A thief or thieves who stole an asbestos-removing machine from a Richmond worksite might be getting more than they bargained for as police warn handling the machine could put you at risk of exposure to the harmful substance.
Cpl. Dennis Hwang said officers responded just after 9 a.m. Tuesday to a report of a theft at a demolition site in the 8100 block of Westminster Highway.
Workers had brought in some industrial equipment to help demolish a building, and one of those pieces, an asbestos-removing OmniAire 2000C was stolen.
“Police are asking the public to avoid contact with the machine without proper safety equipment,” Hwang said in a news release.
Asbestos is a mineral that’s harmful to human health, but was manufactured into a fluffy consistency and used to insulate buildings for much of the last century.
Inhaling it can cause potentially deadly diseases such as lung cancer. The importing, sale and use of asbestos is now prohibited by the federal government.
Richmond RCMP are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact them at 604-278-1212 and quote police file #2018-34877.
