The service ducts below the main corridor and wards at Boffa Hospital, Floriana, are contaminated with cancer-causing asbestos, The Sunday Times has learnt.
The hot water service pipes, which were insulated with material that contains amosite asbestos, are not only leaking but the insulation material is in such a poor state that fibres have actually fallen on to the ground.
Sources told The Sunday Times that experts commissioned by the hospital authorities to assess the ducts had warned that the building risked being closed down by the Occupational Health and Safety Authority unless urgent action was taken to address the problem.
Ironically, Boffa Hospital is currently the only public facility providing cancer treatment.
Amosite asbestos is considered to be one of the most dangerous types of asbestos materials and was widely used in the past for insulation purposes.
When contacted, the Health Secretariat confirmed the presence of asbestos at Boffa Hospital and said the situation was brought to its attention in January this year.
"The Health Secretariat is informed that results of air samples taken inside the service tunnel confirm that while asbestos material is present, the fibre counts in the air are below the legal limit," a spokesman said.
However, this newspaper has learnt that although the tests conducted by experts confirmed that the fibre counts were below the legal limit they had also warned that any maintenance activity would disturb the material, causing more fibres to become airborne, thereby exceeding the legal limit.
The experts said the asbestos-lagged pipes posed a serious health and safety threat and insisted that nobody should be allowed to enter the service ducts without adequate protective clothing and breathing apparatus.
The Health Secretariat confirmed that when the situation came to light last January, instructions had been issued "prohibiting access to the service tunnel".
However, it is unclear whether any hospital maintenance personnel had been exposed to the danger before access was prohibited.
"The Heath Authorities at Boffa Hospital advised the Health Secretariat about the situation in January 2009 and in turn we requested the Foundation for Medical Services (FMS) to provide technical expertise regarding the implementation of remedial works to the existing domestic hot water delivery system at Sir Paul Boffa Hospital following a series of water leaks," the spokesman said. He added that the FMS "immediately mandated that an instruction be issued prohibiting access to the service tunnel".
"Access to the service tunnel is only being granted to personnel wearing protective clothing and breathing apparatus. Protective clothing and breathing apparatus is available and is being provided to maintenance personnel requiring access to the service tunnel," he said.
The secretariat confirmed that remedial work should start "in the coming weeks" after the FMS sought proposals from companies certified to work with asbestos.
"A credential verification process, including the verification of the necessary insurances, has been implemented, and the FMS is currently in the process of assessing these proposals. The foundation has also secured additional third-party advice from an independent expert in the field. It is planned that remedial work should commence within the coming weeks," the secretariat said.
The removal of asbestos material as well as its transportation and export are highly specialised activities carried out by certified personnel. Asbestos is a fibrous material made from silica and its heat resistant properties made it a useful material for insulation purposes. It is now banned since it is deemed to be a health risk.
Exposure to asbestos can cause a lung disease called asbestosis and also a type of lung cancer, known as mesothelioma. The cancer can occur up to 40 years after the exposure to asbestos.
ksansone@timesofmalta.com