October 23, 2025 ADAO Letter to President Trump — Formal Demand for Disclosure of All Environmental and Worker-Safety Documentation Related to the East Wing Demolition
Blog: East Wing Demolition Raises Concerns Over Asbestos Safety Compliance by Lindsay Dahl
ADAO Calls on the White House to Publish All Safety, Inspection Reports and Demonstrate Its Commitment to Prevention, Accountability, and Public Health
White House East Wing Demolition: A Teachable Moment for Asbestos Transparency, Prevention, and Safety by Linda Reinstein, Cofounder, ADAO and and Lindsay Dahl, Author, CLEANING HOUSE
Posted on October 22, 2025
Demolition of the historic East Wing of the White House began this week as Donald Trump’s new privately-funded ballroom project has begun. While photos of the demolition caused shock and dismay from the public, it also raised immediate concerns about the impact on public health and safety. The East Wing is more than 100 years old, with portions constructed initially in 1902 and later additions added in 1942, at the height of our nation’s use of toxic asbestos in construction.
EPA and OSHA standards set a national benchmark for responsible, transparent construction, demolitions, and repairs, and they are important standards that the White House should uphold and model. Public documentation of compliance demonstrates how high-profile, privately funded projects uphold the worker-protection and environmental-safety laws that are expected of every job site in America. So far, there has been no public announcement of such compliance.
The project, reportedly designed by McCrery Architects, is being led by firms such as Clark Construction and AECOM, both known for large-scale federal work. Firms with this level of experience should follow all applicable EPA and OSHA regulations for asbestos and lead testing, abatement, and worker protection.
Under these standards:
- EPA rules require a complete asbestos inspection before demolition or renovation, written notification to authorities, and strict work practices to prevent asbestos fibers from escaping into the air.
- OSHA standards require worker protection from airborne asbestos, silica, and lead through exposure assessments, respirators and protective clothing, regulated work areas, and training and medical surveillance.
- EPA–OSHA coordination ensures that hazardous materials are safely removed by experts, air quality is monitored during work, and waste is sealed, labeled, and disposed of at approved hazardous-waste facilities.
These requirements are standard on all federal demolition projects and are designed to prevent exposure to dangerous, toxic substances like asbestos, to protect lives, and ensure environmental compliance. To date, these documents, if they exist, have not been publicly disclosed.
The National Capital Planning Commission has not granted final project authorization and is currently inactive due to the federal shutdown. No oversight body has publicly confirmed that environmental safety reviews have been conducted.
For a project of this visibility and historical importance, transparency is essential. The White House should exemplify gold-standard compliance with these important public safety standards and make their compliance unquestionably public.
These rules exist for a reason. They were written from the lived experience of workers who got sick or died as a direct result of asbestos exposure, and their families who demanded accountability. A worker demolishing the East Wing today could face a terminal diagnosis in 2045. That’s why testing, oversight, and transparency matter so much.
The Trump White House already knows what could be lurking in ceilings and between walls. In 2019, it undertook a major asbestos abatement project in the West Wing, forcing key staffers, including Ivanka Trump, to relocate their offices as a precaution.
These aren’t scare tactics or unfounded concerns. They’re facts backed by decades of medical research and thousands of grieving families who have been the victims of toxic exposures. We lose 40,000 Americans every year to asbestos-related diseases, and prevention of exposure is our only cure.
Every job site should follow these common-sense safety precautions, but when the job site is the most famous house in the country, it is even more essential that no worker, no visitor, no staff or official is stricken with an asbestos-caused disease because the People’s House was under construction.
This project offers an opportunity to reaffirm America’s commitment to prevention, transparency, and worker protection. Releasing inspection summaries, monitoring data, and abatement certifications would build trust and demonstrate authentic leadership.
Leadership isn’t only about how we build—it’s about how we protect.
Cofounder, ADAO
Author, CLEANING HOUSE
