Five police officers, who were rushed to hospital in an asbestos scare, after carrying out a search at a city pub, have been discharged.
The officers were carrying out a routine search at the Quarterdeck bar on Blaikie’s Quay on Friday night when it was feared they had come into contact with the toxic substance.
The ambulance service deployed a specialist decontamination tent outside the pub and emergency service personnel could be seen going in and out of the venue wearing white breathing masks.
Roads around the scene were blocked off from 9pm. The fire service sent six appliances and a police cordon was put in place.
Officers were led into the tent before being taken to hospital just after 11pm.
A police spokesman said: “The officers are all checked out. They went through the decontamination procedures and were released home with no apparent problems.
“They were on a routine search of premises, such as they carry out every day. They came into contact with the substance, so the correct precautions had to be taken.
“There is no wider threat to the local community and the public are thanked for their patience whilst emergency services dealt with the incident.”
The circumstances surrounding the exposure remained unclear.
Bags of clothing were left close to the decontamination tent by the emergency services.
Nobody else was affected by the incident, and officers remained at the scene for several hours after.
The substance was formerly used as electrical and building insulation due to its strong resistance to heat. But it was later discovered that it can cause serious and fatal illnesses including lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis if dust is inhaled.
Many construction staff and industrial workers suffered the effects and are still blighted by them today. Its trade was phased out and banned in many countries during the 80s and 90s.
There was no response from the Quarterdeck to repeated calls from The Press & Journal.
