Asbestos Victims Testify About Tunnels
Article Added April 22nd, 2007 - Print This Story - Bookmark This Story
For the first time since complaints were raised about the working conditions in the tunnels under Capitol Hill, an employee will be allowed to go on record about the working conditions and hazards he was exposed to. Employees of the tunnels under Capitol Hill have been saying for years that the working conditions were putting them in danger, and that the Architect of the Capitol was aware of the dangers. For the first time since the complaints were brought forward, a Senate panel will hear testimonies of the dangers and hardships faced by tunnel workers, and the lack of concern from the ones in charge. The tunnels, which supply steam and water to many government buildings on Capitol Hill, contain asbestos within the crumbling concrete. Workers were not told of the danger, and when they became aware of the situation, safety training and equipment were not provided to them. The asbestos in the tunnels is especially dangerous, since it has already become airborne, and can travel throughout the tunnels carried on the steam within the tunnels. Workers can breath in the asbestos fibers if they are not equipped with safety gear; the particles lodge in the lungs and can result in emphysema and mesothelioma. A particularly aggressive form of lung cancer, mesothelioma can take years to manifest. Some of the tunnel workers have already begun to display symptoms of respiratory illnesses.
Article Added April 22nd, 2007 - Print This Story - Bookmark This Story
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