Asbestos News

The entrance to the lobby of the Portsmouth, New Hampshire police station was blocked off temporarily following the discovery of asbestos in floor tiles, SeaCoastOnline reports.

Police Sergeant Kuffer Kaltenborn told the news provider that workers were renovating the lobby over the weekend when they discovered the asbestos, and subsequently restricted access to the location.

He added that the lobby was sealed off from the rest of the facility for approximately four hours to set up a decontamination area, while signs indicating the presence of asbestos were placed at the site.

Still, Kaltenborn noted that the asbestos find barely disrupted operations at the police station, calling it a "minor inconvenience" that forced personnel to use an alternate entrance throughout the day, according to the news source. 

Steve Parkinson, public works director for the city, told the publication that that the facility was built in 1950 and the asbestos discovery is not a surprise. Many older buildings contain asbestos as the material was once prized for its utility as an insulator and resistance to fire.

By the 1960s, however, it had been proven that exposure to asbestos can cause lung cancer, asbestosis and malignant mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that attacks the tissues surrounding a majority of the body's internal organs.