Trump’s swift demolition of East Wing may have launched asbestos plumes

There is no confirmation that the Trump admin. followed abatement processes.

See full article...

 

[6GT5sGlow]

My fears for this administration were blown off as alarmist by so many.

Never did I imagine they would just... tear down 1/3 of the White House without notice.
Never did I imagine... they would try to roll back asbestos regulations, as they attempted in the spring.

Even with all that.... "Asbestos-laden dust and debris from the White House demolition was dumped in a local park" ... and this is not hair on fire news! ... hit me with a new level of incredulity.

Why should Trump fear doing anything wrong or what people think?

1. "Prince" Andrew : Gets his title stripped away and kicked out of his house after it's learned that years ago he was linked to a group of men "boinking " girls of an inappropriate age..., that's got to sting a little..., right?

2. Donald J. Trump : Let's not even mention Epstein. DJT gets drug through the Courts, numerous convictions, millions of dollars in penalties..., and he gets re-elected as POTUS. Hell of a penalty given that he can now run roughshod over social & political norms while wiping his A$$ with the Constitution.

Still waiting on the Epstein Papers to be released...

 

[Snark218]

One of the buildings I used to work in was "fully remediated" before we moved in, but they missed some pockets. So part of the building was cleaned out again. But this time, they dug out some areas and "encapsulated" the stuff instead of hauling it away.

Big government buildings of the 1920s-40s have just s*** loads of the stuff lying around. It's everywhere.

Hell, past the 40s, it wasn't much less popular. The middle of the 20th century was a fucking wild time. It was like we realized we had all this cool shit like rockets, radioactive elements, PCBs, fission, fusion, asbestos, perchlorates, plastics, CFCs, DDT, you name it, and it was like a race to find as many uses for each of them as imaginable so we could cram them into every possible aspect of modern life before anyone realized they were capable of killing us all, either individually or all at once, often in combination. The friendly atom! Better living through chemistry! Wait, shit, oops

 

[msawzall]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQdDRrcAOjA

 

[DarthSlack]

Hey, I found a WW2 bomb under your driveway, so I'm sure you'll be glad to hear instead of calling the bomb squad, I lit the fuse.
Gotta get rid of these things sooner than later amirite?

I know you're joking, but DC has some odd things buried in neighborhoods. Like WWI mustard gas canisters. Now the WH likely doesn't have anything that awful, but construction in DC can get spicy in rather unexpected ways.

 

[Snark218]

One question is, who exactly is responsible for ensuring asbestos compliance? Is the demolition contractor not responsible? Locally I know of an old (> 100 years) house that was demolished, and prior to demolition the contractor visited and ripped up bits of floor tile, window frames, checked plumbing, etc. to verify that there was no asbestos. What could the penalties to ACECO be?

[Ninja'd by DarthSlack]

It is ultimately the responsibility of the project proponent and, in this case, the contracting officer. The contractor is responsible only for fulfilling the terms of their SOW/PWS and would not be required to presumptively test or mitigate for asbestos if those contracting documents did not specify them as part of the scope.

 

[SpaceCollector]

Asbestos was found a lot on tile flooring of that era because of it's surface durability

I read a while back that the White House had a problem with cockroaches the biggest one found sitting in the Oval Office

The cockroach infestation problem persists.

 

[LabRatBob]

Wow, that hadn't occurred to me, but should have been obvious with the age of the building.

Remediation would have taken months and made it obvious they were going to demolish more than originally announced.

prompts the speculation, they knew there was/is asbestos, and so bypassed every safeguard and review because they knew that abatement would delay the project for years.

 

[Wybaar]

"It does a number on the lungs!"

Don't you know that Trump brand asbestos is what lungs crave?

 

[DarthSlack]

It is ultimately the responsibility of the project proponent and, in this case, the contracting officer. The contractor is responsible only for fulfilling the terms of their SOW/PWS and would not be required to presumptively test or mitigate for asbestos if those contracting documents did not specify them as part of the scope.

I'm not so sure that the contractor has that easy an out. I mean, yeah, the SOW should specify what they do, but they don't have to just blindly accept an SOW without changes. If they suspect a problem with something like asbestos, they do have a duty to their own employees to work with it in a safe manner. Just pointing to the SOW sounds a bit too close to "just following orders".

 

[nafhan]

This was also maintained and updated during the era of lead paint. Lead dust getting thrown into the air was also probably happening.

 

[SteveBigandTall]

The law is what TACO says it is. DC is a Federal district, and any rules the council made up are unconstitutional.
Or as White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said 'Your Mom'

 

[mpfaff]

Hopefully Trump and Miller took some nice deep breaths while watching the construction.

 

[ranthog]

I'm not so sure that the contractor has that easy an out. I mean, yeah, the SOW should specify what they do, but they don't have to just blindly accept an SOW without changes. If they suspect a problem with something like asbestos, they do have a duty to their own employees to work with it in a safe manner. Just pointing to the SOW sounds a bit too close to "just following orders".

