Children May Have Inhaled Asbestos After Starting Fire -- MesoLink.org -- 07-13-06

UK authorities have warned that a number of children that broke into a shed and started a fire may have endangered their own health because they may have inhaled asbestos fibers that became airborne as a result of the fire damage.

The children are said to have broken into the shed at the Forest of Dean School in England, where they proceeded to start a fire inside the building. Police now state that asbestos fibers, which can cause a number of health problems when inhaled, including a deadly form of cancer, could have been released and inhaled by the children.

The children are said to have removed some wood and then placed it against a fire door before setting fire to it. The fire door, said state authorities, contained asbestos, which is how the fibers may have become released into the air.

Police have now appealed for anyone that saw the incident or knows anything about it to come forward with information. They have also stated that the children involved need to be checked out by a doctor.