The deputy director of the National Air and Space Museum has resigned. This resignation comes hot on the heels of asbestos investigations at two Smithsonian museums.

Joseph T. Anderson, resigned unexpectedly on April 6th. He had worked for the museum since 2003, and had been in the deputy director position for about one year.

His resignation came at the request of the organization’s director, John R. Dailey, although the reason has not yet been disclosed. It is thought by many that the resignation was due to the ongoing asbestos crisis facing two of the museums.

Anderson’s resignation comes one week after a congressional hearing regarding the Smithsonian Institution’s handling of an asbestos situation at the museum.

In the past month, two Smithsonian museums have both faced allegations of improper asbestos abatement techniques and unsafe working conditions.

The congressional hearing was called after The Washington Post reported last month that an exhibits specialist at the National Air and Space Museum claimed that he and other workers were never told of asbestos in the walls of the building. Asbestos issues have also plagued another Smithsonian museum, the National Museum of American History.

Members of a local steamfitting union have alleged that asbestos dust was improperly contained, and traveled throughout the building during renovations on the Museum of American History.

During building renovations, asbestos fibers can be released into the air, where they can be inhaled. The fibers may then work their way into the soft tissues of the lung, abdomen, and heart. Asbestos exposure is linked to asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma.

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