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Feb 14 2007
Ten tunnel workers filed a whistleblower complaint against their employer, the Architect of the Capitol (AoC) alleging that they were forced to work in old tunnels that contain high levels of asbestos. They service the utility tunnels under the U.S. Capitol complex and are responsible for maintaining the plumbing that provides steam and chilled water to Congress, the Library of Congress, the Supreme Court and other federal buildings.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), a branch of the Centers for Disease Control, has been asked to evaluate the hazards in the underground passages. The workers are very much concerned about the asbestos exposure and falling slabs of concrete.
According to David Marshall, an attorney representing the workers, The AoC's office the asbestos levels in the tunnels are intolerably high and is affecting the workers adversely."The architect's office started requiring respirators when the asbestos danger came to light last year," Marshall said, "Some of the members in this group have been working in the tunnels for 20 years".
Eva Malecki, spokeswoman for the Architect of the Capitol said that they have co-operated with NIOSH in the past and would like to continue to do so if they decide to evaluate the tunnels.
The dispute between the workers and the AoC is going on for quiet some time and the NIOSH complaint is the latest development regarding the issue. Last year, the workers had appealed for help to Congress members and started attending Senate hearings on the issue. They spoke with reporters in these hearings. They had asked also for support to obtain medical treatment and transportation.
The workers accused that the architect's office avenged against them for making their complaints public. They told that the Whistle-blower Protection Act applies only to executive branch employees and they were not covered by the act.
The levels of asbestos that many of the workers have been exposed far exceed the limits set by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration. In 2000, the Office of Compliance had sent a memo to the AoC stating the needs to take action to prevent tunnel workers from breathing airborne asbestos.
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