The cost of properly disposing of asbestos can be high. But for a hospital to deliberately ignore safety precautions and expose its employees, patients, and their families to loose asbestos dust seems incredible in today's world, no matter what the motivation.

And yet that’s exactly what the Niagara Falls hospital did—and the courts have said it will have to pay a $100,000 fine. It would be interesting to find out how much the hospital saved in construction costs by not educating, training and equipping the workers to remove the asbestos safely in the first place. Does it come out even? Or does the fine cost them more than the proper procedure would have cost?

But the costs to those employees are impossible to calculate when 40 or 50 years from now some of them or their family members are diagnosed with asbestosis or mesothelioma. That’s when the hospital’s bottom line could start to hurt a lot more—when those victims file to claim their legal rights.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the hospital for improperly removing and disposing of material that contained asbestos--a known carcinogen. It claims the hospital may have failed to provide employees with information about the risks and equipment to protect themselves. .

The hospital responded immediately that it was cooperating with OSHA inspectors. Their published release said they began making corrections as soon as suggestions were made and that they completed all requested changes.

After an employee complained, OSHA conducted an inspection and identified several ways in which employees were being put at potential risk: Particular mention was made of a lack of appropriate protective clothing, breathing respirators and safety training. The inspection also stated that workers were not properly disposing of the materials, and that no monitoring for asbestos levels was being done.

The Buffalo-area OSHA director said the substantial fine is totally in keeping with the seriousness of the potential violations and the severity of the risk to employees' risks of contracting a disabling or even fatal illness.

Asbestos exposure for any length of time normally leads to lung cancer and other diseases--sometimes early on but in many cases, not until decades later. If you believe you or someone you love was exposed to asbestos at any time in your work environment--even 50 years ago--find a doctor who understands the signs and symptoms asbestosis and mesothelioma and go for regular checkups.