They clean up after natural disasters. Now they’re getting sick.

Brothers Santos and Mariano have been chasing jobs after hurricanes for nearly two decades. And the grueling work of cleaning and rebuilding after natural disasters has taken a toll on their bodies.

The brothers have been hospitalized following work accidents. One accident left Santos temporarily blind and another put Mariano in a coma for days after he fell off a roof without a safety harness, they said. Both recovered. But alongside the immediate hazards they face are ones that quietly cause long-term harm. 

After repeatedly being exposed to asbestos, lead and mold — the most common toxins found in post-disaster worksites — the brothers said they are now experiencing health symptoms toxicologists say can be linked to those substances, including skin and eye irritations, respiratory problems and headaches. 

About this series

Disaster-recovery companies aren’t protecting their mostly immigrant workforce from dangerous toxins. As they cash in on a loosely-regulated system for climate catastrophes, their workers get sick.

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The Center for Public Integrity, Futuro Investigates and Columbia Journalism Investigations are not publishing the full names of immigrant workers interviewed for this story to protect their identities.

The immigrant brothers from Honduras and other workers like them are left to fend for themselves while the booming and loosely regulated disaster restoration industry neglects worker safety. 

In a special episode by Futuro Investigates, in collaboration with the Center for Public Integrity and Columbia Journalism Investigations, we look at how prolonged exposure to dangerous toxins affects the health of the workers who clean and rebuild American cities after natural disasters. This episode builds on work Public Integrity and Columbia Journalism Investigations published last year, a two-day series called “Toxic Labor.” 

No federal or state data shows how many disaster restoration workers get sick every year. Our reporting team documented for the first time last year that Santos and Mariano’s symptoms after prolonged exposure to toxins were not unique. The team worked with experts to design a questionnaire and used it to interview 100 Latino disaster restoration workers in Florida, Louisiana and Texas.

The team also investigated the birth of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s emergency-response policy, which leaves disaster restoration workers vulnerable to health hazards because it reduces the likelihood that companies will be penalized for skirting safety regulations. A second story delved into the industry profiting from climate change and asked who is responsible for the safety of these workers. A third piece examined how a new anti-immigration law in Florida adds to workers’ worries.

In today’s episode, you’ll hear from workers who have cleaned and rebuilt multiple cities post disasters and how that work has impacted their health.