Asbestos News

A UK woman is reportedly upset that three bags of asbestos removed from the wall of her apartment by a worker have been left on her doorstep for two weeks, reports the Hendon Times.

According to the news provider, the carcinogenic material was discovered in Susan McKenzie's apartment on March 23 by a worker who was sent in by the Metropolitan Housing Group.

"They said it would be taken away as a matter of urgency, but it's been two weeks now and it's still here," McKenzie said. "I have to tell my neighbor’s child who has just had an operation not to play near it."

In a statement, the Metropolitan Housing Trust apologized for the delay and admitted that it should have told the woman that the asbestos did not pose any health risk to her or other nearby residents. The trust added that steps have been taken to resolve the issue and that the matter should be fully dealt with by the end of the month.

It is important that asbestos is properly disposed of as exposure to the deadly material can lead to the development of serious illnesses such as lung cancer, asbestosis and malignant mesothelioma, a rare cancer. According to the Mirror, malignant mesothelioma kills approximately one person every five hours in Britain, which is the highest rate in the world.