Following the law supersedes the contract. If you're not licensed and equipped for asbestos remediation, you have to stop once you find it. In normal circumstances, you could go after both the contractor, subcontractors, and probably the property owner.

 

[chaos215bar2]

This was also maintained and updated during the era of lead paint. Lead dust getting thrown into the air was also probably happening.

Hard to say whether the lead will help or hurt the collective IQ of the MAGA crowd, though.

 

[ppc970]

As always with the Trump regime, rules are for other people. They use the full force of the DOJ to attack their enemies, while they commit crimes of all kinds without compunction.

The Epstein Ballroom is more important than the lives of construction workers, tourists, or you, or I.

 

[equine_physics]

I'm not so sure that the contractor has that easy an out. I mean, yeah, the SOW should specify what they do, but they don't have to just blindly accept an SOW without changes. If they suspect a problem with something like asbestos, they do have a duty to their own employees to work with it in a safe manner. Just pointing to the SOW sounds a bit too close to "just following orders".

A variation from the clip posted before, any employee working that job knew they were tearing down a good part of the White House and most likely were quite happy to do it. I have no doubt the owners of that deconstruction company were/are in bed with Trump Co. and hire only "the best" workers.

Anyone who gave a shit about this country would have refused to work on this site and if we had a working Justice system, every one o them should be pulled into court for all the violations listed above. Ask them now, "Hey did you know there was asbestos in that building you just tore down? You realize that breathing that stuff, pretty much a death warrant and good luck getting health care. Oh bonus, you're family will go broke because you can't sue Trump".

 

[Wheels Of Confusion]

I'm not so sure that the contractor has that easy an out. I mean, yeah, the SOW should specify what they do, but they don't have to just blindly accept an SOW without changes. If they suspect a problem with something like asbestos, they do have a duty to their own employees to work with it in a safe manner. Just pointing to the SOW sounds a bit too close to "just following orders".

Hell, as a lowly ISP technician my job was to make sure any potential Asbestos-Containing Material was safe to work with, or else stop the install/repair and notify the property owner and walk away.

 

[Prostetnic]

Coming soon: Jr. announces mesothelioma is a Chinese hoax.

 

[Wheels Of Confusion]

As Ars Technica has reported, Trump has a startlingly supportive stance on the use of asbestos. In his 1997 book The Art of the Comeback, Trump wrote that asbestos is “100% safe, once applied.” He blamed the mob for its reputation as a carcinogen, writing: “I believe that the movement against asbestos was led by the mob, because it was often mob-related companies that would do the asbestos removal.”

Last time around:
https://apnews.com/article/ea3d87fb8ef741c3bc255f1921892c9d

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Trump administration unlawfully excluded millions of tons of some of the most dangerous materials in public use from a safety review, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday.

A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency must consider dangers posed by asbestos, lead and other toxins regardless of whether they’re still being manufactured.

Millions of tons of those chemicals are in the marketplace, in products ranging from home insulation and fire retardant to house paint and plumbing pipes.

The safety review was mandated by Congress and is the first step toward enacting potential new regulations to protect the public.

Under President Barack Obama, the EPA said it would consider the risks of those older products since they result in some of the most common chemical exposures by people.

But spurred by the chemical industry, the EPA under President Donald Trump sought to limit the review to products still being manufactured.

And a repeat this time around. From Ars' prior reporting:
https://meincmagazine.com/health/2025/06/trumps-epa-to-reconsider-ban-on-cancer-causing-asbestos/

As Ars reported last year, there was always concern that another Trump administration would work to overturn the ban; Trump supports the use of asbestos. In his 1997 book The Art of the Comeback, Trump wrote that asbestos is “100% safe, once applied,” and blamed the mob for its reputation as a carcinogen, writing: “I believe that the movement against asbestos was led by the mob, because it was often mob-related companies that would do the asbestos removal.”
Trump’s support for asbestos has been welcomed in Russia, a primary asbestos supplier to the US. In 2018, a Russian asbestos company began marketing asbestos with Trump’s face and a seal reading “Approved by Donald Trump, 45th President of the United States.”

 

[EnPeaSea]

Don't you know that Trump brand asbestos is what lungs crave?

"Those dumb liberals in democrat cities, you know what they do? They put cotton candy in their walls and call it isolation. When you punch the wall because you can't hit your wife anymore, the cotton candy comes out, and you can eat it... right from the wall, but not too much because it gives you a stomach ache real fast."

 

[aikoetc]

This is such an ironic statement considering there is ample circumstantial evidence linking him and Trump Sr. to more than one mob.

He probably doesn't like the mob because it's competition.

 

[Pierre B.]

Of course.

That's all that crossed my mind. of course. It is Trump. Dumb and reckless? Of course.

 

[Amarillo3]

Is it too much to hope that Trump takes this much care (read: lack of) when developing his own properties? Particularly those he visits a lot? (Pun not intended)

 

[wastrel]

"The mob." So, organized crime syndicates... as in, like, the Republican Party--currently the largest organized crime syndicate in the US. May everyone at the White House enjoy the fruits of Trump's labors... rotten though they may be.

