The Idaho Transportation Department has agreed to pay a $52,000 fine after demolishing an asbestos-containing building in northern Idaho and potentially exposing the public to the cancer-causing fibers.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the agreement Thursday involving the November demolition of the state-owned building in Priest River.
The federal agency says the state agency failed to do an asbestos survey before the demolition and only learned of the demolition after receiving a public complaint.
An inspector checked the debris pile and found materials with up to 55 percent asbestos.
In a similar event, the Idaho Transportation Department agreed to pay a $57,000 fine in June 2014 after demolishing an asbestos-laden building in the eastern Idaho city of Rigby.
Asbestos causes lung cancer and other diseases.
