The Illinois Attorney General’s office recently filed a complaint against the owner of the Marycrest Shopping Center in Joliet, Illinois – a suburb of Chicago – after anonymous tipsters told the official that violations in regards to removal and handling of asbestos were occurring during renovations of the mall, which was built in the 1950s and remodeled in 2008-2009.

According to an article in the Chicago Tribune, the complaint specifically outlines violations that begin in April 2008. These involved the hiring of unlicensed workers to remove the toxic material, which included asbestos floor tile and other items. In addition, once removed, the workers threw the material into normal garbage bins without otherwise containing them. This is a clear violation of federal Clean Air Act laws.

Furthermore, notes the article, the complaint cites other violations including failure to seal off the work area to avoid the spread of asbestos dust and failure to notify the proper authorities of asbestos removal before the work commenced.

The owner of the mall, Schaumburg-based RMS Properties, Inc., consented to the fine, so a hearing scheduled for February in regards to the matter was canceled. However, it’s difficult to ascertain how many individuals may have been exposed to asbestos due to the negligence of RMS Properties. These include not only construction workers but also anyone else who was working in the shopping center when the renovation project was in progress. Inhalation of asbestos dust is dangerous and can later cause the development of serious lung ailments, including cancers such as pleural mesothelioma, which attacks the lining of the lungs.