 

[Sadre]

We are all getting sick at how easy it is for one idiot to apparently legitimate throwing it all away. Nihilism is now "the other side of the aisle" toward which all good souls are to "reach across."

You cannot negotiate with nihilism. It's like trying to play checkers with a mule. Darned if you know why you tried it, and darned if the mule knew what to do with it.

 

[MentalVerse]

Trump isn't draining the swamp; he is an invasive species taking it over.

 

[Chalybion]

A variation from the clip posted before, any employee working that job knew they were tearing down a good part of the White House and most likely were quite happy to do it. I have no doubt the owners of that deconstruction company were/are in bed with Trump Co. and hire only "the best" workers.

30 years ago, I honestly doubt there would be enough American workers happy about tearing down the White House for it to actually happen. But after so many years of Faux News exposure, it is entirely imaginable

 

[Chalybion]

The White House rubble is being dumped on a public golf course that Trump intends to redesign and make his own. Of course, and WTF
https://golfweek.usatoday.com/story...ington-d-c-municipal-golf-course/86930774007/

 

[Snark218]

I'm not so sure that the contractor has that easy an out. I mean, yeah, the SOW should specify what they do, but they don't have to just blindly accept an SOW without changes. If they suspect a problem with something like asbestos, they do have a duty to their own employees to work with it in a safe manner. Just pointing to the SOW sounds a bit too close to "just following orders".

I don't disagree, but I was speaking to where the buck stopped, not exonerating the contractor. There's plenty of blame on that side too, and the contractor should have done testing and mitigation proactively once potential ACM was encountered - but ultimately, contract oversight is the responsibility of the CO. If the government didn't specify that in the SOW/PWS, it will take on the majority of the liability.

 

[s73v3r]

A few days ago Scott Bessent was on the airwaves saying they might have had to remove the building due to asbestos or mold. Which, sadly, did not lead to the talking head interviewing him immediately screaming "YOU DON"T JUST KNOCK THAT SHIT DOWN WITH A BACKHOE IN THREE DAYS YOU FUCKING NUMPTY."

So many “journalists” refusing to push back on this bullshit has caused me to lose so much respect for them

 

[GKH]

So if it had asbestos in it then it needed to be renovated.

That's not how asbestos works. So long as it's not being disturbed and the fibers aren't becoming airborne, it's not an issue.

It only becomes an issue when morons YOLO-it and start kicking up dust everywhere, because safety is for sissies and if you're not bleeding you're OK.

 

[ranthog]

That's not how asbestos works. So long as it's not being disturbed and the fibers aren't becoming airborne, it's not an issue.

It only becomes an issue when morons YOLO-it and start kicking up dust everywhere, because safety is for sissies and if you're not bleeding you're OK.

Is gay to have working lungs? /j /s

 

[chaos215bar2]

We are all getting sick at how easy it is for one idiot to apparently legitimate throwing it all away. Nihilism is now "the other side of the aisle" toward which all good souls are to "reach across."

You cannot negotiate with nihilism. It's like trying to play checkers with a mule. Darned if you know why you tried it, and darned if the mule knew what to do with it.

I'd say trying to negotiate with a Republican is more like trying to play checkers with a goat. By the time you're done, it'll have eaten the pieces and started in on the board too.

 

[adamsc]

Of course they did. The Trump admin doesn't give a hoot about the safety of the workers or the public around the area.

He’s famously vindictive and lost DC by roughly 93%. I’d be surprised if the asbestos risk wasn’t laughed off with “they’re not my voters”.

 

[SeanJW]

AFAICT they don't actually do any lawyering, they just help with the paperwork to get your victim a payout from one of the class-action suits that has already been settled.

Oh they can still do real lawyering - they have to find the real corporate entity that is responsible after the careful shell game done to pass the buck. Where's James Hardie now? Is it Australia? The Netherlands? Ireland? The US? Roll the dice, take your chances!

 

[Fatesrider]

I edited my Twitter bio to "Vaccine bad, asbestos good." back in June after your last article on Asbestos. Happy to see this kind of buffoonery continue. Peak Trump.

If only we can get Trump supporters to get on board with that philosophy.

Then we'd have much less trouble from Trump supporters in the future.

 

[Frosty Grin]

YES! Asbestos is fiber for your lungs.

Fiber and minerals.

 

[rbryanh]

My reflex is to dismiss it as more hateful criminal clown behavior, but neither class is known for seeking cancer. Nonetheless, I look forward to being told it's a hoax by someone coughing up an orange lung in a hospital bed.

 

[brionl]

We are all getting sick at how easy it is for one idiot to apparently legitimate throwing it all away. Nihilism is now "the other side of the aisle" toward which all good souls are to "reach across."

It's not just one idiot. It is every single Republican stooge in Congress who abdicated their authority and power, and the corrupt boot-lickers on the Supreme Court who enabled it.

 

[raschumacher]

Beautiful asbestos! Maybe Fat Boy inhaled some?