April 7th, 2008

Amid investigation into allegations that an Ohio prison put inmates in danger of asbestos exposure, a new report shows that the presence of asbestos was real. The last of the exposed asbestos, though, was removed two years ago.

According to reports from an Ohio prison being accused of exposing inmates to asbestos, the prison stated that all exposed asbestos had been removed two years ago and that the only remaining asbestos in the prison is in sealed tunnels. Abatement is being performed to remove the last of the asbestos from those tunnels, but the have been sealed for safety in the interim. This is directly opposed to the complaints of over 30 inmates stating that prison officials knowingly exposed them to dangerous airborne asbestos, causing health issues to some of those inmates.

Airborne asbestos has been known to cause respiratory illnesses, like mesothelioma and asbestosis. When asbestos is disturbed, it breaks into airborne particles that can be inhaled into the body. Mesothelioma, a form of deadly lung cancer, is the result of those particles being trapped in the lungs. The spokesperson for the prison said that asbestos might have been a concern at one time, but that inmates were never knowingly used to handle or remove asbestos-containing materials. The investigation into the complaints continues.