New York ’s MTA Ignored Asbestos Dangers for Years

Glaring safety issues involving asbestos exposure within the Metropolitan Transportation Authority extend further than the East New York bus depot in Brooklyn, a report from the agency’s inspector general alleges. Inhaling or ingesting tiny asbestos fibers in the air can lead to serious health conditions later in life, including mesothelioma cancer. The inspector general report, released Monday, shows MTA managers ignored asbestos safety concerns at bus and train facilities across New York City for years. Asbestos-containing materials were found in disrepair in the boiler rooms of at least six MTA depots throughout the city. Other unsafe working conditions, including mold, exposed electrical wires, vermin and crumbling exteriors, were also documented in the report. “These concerns were known to some in management — and have been known for some time — but the problems were not being addressed,” the inspector general’s office wrote in a letter to NYC Transit President Andy Byford. “How these facilities fell into such disrepair, who failed to take appropriate action and what needs to happen is the subject of [the office’s] continuing audit.” Last month, the New York Daily News reported MTA’s East New York bus depot in Brooklyn had exposed thousands of workers to asbestos for decades through the aging building’s ventilation system. “This does not surprise me. These situations occur frequently,” Dr. Raja Flores, thoracic surgeon and mesothelioma speci...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: news