The father of a soldier who is currently stationed at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina told the media that the Army “badly handled” asbestos contamination in an Army barrack last week. According to Evan Colchiski of Florida, whose son lives in the barrack where contamination occurred, soldiers may have inhaled asbestos that was transferred through the heating vents after asbestos-containing floor tiles were ripped up.
“My son is extremely concerned about his health and the health of the other soldiers that are continually being housed in this building,” Colchiski said.
According to Lt. Col. Clarence Counts, an unknown number of soldiers removed floor tiles last week and are now being tested to see if they inhaled airborne contaminants. Counts is unsure how many soldiers actually handled the hazardous tiles. He also admitted that he was unaware that Colchiski was concerned about the health of the other soldiers until Monday night.
Counts did say that environmental officials came in to the contaminated barrack to seal it off and clean it properly. An investigation into the possible mishandling of asbestos products is being conducted by military officials. The Environmental Compliance Branch at Fort Bragg stated that all buildings on base must be inspected for asbestos and other contaminants prior to any renovations or demolition, but no information is available as to whether or not the barrack in question was inspected before the floor tiles were removed.
The North Carolina Division of Public Health does have jurisdiction to conduct investigations on military property and will also be conducting their own analysis, according to spokeswoman Carol Schriber.
The barrack was built during the Vietnam War, according to Fort Bragg officials. The barrack storeroom is in the midst of renovations, which includes a new floor. Soldiers who ripped up tiles were not given masks or any other safety equipment to protect them from potentially hazardous dust in the air.
Colchiski told media that his son, 21-year old Pvt. Jason Colchiski, was given orders to remove tiles on Wednesday of last week after he violated a Fort Bragg regulation involving a privately owned firearm being stored in his car while on post. According to Pvt. Colchiski, a sergeant told the soldiers to “be careful” because the old floor tiles contained asbestos. Pvt. Colchiski called his father to express his concerns, and that is when the sergeant received a phone call from Pvt. Colchiski’s father, who explained the dangers of asbestos exposure.
The tile removal project was temporarily halted following the phone call from his father, according to a lawyer representing Pvt. Colchiski. The following day, Pvt. Colchiski observed other soldiers removing the rest of the old tiles and installing new tiles, despite the sergeant’s knowledge of the dangers associated with inhaling asbestos dust. The soldiers who completed the project did not wear masks or other safety equipment.
Colchiski claims to have had a sample of the floor tiles tested in a laboratory and stated that the sample contained over 25% asbestos. Following the test results, Colchiski alerted North Carolina health officials.
Pvt. Colchiski served a year in Iraq, according to his father.
Mesothelioma cancer symptoms can lie dormant for up to 50 years, and exposed individuals are generally in their late sixties or early seventies when they are diagnosed. Patients who suffer from mesothelioma generally lose their battle with this particularly aggressive form of cancer in less than two years, and mesothelioma treatment methods are merely a means of controlling symptoms and pain for a temporary amount of time.
For more information about asbestos exposure and the associated health risks, including information focused on veterans who may have been exposed, please visit Mesothelioma.com.
