After a crew began renovating the century-old Borough Hall on Staten Island, workers discovered a dangerous amount of asbestos in the flooring of the building.

Six state prison inmates and two corrections officers were hired to take out the carpeting and tiles.

Officers File Suit Against City

According to the court papers filed earlier this week, the tiling in the building contained a dangerous amount of asbestos.

The amount of asbestos that was found was allegedly four times the amount that can be removed only by licensed asbestos engineers using high-tech equipment.

The correctional officers from the Arthur Kill Correctional Facility on Staten Island have filed a suit against the city for their exposure to asbestos.

They claim that they had been working in the building for nearly a year with the inmates and throughout this period were being exposed to asbestos.

Hired by the City and Exposed to Asbestos

The plaintiff’s claim that during the period of time that they were working on the building, they were never given dust masks or protective gear.

“I was just so shocked that they would allow us to be exposed to that,” explains Paul A. Zanelli, one of the officers that was working on the site. “We were in there hands-on for quite a while, it was very dusty and the inmates were choking.”

(Source: New York Times)

Have you or someone you know been exposed to asbestos? If so, please contact us today to speak with an experienced attorney who will enable you to receive the compensation you need and deserve.