The District of Columbia enacted legislation in 1998 requiring certification and registration for contractors and professionals who deal in asbestos abatement. Violations are taken very seriously, and will lead to fines, penalties and possibly even jail time or probation. Environmental asbestos concerns are handled by the District Department of the Environment. DDOE penalties for violation of air quality standards can be as high as $10,000 a day per violation for failure to comply with administrative directions.
In one of the most infamous incidents of the past decade, 10 men who work in the tunnels underneath the Capitol building revealed that they were told back in 1998 about extremely high levels of asbestos in the tunnels in which they work. Though the government knew about the conditions back in 1998, the men were not actually provided with necessary safety equipment until 2006, and they are still waiting for the promised asbestos abatement and removal actions. Nine of the ten workers already show compromised lung function that is characteristic of asbestosis and other related asbestos damage. In addition, all of the men express concerns about having carried asbestos fibers home to their families. A Washington D.C. mesothelioma lawyer is currently preparing a lawsuit on their behalf which could promise to be one of the most influential asbestos lawsuits in D.C. history.
In one of the most infamous incidents of the past decade, 10 men who work in the tunnels underneath the Capitol building revealed that they were told back in 1998 about extremely high levels of asbestos in the tunnels in which they work. Though the government knew about the conditions back in 1998, the men were not actually provided with necessary safety equipment until 2006, and they are still waiting for the promised asbestos abatement and removal actions. Nine of the ten workers already show compromised lung function that is characteristic of asbestosis and other related asbestos damage. In addition, all of the men express concerns about having carried asbestos fibers home to their families. A Washington D.C. mesothelioma lawyer is currently preparing a lawsuit on their behalf which could promise to be one of the most influential asbestos lawsuits in D.C. history.
