Smithsonian Worker Claims Asbestos Threat Was Mishandled and Whistleblower Abuse

A worker at the Smithsonian Institution claims the national museum failed to properly contain toxic asbestos dust kicked up by renovation at the National Air and Space Museum, then retaliated against him when he complained.

Richard Pullman, an exhibits specialist at the Smithsonian, claims in a federal lawsuit filed this week that he and other museum workers were not told about asbestos in the walls of the museum for years after museum officials knew of its presence.

Asbestos, a toxic material used for decades in building insulation and hundreds of other construction materials and consumer products, is a cause of mesothelioma, a deadly and aggressive form of cancer that targets the linings of the heart, lungs, abdomen, and other organs. People exposed to asbestos are at increased risk of developing mesothelioma or the respiratory disease called asbestosis.

Pullman, 53, claims he developed asbestosis as a result of being exposed to asbestos at work. In many cases, asbestosis eventually advances to cancerous mesothelioma.

Congressional Hearing Set

Nearly five million people visit Smithsonian museums each year, and a Congressional committee that oversees the Smithsonian has now scheduled a hearing for April 1, 2009 to review workplace conditions at the museum and research facilities.

The Smithsonian was cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for violating three federal asbestos regulations in July 2008 after Pullman first complained to federal officials.

Whistleblower Retaliation Alleged

Pullman, who has worked at the Smithsonian for 27 years, said he was belittled and dubbed the “asbestos police” by supervisors after he acted as a whistleblower and spoke out about the dangers of asbestos exposure at the museum. Pullman said he was harassed and taunted as a whistleblower for coming forward with his concerns then given a poor performance evaluation, reassigned to a lower-level job, and denied a promised promotion.

Such retaliation against employees who act as whistleblowers is in direct violation of federal and state laws protecting people who expose wrongdoing by their employers.

Smithsonian officials deny that they retaliated against Pullman and said he kept the same salary when he was reassigned due to a reorganization of his department, not for voicing his asbestos concerns.

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