Prison for releasing R22 to atmosphere
28th October 2014
USA: A Detroit man who pleaded guilty to releasing R22 to the environment has been sentenced to 27 months in prison.
The sentence was passed on Terry Williams, 48, after he pleaded guilty in April to criminal violations of the US Clean Air Act in relation to the R22 release and for disturbing asbestos-containing materials when salvaging scrap metal from the former Chrysler headquarters building in Detroit.
The building, built in the 1920’s as the original Kelvinator refrigerator factory, was acquired by Williams following Chrysler’s 2009 bankruptcy.
In 2012, crews hired by Williams are said to have dismantled at least 50 air conditioning units, including many large rooftop units, releasing R22 refrigerant into the environment.
Williams also arranged for other fixtures on the property to be scrapped, ordering crews to cut and remove pipes he knew to be insulated with regulated asbestos-containing insulation. These insulated pipes were said to have been removed without following the work practice requirements under federal asbestos regulations, including failing to properly wet the asbestos containing materials to prevent asbestos fibres from becoming airborne and failing to secure the materials for proper disposal.
