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The series examined Oregon's failure to protect workers and the public from breathing airborne asbestos fibers during or after building demolitions. The stories found that hundreds of Portland, Oregon homes had been demolished with asbestos in place, creating a cancer risk to anybody who might have breathed airborne asbestos as a result. A Washington region with stricter reporting requirements had a significantly higher compliance rate, we found. The investigation also found that Oregon is the only state failing to meet federal notification standards necessary to prevent contractors from doing large-scale demolitions without first removing asbestos.