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Protesters voice complaints over asbestos
| Saturday, Aug 26 2006 9:20 PM
Last Updated: Saturday, Aug 26 2006 9:24 PM
Former construction workers of the Padre protested outside the landmark downtown building Saturday to express their anger at their former employer, Pacifica Enterprises, LLC.
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About 10 workers carried signs denouncing Pacifica, which owns the Padre, for not warning them about the asbestos materials they handled inside the building during its renovation that began in 2002.
As many as 50 Pacifica laborers worked in the building, according to Andrew Morgret, who said he worked there amid asbestos for some seven months beginning in January 2003.
Pacifica has been cited for asbestos violations twice. In June 2005, the San Diego-based company settled a lawsuit, brought by the Kern County District Attorney's office, for its alleged avoidance of asbestos removal from the Padre. The suit settled for $460,000 with Pacifica admitting no wrongdoing.
Renovation work was halted at the Padre in 2005 and has not resumed.
Asbestos fibers can cause respiratory problems like lung cancer in people who inhale them over an extended period, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Symptoms may not appear for 15 to 30 years.
Alex Lopez, 42, said he worked inside the Padre amid asbestos for 16 months. The Riverside resident said Saturday that during that period he experienced skin rashes he now believes were caused by the asbestos.
Every three months he's been seeing a doctor at Riverside Medical Clinic about perceived respiratory problems. Six months ago, he said, a CT scan revealed a black mark on one of his lungs.
"I am worried," Lopez said. "My wife and three kids are worried about me. It's hard for me to sleep. I keep thinking about it."