Business Notes HAZARDOUS MATERIALS

The cost of ridding buildings of asbestos insulation runs about $20 per sq. ft., or 100 times as much as the cost of installing the fireproofing mineral in the days before it was known to be a potent carcinogen. One result: in as many as half of all demolition or renovation jobs involving asbestos removal, the contractors or building owners ignore the costly safety procedures that the Environmental Protection Agency has had in effect since 1975.

Now the EPA is cracking down on sloppy work. Last week the agency filed suit against 34 organizations and individuals in eleven states, charging them with failure to notify the government of their work or handling the asbestos in a dangerous manner. Among the accused: the New York City Board of Education. If found guilty, the defendants could be forced to pay $25,000 in fines for each day of each violation.