Medical Center

Part 2: Asbestos at VA Medical Center

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• published: 20 Oct 2014
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YOUR DESCRIPTION HAS REACHED THE LIMIT OF CHARACTERS ALLOWED AND WAS CUT. A News 13 investigation of asbestos at Asheville's VA Medical Center uncovers critical information left out of reports to federal safety inspectors. Workers at the VA along with an expert say the problem could put public health at risk. News 13's Mike Mason has part two of our special investigation into ‚“Hidden Hazards‚. One current maintenance worker at the Asheville VA hospital fears retaliation so he agreed to speak with us only if we concealed his identity. We'll call him "Bill". Bill says photos taken this past May show there is still damaged asbestos piping and debris in the sub-basement and sections of the crawlspace where most people can't see. Bill tells us, ‚“The old pipe insulation literally coming unraveled and falling apart. It was told to us 2 to 3 times it has all been abated but everything is as it was." Photos show many crumbling pipes clearly tagged as containing asbestos, others have been duct-taped together instead of being replaced. Workers provided us with additional photos containing captions to describe how broken pipe insulation has been dangling above air handler access doors and the door seal outside of an A/C filter room has been ripped. Workers say the old A/C air handlers are not air tight and they suspect they're sucking in clouds of dust and debris. Bill tells us, "They move a lot of air into areas of the hospital and they're in these dirty areas." Workers tell us the VA has never given them protective gear to reduce their exposure to asbestos, even though a contractor report from 2012 suggested the V-A should do this. After asking officials about this, they replied by email saying certain workers are "required to have annual asbestos training and if they feel unsafe they should contact the V-A 's safety office." But they still didn't explain why they haven't provided workers with protective gear. Asbestos expert, Andrew Schrauder tells us, "If people are having to walk through all that debris and climb on pipes to do what they have to do, there's no question that exposure's occurring. That's not good." Schrauder is an asbestos consultant in Greenville, South Carolina who trains contractors how to properly handle asbestos. He reviewed the V-A reports and photos we gathered over the past few months, including this OSHA complaint filed in January of 2013. It alleges: "Employees in the maintenance department are exposed to asbestos and the air handlers are blowing....to the first floor, exposing employees to asbestos." Bill says this has workers concerned, "They're worried about what's down there." As a result, federal OSHA officials required the V-A to investigate itself. About a week later