Asbestos contamination during a 2016 airport renovation could lead to health issues for nearly 120 Austin employees.

Concerned employees who expressed that precautions should be taken were ignored, they say.

Austin’s local television station KXAN investigated the possibility of asbestos contamination that happened in 2016 when floors at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport’s Maintenance Complex Building were renovated.

At the time, maintenance administrators, workers and police worked in the building, which is closed to the public.

One aviation maintenance worker said he saw the industrial adhesive black mastic exposed after renovators pulled up carpet and tile. The employee said he alerted them to stop working and to mark off the area as “do not disturb” when he recognized the black mastic could release asbestos into the air.

He claims that days later, after he reported the possibility of asbestos contamination to upper management, the carpet renovations continued.

According to KXAN, Austin’s Department of Aviation initially denied that any employees expressed concerns over asbestos exposure. The television station reported that the city eventually admitted that at least two employees did approach them regarding asbestos contamination worries at the start of the floor’s renovations.

A 2004 building survey showed no asbestos present in the areas in question, said Jim Halbrook, public information office for the Department of Aviation.

Halbrook said that survey dictated the way the city handled renovations in the maintenance building in February and June 2016.

A May 2016 flood made the city concerned about possible mold growth. In July 2016, a test of the air in the maintenance building showed evidence of asbestos in the building. A second test in August 2016 showed no evidence of asbestos, said Halbrook. This “no evidence” result came six months after the first employee expressed concerns over asbestos contamination.

Finally, on Sept. 29, 2016, the Department of Aviation notified the Building Service Department that an “accidental disturbance” of asbestos-containing materials had occurred and that there was a need for “expedited decontamination.”

At that time, the Austin-Bergstrom International airport told 120 employees about the asbestos contamination and asked those affected to complete medical surveys.

Eight city workers who performed the floor renovations will receive medical surveillance for the rest of their lives.

Before the 1970s, asbestos was used in home and building construction because the fibers are strong and fire resistant.

Health effects from asbestos exposure can go undetected for decades, but the tiny fibers embedded in the body, most often the lungs, are irritating and can lead to development of tumors. Lung cancer and mesothelioma cancer are the two major asbestos concerns that become apparent from 20 to 50 years after exposure.

Asbestos-containing materials are usually not hazardous until they are disturbed, which is why an area tested for the contaminant can show no danger is present one day, but after a carpet is ripped up, asbestos can be detected.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report last week that shows that deaths from mesothelioma cancers increased from 2,479 in 1999 to 2,597 in 2015.

If you believe you have been exposed to asbestos contamination on the job, you could have a legal claim and could benefit by speaking with an attorney.