Toxic Waste Building Up in CA Landfills

A federal contractor tasked with the 2025 California wildfire cleanup duty dumped nearly one million tons of asbestos-laced debris into four Southern California landfills.

Between February 28 and March 24, federal cleanup crews gathered up wreckage from six burned-down homes as part of the wildfire recovery efforts led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its primary contractor, Environmental Chemical Corp. Although ECC almost immediately learned that this fire debris contained asbestos, a fire-resistant building material made up of durable thread-like fibers that can cause serious lung damage if inhaled, the incident wasn’t reported to landfill operators or environmental regulators until weeks later.

The botched asbestos disposal amplifies concerns that federal contractors don’t adhere to hazardous waste protocols.

ECC acknowledged that the debris contained “trace amounts” of asbestos, probably due to a failure of either its workers or subcontractors to properly review paperwork.

Disaster-Related Asbestos Exposure

Most residential dwellings and commercial buildings were constructed before 1980, which means most residential dwellings and commercial buildings are laced with asbestos, mostly in:

• Attic insulation,
• Drywall,
• Concrete,
• Floor tiles,
• Electrical insulation,
• Ceiling tiles, and
• Plumbing insulation.

Refined asbestos is a crumbly substance that is easy to wrap around pipes and place in other difficult places. Furthermore, asbestos is completely fireproof and soundproof.

When wildfires burned much of Southern California in 2025, toxic smoke blanketed much of the area. Some of this toxic smoke settled in people’s lungs, where it caused diseases like mesothelioma and asbestosis. Some smoke settled into the soil or other places on the surface, where it contaminates plants and groundwater, causing the same illnesses.

We should say that asbestos poisoning will eventually cause such illnesses. The average asbestos exposure-related disease latency period is more than fifty years.

The 2025 California wildfires are the most recent example of widespread disaster-related asbestos poisoning, but they certainly are not the only example.

Speaking of toxic clouds, 9/11 diseases may be much bigger than industrial asbestos exposure diseases. The Twin Towers contained about 70,000 tons of asbestos when they collapsed. Therefore, anyone who was anywhere near Ground Zero on 9/11 may be an asbestos exposure victim.

Widespread diseases usually mean that a nationwide asbestos lawyer has multiple legal options. These options usually include:

• Civil Claims: Companies that packed the Twin Towers and other New York City buildings with asbestos negligently failed to warn consumers about all known possible risks. Now, those chickens are coming home to roost.
• No-Fault Claims: This category includes workers’ compensation, VA disability, and Social Security Disability. SSD claimants must only prove they have disabling diseases. Most asbestos exposure diseases are fatal, not just disabling. Workers’ compensation requires a work-related connection, and VA disability requires a service-related connection.
• Victim Compensation Fund: The government funded a 9/11 VCF through the end of the century. Bankrupt asbestos providers, like the Grace Company, usually created VCFs. In many cases, a VCF claim is the fastest and easiest way for a nationwide asbestos lawyer to obtain compensation in these matters.

Natural disasters, such as the 2025 Texas flood, also poison many victims. Asbestos is waterproof as well as fireproof and soundproof, putting individuals many miles away from the source at risk for asbestos exposure illnesses.

Asbestos Exposure Defendant Finger-Pointing

“Not my fault” is the most common asbestos defendant excuse. This excuse is not a legal defense. One defendant may point the finger at another one. But in most cases, the asbestos exposure victim receives the same amount of compensation. The only difference is who writes the check.

One of the latest asbestos litigation trends is a new kind of finger-pointing. Several defendants have filed RICO actions against unscrupulous asbestos exposure lawyers, who allegedly doctored evidence and otherwise manipulated the outcome. These actions underscore the need for a victim to partner with the most reputable nationwide asbestos lawyer.

Reach Out to a Compassionate Attorney

Mesothelioma victims need and deserve significant compensation. For a free consultation with an experienced nationwide mesothelioma lawyer, contact the Throneberry Law Group. The sooner you reach out to us, the sooner we start working for you.