Asbestos News

After an investigation of more than one week, a spokesman for the office of the New Jersey Attorney General recently confirmed that asbestos has been discovered at the former Zurbrugg Hospital site in Pennsylvania.

Spokesman Peter Aseltine said that building materials containing asbestos were either located in bags or resting loose inside one of the structures on the property. The carcinogenic material was also reportedly discovered in a former boiler room on the site, he said.

According to PhillyBurbs.com, neighbors say that building materials have been left in dumpsters behind the demolition crew for months. Some nearby residents have reportedly expressed their concerns about asbestos on the site, asking the local Township Committee to address the dust that has been created during the project.

The inhalation of asbestos fibers can lead to the development of a number of serious illnesses including asbestosis, lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, approximately 2,500 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year.