Fayetteville, NC - The father of an Army soldier is worried about the health of his son and other soldiers stationed at Fort Bragg after it was revealed that asbestos was worked on without any protective equipment given.
Evon Colchiski said his son Private Jason Colchiski, 21, and other soldiers were ordered by a superior officer to remove floor tiles from a storeroom last week. The officer told them to be careful because there was asbestos under the tiles but did not give them any protective equipment to wear to prevent them from inhaling the hazardous dust fibers that could potentially be released.
After receiving a call from his son about the work, Mr. Colchiski called the base to speak to the officer who gave Jason the order to warn him about the risks of asbestos exposure.. Although the officer promised Mr. Colchiski that neither Jason nor any other soldier would be told to remove the tiles moving forward, Jason reported that he saw other soldiers finishing the work the next day.
After testing a tile sample in a laboratory shortly afterward and confirming that it contained a significant amount of asbestos, Mr. Colchiski contacted state health officials on Friday. Health officials sent an inspector to Fort Bragg later that day who had workers with proper gear seal off the area and filter the air in case asbestos fibers were present. Air samples were taken but results have not come back yet.
Private Jason Colchiski said the Army has promised to give him and the other soldiers involved annual check ups for the next five years. However, his father pointed out that it should be for longer since asbestos-related problems do not appear for decades.
Both the military and the state Division of Public health are continuing their investigations of the exposure incident.
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