Capitol tunnel workers have lung disease

A third source noted that the Architect of the Capitol's own inspections found airborne asbestos in the tunnels prior to and after the 2001 survey. A fourth source told us the Architect of the Capitol had conducted repairs on damaged asbestos after detecting it in the late 1990s. But this source also says the repair work suddenly stopped, money for more work was diverted elsewhere, and contractors entering the tunnels to do work frequently damaged and re-damaged the asbestos covering the pipes in the tunnels.

The NBC News Investigative Unit obtained one 1998 memo which shows that the Architect of the Capitol's own asbestos inspections found airborne asbestos back then. That memo, authored by a safety and asbestos specialist, included the specific recommendation that "employees working in the steam tunnels should be wearing respiratory protection and protective clothing." The tunnel workers claim they were never shown that memo or given that instruction. The Architect of the Capitol has admitted it did not require the tunnel workers to wear respirator masks in the tunnels until last year — eight years later.

A fifth source, very familiar with the Architect of the Capitol’s own asbestos inspections, told the NBC News Investigative Unit that the bottom line was that the managers knew that the workers were being exposed to dangerous airborne asbestos — for years — and did not take action to protect them. Several of the other sources with direct knowledge agreed. (Note: All the sources noted above spoke to NBC News about these issues on the condition of anonymity.)

"That's what, I guess, bugs me more than anything," said Martin Blanchet, a tunnel electrician and Iraq war veteran. "They can all say, ‘Well, we didn't know, we didn't know.’ They DO know. They know, but they seem not to want to do anything."

Why didn’t the tunnel workers do more to protect themselves, such as insist on wearing respirator masks? Tunnel workers supervisor John Thayer claims the Architect of the Capitol’s managers told them repeatedly that they didn’t need such protection. He also claims the workers didn’t realize until recently that airborne asbestos fibers in the tunnels were a potential danger for them. He says that in hindsight they should have insisted on wearing respirator masks.

Contacted last week, the Office of the Architect of the Capitol refused to provide any officials for on-camera or telephone interviews. It also refused to answer several direct and relevant questions about documents and facts at issue. It provided only this statement:

“The Architect of the Capitol remains fully committed to ensuring employee safety, to solving the utility tunnel issues, and to keeping Congress informed of our progress.

The AOC is working with the Office of Compliance to address on a comprehensive basis all safety issues in the tunnels. We will continually strive to ensure that any work performed is compliant with applicable health and safety regulations so that no one is exposed to undue health or safety risks.”

After then-Architect of the Capitol Alan Hantman's testimony last year, Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., had this blunt exhange with him:

Durbin: We knew that there was asbestos, we knew that it was a hazard to workers, and literally waited years before we provided safety devices for these workers to protect them. How could we possibly explain that to the workers or their families?

Hantman: We had ongoing inspections going. But clearly they were not adequate.

Durbin: Well, that's cold comfort. I appreciate your admission, but I think it tells us that we have done a great disservice to these workers and their families. ...to think that it is occurring right here on Capitol Hill is a tremendous source of shame… We have a responsibility to these workers and their families, and a responsibility to this nation, to set an example, a good example when it comes to worker safety. Sadly, we have not set a good example to this point… Knowing this, for five or six years, and not responding to it, and exposing workers to these potential life-threatening situations, that's entirely unacceptable. And to think that it would happen on Capitol Hill, the seat of our government, the symbol of who we are as a people, makes it even worse.

Some of the tunnel workers attended that hearing, and others in 2006. They say they often left disappointed: all talk, no action and no opportunity for the workers to present their side of the story.

"Somebody has to step up to the plate," said Blanchet.

"We hoped they were going to step up to the plate," said Thayer. "It is time Congress stepped up."

"I'd like to take the Members [of Congress] for a tour in the tunnels," said Scott Smith, a tunnel pipefitter/welder for seven years. "And see what they got to say after that."

MORE FROM INVESTIGATIVE UNIT

Investigative Unit Section Front

Spies like us      New rules prohibit credit card fraud   Financial meltdown puts SEC in hot seat   Palin’s record in Alaska   U.S. soldier electrocutions in Iraq under scrutiny   Report: Not all big rig and bus drivers fit to drive   Offshore banks accused of aiding tax evasion   Feds prohibit predatory lending practices Countrywide whistleblower reports 'liar loans' Investigative Unit Section Front   Add Investigative Unit headlines to your news reader: