July 20th, 2005

A council building in Reading, in the UK, is so contaminated with asbestos that it has been dubbed a serious health hazard, and every project that needs to be done inside the building has to be done by fully trained asbestos experts in full safety gear.

The Reading Civic Center is in a bad state of repair, and ceiling tiles often fall off, posing a variety of dangers including asbestos contamination. Anyone that may have been exposed to asbestos has to make an immediate report to officials. The repair work has cost the council a great deal of money already, and a secret council report leaked in a local paper claims that over two million pounds will have to be spent on the building.

The council is in discussion about what to do about the building, and a spokesperson stated: "A building of this age is full of asbestos, but while it's undisturbed it's safe. This building is a financial liability for the taxpayers and we have to make the best judgment on the future actions of the authority. We are talking about a huge amount of money to strip it all out and in the meantime we are doing what we need to do."