Workers say tunnels under U.S. Capitol thick with asbestos

By Carol Kennedy

Published on March 31, 2006

In a recent report published in The Hill, a newsletter that reports on issues concerning Congress, a letter was sent to legislators by employees from the Office of the Architect of the Capitol warning of extreme levels of asbestos in the tunnels. The Office of the Architect of the Capitol is responsible for maintaining the complex. In the letter, the employees describe asbestos so thick it can be physically picked up. The workers also reported that emergency exits were locked and temperatures in the area were extremely high.

The area is considered so dangerous that Capitol police do not even patrol it, which raises additional security concerns.

The workers report that they have breathed in substantial amounts of asbestos.

Asbestos has been linked to mesothelioma, a fatal form of lung cancer.