CHILLICOTHE, Ohio - Thirty seven current and former inmates at an Ohio correctional institution have filed suit against the State of Ohio and the Chillicothe Correctional Institution for forcing them to remove asbestos while they were incarcerated.

The suit names the state, the CCI, Warden Timothy Brunsman and eight other administrators as individually responsible parties. According to the suit, the inmates were required to work with and around asbestos during their incarceration under orders from prison administrators without being provided either training or protective equipment.

As a result of the forced activities, the suit says, the plaintiffs developed medical conditions directly related to asbestos exposure.

In addition, the suit alleges that Chillicothe Correctional Institution contains friable and potentially friable asbestos throughout its facilities, including in inmate living areas. According to one inmate who worked as a plumber at CCI, there was asbestos in the pipes and when the pipes would rupture, the steam would blow asbestos all over the prison. He claims that he is suffering from asbestos-related diseases, including chest pain and a persistent, racking cough.

The suit states that the prison contains both chrysotile and amosite asbestos. Amosite asbestos is generally considered to be the most toxic of all forms of asbestos. It is highly friable and has been banned in the United States for decades.

The suit further alleges that the facility and its administrators provided false information to the inmates, families of inmates and state inspectors regarding the presence of asbestos at the facility.

In regards to the Ohio Department of Corrections and the individual defendants, the suit alleges that they failed to set and implement policies or procedures that would have prevented or minimized the injuries to the defendants.

According to the suit, CCI originally developed a plan to deal with asbestos at the facility in 1986. Initially, asbestos was encapsulated. In 1992, the decision was made to remove the asbestos. In 1995, another group of inmates brought suit against CCI, alleging that there was asbestos present in the prison and that they were forced to work with it. At that point, CCI officials stated that they would complete the removal of asbestos from the facility within two years.

The suit goes on to name specific areas of the prison and incidents when inmates were exposed to asbestos. The former suit against CCI was dismissed by a judge.

In addition to Brunsman, Deputy Wardens Leah Bobb-Itt and Brian Wittrup were named individually, along with Drew Hildebrand, deputy of administration; Steve Clever, a major at CCI and Leta Pritchard, the warden’s administrative assistant.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs commissioned asbestos tests of the institution which showed that asbestos is indeed present at CCI. The institution has steadfastly maintained that there is no asbestos.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 28th, 2008 at 2:28 pm and is filed under Asbestos Exposure, Asbestos Litigation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed. Responses are currently closed, but you trackback from your own site.