DC Inspector General Deems Asbestos a Huge Risk
In a recent alert issued by the D.C. Inspector General (IG), he states that the District government’s regulation of lead and asbestos removal is “ineffective, insufficient and may increase health risks for District residents undertaking renovation projects.”
“Neither the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) nor the Department of the Environment is doing enough to protect residents and workers from the potential risks of asbestos or lead,” the IG reported in a management alert that was outlined in an article in The Examiner. “Gaping holes in existing laws allow basic renovation work to go unregulated,” according to the findings.
The warnings emerged from an inspection of the DCRA, which the inspector general has not yet completed. However, he deemed the issues of asbestos and lead as urgent enough to justify the alert.
The IG also warned that DCRA’s renovation permit process could allow asbestos fibers to be disturbed if applications aren’t reviewed by the Department of the Environment. “DCRA permit application forms do not require applicants to identify renovation work that may involve removing, disturbing, or encapsulating asbestos,” the IG found.
DCRA Director Linda Argo maintains that the permit process does not need to be revamped because she insists that the Department of the Environment currently reviews all construction permits.