January 8th, 2007

Citations have been filed by the Office of Compliance against the Library of Congress in relation to failure to monitor employees’ exposure to airborne asbestos, which is a deadly substance that can cause health problems such as asbestos related cancer through high level or long term exposure to airborne fibers and dust.

According to the citation the Library of Congress also did not keep work surfaces free from materials that contained asbestos. The citations were filed in mid-December, and according to the citations, floor tiles in the Library of Congress Jefferson building contained very high levels of asbestos.

The citation went on to state that due to "the extremely high concentrations of asbestos in the floor tile, the extensive damage of these tiles, and the volume of cart and people traffic through the area, it is reasonable to believe that exposure levels might have exceeded the permissible exposure limit."

The citation also accused the Library of Congress of failing to monitor air quality for the past six years, which mean that there had been not testing for the presence of asbestos contamination in the air.