Asbestos removal has begun in the library of the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. While asbestos removal is a good thing, it is being conducted in manner that could be risking the health of officials working in the building.
Currently, there is asbestos removal taking place on the first and second floor of the library. UN staff members continue to work on the third floor. The doors separating the construction from the rest of the building are unsealed, and there is now a layer of possibly asbestos-laden dust covering surfaces on which officials work.
Inhalation of asbestos dust is extremely dangerous, and is known to cause asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma years after being inhaled. These working conditions would not be legal anywhere in the United States—unfortunately, the United Nations building is international property, and is therefore not subject to the protections of United States asbestos litigation. What’s more, the company that has been contracted to remove the asbestos (ATC Associates) and their general contractor (Skanska) have both been prosecuted for asbestos-related charges. Roney Rivero, an ATC Associates representative, has gone so far as to publicly assert that there is no link between asbestos and cancer (which, of course, is false).
Unfortunately, anyone injured by asbestos in the UN Headquarters would be unable to sue in U.S. court. They could only arbitrate, which significantly reduces compensation.
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