Asbestos News
Asbestos-contaminated police records destroyed in Northern Ireland
A large quantity of police records in Northern Ireland were recently destroyed because they were contaminated with asbestos.The police records - some of which included interviews with terrorism suspects - were destroyed at Gough barracks in Armagh, according to UTV.
No copies of the records were made, meaning that some information will not be recoverable.
Assistant Chief Constable Drew Harris said that the asbestos contamination was the reason for the destruction of the records.
"The decision to destroy the documents was based mainly on health and safety issues, but cost was also a factor," he told the news source.
While it is regrettable that copies of the documents were not made, ensuring that people do not come in contact with asbestos is of the utmost importance. The inhalation of the naturally occurring mineral fiber can cause a number of serious illnesses such as malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer.
"Gough was an extremely old building, and I was aware that at one stage it was found to be heavily contaminated with asbestos," Former Assistant Chief Constable Alan McQuillan told the news provider.
9/13/11
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