Asbestos News

A building at the UK's University of Manchester was evacuated recently after thieves allegedly stole copper pipes from the facility that contained asbestos, the Manchester Evening News reports.

According to the news source, the thieves allegedly broke into the Dover Street Building last week and cut pipes out of a wall in a room on the first floor.

Staff members and students were then told to evacuate the building due to concerns that asbestos was disturbed during the robbery. The facility remained closed for a few days but has since re-opened, according to the news provider.

"The building was closed as a precautionary measure, although we were confident that the risk was negligible," said a spokesman for the university. "We carried out a full investigation, including air monitoring, before bringing the building back into use."

Exposure to asbestos has been proven to cause a number of serious illnesses including asbestosis, lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that occurs in the tissues surrounding a majority of the body's internal organs.