a certain amount of money.
Denver Water argues that even if asbestos was present, it would not necessarily pose a threat to the quality of local groundwater.
“We want the community near Foothills Treatment Plant to know the air is safe, the drinking water is safe and the ground water is safe,” the response stated. The response went on to state: “Denver Water’s job is to provide safe, clean drinking water to our customers and to protect public health. We take that charge very seriously, and we are extremely distressed that a recent Fox 31 news story has created unnecessary fear and concern among residents near our Foothills Treatment Plant in Roxborough. It is irresponsible to lead people to believe they are in danger when they are not.”
