Illegal dumping of garbage has long been a headache for the Cowichan Valley, but the dumping of numerous bags of asbestos in Mill Bay has to be a new low.
Asbestos is a toxic substance that any homeowner knows must be removed properly and carefully by experienced professionals.
If it is not, when disturbed, small particles of asbestos are breathed in by whoever is touching the stuff and whoever else is nearby.
The problem is that those small particles are a big giant health hazard — and yes, it deserves the repetitive adjectives. They are known to cause cancer, which is why the removal of asbestos is so carefully regulated.
So for somebody to callously and deliberately toss bags of the stuff in the first available “rural” setting they can find is the stuff of nightmares.
It is fortunate that it was found so quickly and that officials were alerted before anyone went poking around in the bags.
Who knows what the consequences could have been if kids had come upon it, or animals had torn into the bags and spread it around. Heck, even the winter weather could easily have spread the asbestos contamination far and wide.
It certainly isn’t fair to the person on whose property this mess has been left.
But selfish, corner-cutting imbeciles figure they can just drive up into the country and pocket a few more bucks from a removal contract.
We hope they are hunted down and made to pay — far, far more than if they had disposed of it properly in the first place. Since money seems to be the only thing they care about, it’s time to hit them in the wallet to make sure they at least think twice about doing it again. Doubtless it’s not even the first time they’ve dumped unwanted demolition materials.
It should be possible to find the creeps responsible, too.
Check on anyone authorized to do asbestos removal. Put an appeal out the public to find out is anyone is suspicious about the contractor they had remove asbestos from their home recently.
Such an egregious imposition deserves the full court press.
