A Roanoke, VA contractor faces federal charges of using improperly trained and equipped homeless men to remove hazardous asbestos from a building
U.S. Attorney John Brownlee alleged that the contractor's actions jeopardized the health of the three homeless men who were so unfamiliar with the dangerous nature of asbestos that they even ate their lunch in the contaminated area where they worked.

John E. Callahan, 55, was arrested Monday night on five federal counts of violating the Clean Air Act. He pleaded not guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court in Roanoke and was released on $10,000 bond.

His attorney, John Gregory of Salem, declined to comment on the case, except to reiterate that Callahan has pleaded not guilty. If convicted of all five counts, Callahan could face up to 25 years in prison and a fine of $1.25 million.

Asbestos is a fibrous, silicate material once used in insulation. It poses a serious health problem because asbestos fibers can be inhaled and become trapped in lung tissue. The federal government has strict laws spelling out how it should be removed from old buildings.

In an indictment handed up Sept. 14 and unsealed yesterday, a federal grand jury charges that in February 2005 Callahan's business, Environmental Construction, won a $2,100 contract to remove asbestos from a building in downtown Roanoke, even though the company was not qualified to do the work. The indictment alleges that Callahan knew the three homeless men he hired to do the work at $10 an hour were neither certified for the job nor properly trained and outfitted.

During the three-day job, the men wore rain slickers, gloves, goggles and half-face respirators, all of which were inadequate, according to the indictment. Making matters worse, Brownlee said, Callahan instructed the three to change in and out of their work gear in the contaminated basement area, thereby shedding whatever protection they supposedly gained from the clothing.

Callahan told the men to cut the asbestos-laden material without wetting it, violating federal rules meant to minimize asbestos dust, according to the indictment.

The indictment also alleges that Callahan told the workers to put the asbestos-laden material in unmarked trash bags, which he then paid a hauler to take to a dump.