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Congress Sucks Asbestos Fumes

There is an underground here in Washington, DC and it�s not pretty. It is �crumbling, asbestos-choked, and furnace-like� and spews �asbestos and other contaminants through grates and man-holes around First Street, S.E. including in front of popular Capitol Hill eateries.� Workers who maintain tunnels under the Capitol brought these concerns forward, which were verified in Congressional hearings and a government office.

Today the tunnel shop workers filed a complaint (pdf) against the Architect of the Capitol for retaliation they faced for alerting the public. Most disturbing is that even after admitting at a Congressional hearing earlier this year that proper safety standards were not kept up, the Architect of the Capitol has recently refused to cover the cost of medical testing for the workers to determine if they are suffering from asbestos disease, prompting a direct appeal (pdf) to Senator Durbin today to cover those costs.

By: Beth Daley
Director of Investigations, POGO

At the time of publication, Beth Daley was the Director of Investigations for the Project On Government Oversight.

Authors: Beth Daley

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