Cleaning and air testing will go through this weekend and continue into Monday in parts of the Medical Sciences Building at the University of Florida because of asbestos concerns, UF officials said on Friday.
The first floor of the Department of Ophthalmology Visual Science Lab and the ground floor’s morgue, autopsy suite and Department of Physiology labs were immediately closed on Thursday after air tests conducted during routine asbestos abatement revealed levels higher than approved guidelines, UF officials said.
But those areas were reopened on Friday.
Long-term exposure to asbestos, a generic name given to six naturally occurring minerals used for commercial products, is associated with lung cancer and other respiratory problems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Filters have been installed in the affected areas and employees were given administrative leave, according to UF officials. No patient areas were affected, UF officials said.
This weekend, there will be more cleaning and air testing in the hallways in the basement, ground floor and first floor of the Medical Sciences Building, university officials said.
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