Capitol Police Worry About Asbestos Exposure

Capitol Police armed with the task of protecting areas in Washington D.C. that have been undergoing asbestos abatement projects have filed a complaint to the Office of Compliance alleging that they were not properly warned or safeguarded from the mesothelioma dangers that they areas they were patrolling carried.

During weekends from February until April, asbestos removal projects were commissioned to take place in Senate subway tunnels. While the timing of the asbestos abatement projects was meant to coincide with periods when Senate staff members were not nearby, Capitol Police were still required to patrol the areas, The Hill reported.

The complaint, which was filed by the Capitol Police Labor Committee on behalf of the officers, stated that officers were not told of any asbestos hazards. Furthermore, requests for reassignment from areas that were undergoing asbestos abatement projects were not responded to by their department.

Even after Phillip Morse, the chief of the Capitol Police, was notified of the potential asbestos dangers, officers claim they were still regularly stationed near the area and not given protective gear to shield them from the dangerous fibers.

This is not the first asbestos-related complaint that have been levied in Capitol Hill in recent years. In 2006, crewmembers of the Capitol Power Plant alleged that the Architect of the Capitol did not properly protect them from dangerously high levels of asbestos they were regularly being exposed to.

If you or a loved one has been exposed to asbestos at work and now suffer from mesothelioma, call Sokolove Law today to learn more about pursuing a mesothelioma claim.