Museum of Science Closed After New Times Investigation Found Asbestos in Planetarium

A New Times investigation into an ex-employee's complaints of asbestos in the Miami planetarium has led the Museum of Science to shut down temporarily...

By Michael E. Miller

November 26, 2010

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A New Times investigation into an ex-employee's complaints of asbestos in the Miami planetarium has led the Museum of Science to shut down temporarily.

Tests conducted by an independent lab show that there is 15 percent amosite asbestos -- a particularly dangerous type of the carcinogenic material -- in an electrical corridor near the planetarium's production room.

And although an ex-employee had sent photos of the room and complained about possible asbestos to at least one other employee, Museum of Science staff still claimed the insulation was "harmless" on Wednesday, when a New Times reporter visited.

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Michael E. Miller was a staff writer at Miami New Times for five years. His work for New Times won many national awards, including back-to-back-to-back Sigma Delta Chi medallions. He now covers local enterprise for the Washington Post.

Contact: Michael E. Miller