A former Goodfellow Federal Center worker filed a class action lawsuit after he was diagnosed with cancer six years ago.
Matthew Medder blames his condition on long-term exposure to toxic substances in the building, including lead and asbestos.
The Center is located in St. Louis at 4300 Goodfellow Blvd.
“Buildings in the St. Louis area and around Missouri need to be more mindful of doing work to update and modernize their structures with energy efficiency work that can help remediate those risks,” said James Owen, an attorney and executive director of Renew Missouri, a renewable energy advocacy group
Federal workers first became aware of the risk in 2019 when a report was issued by the U.S. General Services Administration, which alleged ineffective environmental management programs, according to media reports.
“This goes along with a generalized problem in St. Louis of just not investing in the major centers of the city where people work and live and that leads to issues including affordability of housing and how far you are away from basic things like grocery stores,” Owen told the St. Louis Record.
The electric utility Ameren and community action agencies have money available for building owners and businesses to upgrade offices and residences, according to Owen.
“Our group has been trying to coordinate efforts between community action agencies and the utility on their energy efficiency and energy saving efforts for replacing appliances, replacing air conditioners, replacing heaters with modern equipment as well as replacing old appliances, insulation, weatherization, improving doors, windows and making sure buildings have the right airflow,” he said. “It takes a whole investment in a workspace.”
Medder’s complaint alleges that the U.S. government should have provided hazard pay and that it did not protect workers.
Owens advocates for preventive measures that can improve worker safety in commercial office spaces statewide.
“People need to know that indoor air quality can be resolved by working on energy efficiency issues because that can take care of things like lead paint, black mold, and asbestos exposure,” he added.