September 27th, 2005

Families living near an infirmary have expressed concern over asbestos contamination, and have demanded that asbestos removal work is halted. The asbestos removal is being carried out at an old laundry facility near to where the residents live by the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. Residents are now demanding that the contractors test their homes for signs of asbestos and have even threatened to storm the building site if their demands are not looked into.

Both the Health and Safety Executive and the contractors carrying out the work have assured the public that there is no contamination danger. The contractor has put millions into the removal of the asbestos, and the site being worked on is to be turned into a residential area.

The contractors started working on the laundry facility more than a month ago, and have been wearing protective clothing in order to crush up debris and rocks. However, residents in the area claim that they were not informed about all of the works being carried out, and they are concerned and distressed about the possibility of asbestos contamination.

One resident stated: "It was a complete shock to see people dressed up in white suits, clearly protecting themselves, but I had no idea if my children were being exposed to anything dangerous. It turns out there are lumps of asbestos being removed from the stones they are crushing, which is obviously very worrying. We have been reassured that everything is safe, but we want our homes to be tested first. If they don't do that, we will protest on the site and stop them working."