Legal news for California asbestos attorneys. Construction work disturbed asbestos and may have contaminated 90 employees.
California asbestos lawyers alerts- Construction at the Fresno Police Department may have exposed 90 employees to asbestos.
Fresno, CA—Ninety Fresno Police Department employees found out on Monday, September 21, 2009, they may have been exposed to asbestos, a mineral fiber known to cause Mesothelioma cancer and asbestosis. Construction crews were installing fire-suppression equipment, when they discovered they disturbed materials possibly containing asbestos around 12:00 p.m. The construction work had reportedly been ongoing since September 14, 2008, as reported by the Fresno Bee.
According to city officials, a construction crew was installing fire-suppression equipment in two computer rooms near the police department’s communications center, when city employees noticed materials possibly containing asbestos were disturbed. As required by federal laws, asbestos must be removed or handled by a licensed asbestos abatement contractor. After the discovery the construction work was stopped, and the communications center was relocated off-site. Nearly 90 employees, mostly dispatchers and other police employees, had been working in the area where the asbestos was disturbed. Installers and employees entering the equipment rooms could have unknowingly carried the asbestos fibers on their clothes and into the communications center. Until the asbestos is abated, the communication center inside the building will remain closed, and employees will continue working at an off-site center. The affected employees have the option to seek their own medical attention and file a claim with the city.
According to Wikipedia http://www.wikipedia.org Asbestos is a known toxic material to humans. Primary and secondary exposure to asbestos and asbestos containing materials can cause respiratory illnesses and fatal diseases like mesothelioma lung cancer. There is no known level of safe exposure to asbestos. Abated asbestos materials are required by federal and state laws to be disposed of by licensed asbestos demolition and removal contractors at certified asbestos dumping areas.
Legal News Reporter: Nicole Howley-Legal news for California asbestos lawyers.