January 11th, 2007

A room at the police station in Leominster had to be closed off late last week after concerns were raised with regards to some tiles that were being replaced by a contractor. It was thought that the tiles that were being replaced by the maintenance worker might contain asbestos, and therefore the closure was arranged as a precaution.

Asbestos is a material that was once widely used in many applications, and is a known carcinogenic that can result in a range of health problems, including mesothelioma, which is an asbestos related cancer. However, according to the mayor the concerns about asbestos were only suspicions. “We don’t even know if it was asbestos,” he stated.

The tiles were being replaced in the room where police officers usually write up their incident reports. The tile replacement was part of an overall refurbishment that was taking place in the police station. After concerns were expressed the rooms was closed off and the Department of Environmental Protection was called.

The Mayor stated that all necessary steps to protect people in the station were taken. Health Director Christopher Knuth stated: "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."