An outside consultant recently urged improvements be made in the way that the Smithsonian Institution handles the asbestos problems in their buildings. The call for immediate change requests that the procedures, training, and inspections with the carcinogen be updated and improved throughout the museum.
The head Secretary of the Smithsonian, G. Wayne Clough, reportedly ordered an asbestos study be conducted earlier this year after The Washington Post ran a story regarding a former museum employee becoming sick after decades of work at the Smithsonian. The article, which was released last March, reported that a former exhibit specialist, Richard Pullman, 54, who spent his career working on walls containing asbestos, had developed asbestosis after 28 years of working at the National Air and Space Museum.
Asbestos Settlement Awards Plaintiff
According to reports from the Department of Labor Under Freedom of Information Act, the asbestos settlement with the institution awarded Pullman $233,000.
Pullman claims he frequently sawed and drilled into the interior walls of the museum to install and update the ever changing exhibits that came and went over 25 years. It wasn’t until 2008, that Pullman claims he and his coworkers were informed for the first time that the walls were infested with asbestos. It was due to the exposure he unknowingly experienced for decades that Pullman developed asbestosis. Asbestosis is a type of cancer associated with asbestos.
Lawsuit Sparks Need for Change
Clough, who is a civil engineer by training, e-mailed all Smithsonian employees this week to inform them that their engineering consultant URS, has called for “a number of improvements,” in the way the museum handles asbestos.
The updated report, which was given to The Post by the Smithsonian, said that the institution was negligent and failed to use the most reliable method of asbestos testing to ensure the safety of the employees. However, they noted that in light of the recent settlement and study findings of asbestos still being recognized in the walls, they are taking every precaution to provide a safe environment for all.
