Asbestos News

Asbestos disturbances at a chemical factory in the UK may have exposed dozens of workers to the carcinogenic mineral.

The hazardous material was first disturbed at the GrowHow plant in Ince on January 31 during a maintenance shutdown, according to the Liverpool Echo. Asbestos was again disturbed on February 12 when a worker came into contact with a pipe insulated with the substance.

"The people working inside the reformer plant furnace when the material was disturbed and the contractor who brushed against the pipeline have been spoken to individually and given the necessary advice and support," a spokeswoman for GrowHow told the news provider.

The Health and Safety Executive, the UK's federal health agency, are investigating both incidents as exposure to asbestos can cause a number of serious illnesses such as malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer.

The GrowHow spokeswoman said that officials at the plant were prepared to deal with asbestos disturbances.

"Asbestos is known to be present [in] the plant and therefore robust management procedures are in place," she told the news source. "In both cases GrowHow’s procedures were quickly enacted by the company."