Trump administration sued over concerns ballroom demolition crews were exposed to cancer-causing materials
Source: The Independent
Wednesday 07 January 2026 14:50 EST
The Trump administration will not release information on whether it removed or released the carcinogenic compound asbestos during its sudden demolition of the White House’s East Wing as part of President Trump’s planned ballroom project, a lawsuit claims.
The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization filed the suit Wednesday in Washington, D.C., federal court, alleging agencies like the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, OSHA, EPA and the White House have failed to comply with a Freedom of Information Act request about what kind of precautions were taken ahead of the three-day demolition project. The East Wing, which was built in 1902 and renovated in 1942, “likely contained asbestos and other hazardous materials,” given that such materials were used “extensively” at the time, according to the suit.
“When an Administration bypasses required safety procedures or withholds documentation of the measures it took to prevent harm, it erodes public trust and weakens protections required by law to safeguard the American people and public resources,” the suit reads. “We want to know if they did it,” Linda Reinstein, founder of Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, told The Washington Post. “Why can’t they just tell us — what’s the big secret here?”
Asbestos abatement at the White House has occurred on previous projects, according to the Post, though the paper found no notification of such work with D.C. authorities for the ballroom project.
Read more: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-white-house-ballroom-lawsuit-asbestos-b2896312.html
Link to SUIT (PDF) - https://www.washingtonpost.com/documents/2f5e2f7e-81d4-43fe-99d1-e274b41c168f.pdf
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