When Michael Flores paid $20,000 to remove asbestos from his attic, he didn’t expect to find the toxic material still there — or to learn that the crew had never obtained a license in the first place.

Flores had bought the 100-year-old Ottawa, Illinois, home with plans to turn it into a vacation rental near Starved Rock State Park. Knowing the attic was filled with vermiculite insulation — a material often containing asbestos — he hired a local crew to remove it safely.

Don’t miss

But after the crew from Clean Air Asbestos and Mold Control LLC declared the job done, Flores went to check for himself — and was stunned. The dangerous insulation was still sitting in the attic.

He sent photos of the leftover material to the company, expecting them to fix the issue. Instead, the owner insisted the work was complete. “I was like, ‘No, that’s impossible.’” Flores told CBS Chicago.

Flores called in another contractor for a second cleaning. That expert confirmed the attic was still hazardous and “too dangerous for anyone to be here working.” Flores paid an additional $8,000 to finish what should have been done the first time.

Whether you’re a homeowner or a contractor, it’s the kind of nightmare scenario that makes you ill — pay out the money to eliminate a serious health threat, only to discover the danger is still present. And Flores couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

What the first crew missed

When Flores later reviewed security footage from his garage, he was disturbed to see workers without proper protective gear — a clear breach of safety protocol.

The vacuum being used didn’t appear to contain the asbestos at all — it seemed to be blowing dust, likely full of fibers, back into the air.

Suspecting something was wrong, Flores contacted the vacuum’s manufacturer, who confirmed it wasn’t designed for asbestos removal — only standard insulation.

Flores ultimately escalated the issue to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), submitting camera footage, videos of his attic, and the email from the vacuum manufacturer.

More than 200,000 people die each year worldwide from asbestos-related diseases, according to the World Health Organization. Toxic asbestos fibers, when inhaled, can cause devastating illnesses like mesothelioma, lung disease, and even death. The United States account for between 12,000 and 15,000 deaths each year.

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The state’s response

Internal emails from the IDPH, obtained by CBS Chicago, revealed that employees knew Clean Air Asbestos and Mold Control LLC “stretched the truth.” But Flores was out of luck.

Under Illinois law, asbestos abatement licenses are only required for public buildings, commercial properties and multi-unit residences. That means companies like Clean Air Asbestos and Mold Control LLC can legally take on single-family home jobs — no license required.

CBS Chicago contacted agencies across the country and found inconsistent rules. About 25 states responded, many with murky policies that don’t regulate asbestos removal in private homes.

Only seven states — Maine, Maryland, New York, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia — require a license for any asbestos removal, including single-family in private homes.

Dr. Arthur Frank, an environmental and occupational health professor at Drexel University, called it a dangerous loophole.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a household or a commercial entity, or anyplace else,” Frank told CBS Chicago. “If there’s asbestos, you need to remove it properly and safely, and somebody ought to be regulating it. As little as one day of exposure has given some people and some animals mesotheliomas.”

Ridding your home of asbestos

Asbestos removal is serious work — and hiring a properly certified professional is critical.

If your state requires a license, confirm the company holds one and ask for individual asbestos removal certifications. Make sure they’re certified by both the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Before the job starts, ask the contractor to walk you through the full abatement process. A reputable contractor should include an initial inspection, sealing off the area with HEPA filtration, minimizing airborne particles with a wetting agent, a final clearance test and proper disposal of all materials.

As always, check reviews online with the Better Business Bureau and on contracting sites. For as large — and expensive — as asbestos removal, don’t hesitate to ask for recent references.

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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.