Asbestos News

A £3.5 million project to turn an old firehouse in the UK into an arts center for homeless youths has been delayed because of the discovery of asbestos.

The asbestos was found in a room in the basement of the Old Fire Station in Oxford, according to the Oxford Mail.

Specially trained asbestos removal contractors were brought in to help remove the deadly mineral.

"It was notifiable brown asbestos, so we had to shut things down for a while," said Graham Stratford, the council’s head of community development.

Stratford said that the asbestos work would delay the project but it was the first problem that the team has encountered.

"It will affect the program but it's the first major hiccup we have had," he told the news source.

The joint venture by the Oxford City Council and the Homes and Communities Agency and homeless charity Crisis will see a theater, a dance studio, a gallery and creative workshops be installed at the old firehouse, providing an education center for young homeless people.

Asbestos abatement is important as exposure to the hazardous substance can cause malignant mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis.