Tim Hughes grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, one of eight children; his father was a surgeon. Hughes took a degree in business from St. Francis University and started his own business. He now lives in Whitpain Township. Hughes first heard about the asbestos hazard when he bought a house in Ambler, and then became really aware of asbestos when a developer petitioned to build a seventeen-story high-rise on one of the unremediated piles. Hughes put together a flyer, and he and his wife distributed the flyers to residents of Ambler. Many people became concerned, and Citizens for a Better Ambler (CBA) was formed. The CBA paid for a feasibility study, and later the Borough Council vetoed the high-rise. The research persuaded the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to address the site. Hughes thinks Ambler is safe from asbestos right now, but points out that the proposed high-rise location has not changed.