Asbestos back on the menu...

Good news or bad news (depending on how you look at it), but it seems that all visitors to the Houses of Parliament are exposing themselves not only to dangerously high levels of hubris and tedium - but also to dangerous levels of asbestos. According to the Guardian, peers and officials working in the 170 year old landmark building are at risk of exposure to a potent form of the dangerous amphibole which is buried within service shafts and piping ducts hidden behind the palace's committee rooms.

The study, which was carried out by London-based health and safety experts Goddard Consulting, was produced earlier in the year and suggests that the risks being represented are not being addressed properly. Mysteriously, of all the problems identified, the biggest threat seems to revolve around a kitchen door that is wedged open by a spoon...

Apparently, an access door to an asbestos-contaminated shaft, besides the Commons kitchen, was seen to be wedged open by a spoon in order to allow some air into the hot room. The situation was examined by a survey team dressed in protective clothing and breathing masks:

"On opening this door cold air rushed in and it was like standing in a wind tunnel," said the boffins. "Asbestos fibres would be readily dispersed in the kitchen areas if the dust and debris was disturbed in the riser in any way."

Could this prove to be the news we've all been waiting for??

Photo: Flickr

Written by Oli Anderson on 17 Jul 2008 12:54 PM. There are 1 comments so far. Permalink