Company fined after exposing Montana workers to arsenic

BUTTE, Mont. (AP) — A company that turned mining waste into roofing materials in Montana was fined and ordered to conduct medical monitoring after pleading guilty to exposing its employees to arsenic. Tinley Park, Illinois-based U.S. Minerals was sentenced to five years probation and ordered to pay a $393,200 fine during a Friday hearing before U.S. Judge Dana Christensen in Butte. The company pleaded guilty to negligent endangerment, a misdemeanor violation of the federal Clean Air Act. Prosecutors say U.S. Minerals poisoned its workers by exposing them to arsenic despite repeated warnings from regulators. Plants in Illinois, Wisconsin, Kansas, Texas and Louisiana will be under increased federal oversight under a plea deal.