Asbestos Scare Closes Police Station

January 8, 2007 - Officials at a Leominster, Massachusetts police station closed a portion of the station last week after they discovered that tiles a maintenance worker was replacing may contain asbestos. 

According to the Sentinel and Enterprise, Police Chief Peter Roddy told the worker to stop what he was doing after somebody mentioned that there could be asbestos in the tiles, reported the mayor, Dean Mazzarella. 

The scare occurred in the room where officers usually gather to write their reports or discuss a case.  City officials closed the room, called the state Department of Environmental Protection and planned to have a cleaning company trained to deal with asbestos examine the tiles, Mazzarella said.

"We did all the right things," he said, including taking any necessary "safety precautions."

Health Director Christopher Knuth said the airflow between the room in question and the rest of the station was cut off, so the need to close the entire station was not an issue.

"We don't even know if there is a problem, and if there is anything that needs to be removed, it will be removed immediately," said Knuth.

Buildings such as the Leominster police station, which was built prior to the 1970s, may include components which contain asbestos, such as insulation and fireproofing materials, wallboard, cement, and floor or ceiling tiles.  Exposure to damaged asbestos can cause fibers to be inhaled.  Prolonged exposure has been known to cause serious lung ailments such as asbestosis or mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lungs.