On Thursday last, dispatchers at the Cross Street Fire House and Dispatch Center in Middlesex County, Connecticut, became ill after breathing in fumes and odors associated with the cleaning chemicals and compounds commonly used in asbestos remediation.

All the floor tiles in the building were made from asbestos and had also been laid with an adhesive containing hazardous materials.

The project began Wednesday, October 1 and, during the project, firefighters were relocated to main fire headquarters on Main Street, but dispatchers needed to remain in the Cross Street location, while operations were underway. Workers who reported feeling ill were laid off to recover whilst all other workers returned to their duties.

According to the Fire Chief, it was an acute exposure and everybody is now feeling better.

When I initially read this piece, I had assumed it was about exposure to asbestos dust, however, on reading fully it becomes clear that it is the remedial materials that caused the health problems. Is there another health issue here that needs to be acknowledged? Something to do with solving one problem by causing another?

The Middletown Press