Asbestos Alarm Raised over White House “Tear Down”
Everyone knows that Donald Trump likes to be headline news, but the media coverage generated by plans for his $300 million 90,000 sq feet White House ballroom – or a “monstrous carbuncle on the face of an old and elegant friend” as Peter Smirniotopoulos called it1 – almost certainly not what he had envisioned. The furore had been building for days with individual articles appearing in October until critical mass was reached last weekend (November 1-2, 2025) with almost universal negative attention.2 It was not only the speed of the demolition of the East Wing but also the lack of transparency over planning, safety protocols and private donors that were driving public outrage with more than half the Americans polled disapproving of the project.3
 The White House April 2007 long before the demolition of the East Wing (on the right). Picture courtesy of the photographer Carol Highsmith.4 |
Many of the articles on the East Wing “tear-down” mentioned asbestos, a cancer-causing mineral that was used extensively in US building work throughout the 20th century. Originally built as the East Terrace in 1902, the East Wing was extended by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1942, during a time when asbestos consumption was rapidly growing in the US.5 In August, 2019, an asbestos incident forced Ivanka Trump and senior aides to relocate their offices as the White House “underwent a massive remediation project.”
Of course, there are US rules and regulations for safely dealing with buildings containing asbestos material prior to renovation or demolition work. No one can say, however, whether they were followed by companies employed to demolish the decades-old historic structure.6 In Washington, D.C., such work must be undertaken by a licensed contractor who is obliged to provide details to the Department of Energy and Environment and post notices in the vicinity of the work site. No public warning signs were reported.
A picture used by US journalist Beth Mole showed the presence at the demolition site of heavy machinery owned by ACECO, a Maryland-based demolition company.7 Expressing concern about the seemingly haphazard demolition process in an October 30th, 2025 letter to ACECO executives – Michael D. Citren, Chairman, and Stephen D. Smith, President – US Senator Ed Markey wrote that it was:
“overwhelmingly likely that asbestos-containing materials, lead-based paint, and other hazardous substances were present… Damaged asbestos fibers are one of the most hazardous substances that can arise from construction demolition. Unless their presence is disclosed, individuals have no way of knowing that the air may contain tiny, tasteless and odorless fibers that cause no noticeable irritation but can be deadly. Construction workers on the East Wing site, nearby office workers and tourists, and passersby could now be at heightened risk of developing lung cancer, asbestosis, or mesothelioma from the inhalation of demolition dust.”8
Suspicions about the presence of asbestos in the East Wing were also expressed in a 5-page letter to President Trump signed by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse, Martin Heinrich and Gary G. Peters who asked for sight of:
“8e. A full environmental assessment or environmental impact statement.
8f. Asbestos and lead paint abatement plans, and documentation ensuring compliance
with the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and related regulations regarding
waste disposal.
8g. A detailed plan for the handling, transportation, and final disposal of demolition
debris, including efforts to recycle or divert materials from landfills.”9
According to building expert Sarah Boardman, there has been no recent asbestos eradication work carried out at the White House. She based this statement on personal research: “I just looked up all the permit records for the White House. There are none for this ballroom abomination. There are no applications.”10 Boardman claimed to have found multiple “Stop Work Orders” on unspecified projects being undertaken at the White House. We have been unable to verify this.
Not one to mince words Professor Raja Flores, Chairman of Thoracic Surgery at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, was categorical about the serious threat posed to workers on the Pennsylvania Avenue site saying: “You wouldn’t catch me in there – not without a mask… and not without precautions.” Asbestos cancer, he added: “makes you weak, you feel short of breath, feel like you’re drowning and all these symptoms develop over a long period of time… It is a prolonged and agonizing torture...” 11
In his letter to ACECO executives, Senator Markey wrote:
“The American people expect the ‘People’s House’ to be treated with care, not reckless disregard for the law or the health and safety of those at or nearby the East Wing demolition site. ACECO owes Congress and the public a full accounting of its involvement in the East Wing demolition and its level of adherence to federal health and safety standards.”
As the dust temporarily settles at the, potentially toxic, eyesore which was the East Wing, this is one political flashpoint which shows no sign of abating. What comes next is anybody’s guess!
November 6, 2025
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1 This description of Trump’s vision for the East Wing extension by Peter Smirniotopoulos, a founding board member of the Washington Architectural Foundation, referenced the view expressed by Prince Charles about a planned 1980s extension to the National Gallery of Art in London.
Morrison, D. East Wing demolition isn’t the first time Trump has ruffled feathers with a wrecking ball. October 25, 2025.
https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/10/25/trump-demolition-history-east-wing-construction-ballroom/86833144007/
2 Burris, S.K. Trump’s crew may be spreading asbestos with unpermitted White House teardown: expert. October 22, 2025.
https://www.rawstory.com/white-house-ballroom-2674223546/
Evrim, A. Trump’s White House Ballroom Sparks Health And Ethics Uproar. November 1, 2025.
https://evrimagaci.org/gpt/trumps-white-house-ballroom-sparks-health-and-ethics-uproar-514576?srsltid=AfmBOoqAikd93M1Vgdv1mBdnGs_FZiQceqdtJ0zqGmw-dourTXlJauQB
3 Clayton, A. More than half of Americans disapprove of Trump demolishing East Wing – poll. October 31, 2025.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/30/americans-disapprove-trump-east-wing-poll
4 In an email from the photographer received on November 4, 2025, she pointed out that in the photograph: “the streets in front and back [of the White House] are open in this image … neither one is open now.”
5 The use of asbestos in the US exploded from 237,071 tonnes/t in 1940 to 660,129t in 1950. 643,462 in 1960 and peaking in the early 1970s at 668,129t per year.
6 Morrison, D. East Wing demolition isn’t the first time Trump has ruffled feathers with a wrecking ball. October 25, 2025.
https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/10/25/trump-demolition-history-east-wing-construction-ballroom/86833144007/
7 Mole, B. Trump’s swift demolition of East Wing may have launched asbestos plumes. October 31, 2025.
https://arstechnica.com/health/2025/10/trumps-swift-demolition-of-east-wing-may-have-launched-asbestos-plumes/
8 Markey, E. Letter to ACECO on East Wing Demolition. October 30, 2025.
https://www.markey.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/letter_to_aceco_on_east_wing_demolition.pdf
Markey, E. Senator Markey Grills White House Contractor ACECO on Health and Safety Precautions During East Wing Demolition. October 30, 2025.
https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senator-markey-grills-white-house-contractor-aceco-on-health-and-safety-precautions-during-east-wing-demolition
9 Joint Letter to President Trump. October 30, 2025.
https://www.epw.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/6/1/613810bd-25f9-4673-a4e6-020a83d37379/C43848B6B7C690FA0FF882235C4D7EEEEBEC27D65D03BE01352EE6EB3680AA72.10.30.2025-letter-to-president-trump-re-white-house-ballroom.pdf
10 Burris, S.K. Trump’s crew may be spreading asbestos with unpermitted White House teardown: expert. October 22, 2025.
https://www.rawstory.com/white-house-ballroom-2674223546/
11 Abdelmalek, M., Romero, L., Bruggeman, L. Critics question whether White House, contractors ‘cut corners’ on asbestos safety in East Wing demolition. October 30, 2025.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/critics-question-white-house-contractors-cut-corners-asbestos/story?id=127001299
