Asbestos Scare Shuts Down Canadian Health Unit
October 15th, 2007
Exposed asbestos-containing insulation caused the sudden shutdown of a health unit in the city of Guelph in Canada’s Ontario province.
According to an article in the Guelph Tribune, asbestos was found in the office of Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health, forcing the office to close late last week. The asbestos, says director Nicola Mercer, is coming from the building’s vermiculite insulation. Vermiculite is a large particle form of asbestos which some argue is not dangerous.
“There is no evidence of airborne asbestos contained in the building,” Mercer told the press.
Mercer added, however, that the office will be “closed for weeks while the particulate is cleaned from cracks in the walls, staircases and the ventilation system.”
She said the solution will be to “clean up the asbestos and then determine where it’s leaking from the walls, and seal up those spots.” A licensed asbestos inspection firm has been hired to assess the building and determine what needs to be done to insure no further exposure.
About 100 employees from the Guelph office are now being either relocated to other health unit offices or working from home. Some employees, such as health inspectors and visiting nurses, can easily work from home, said Mercer.
