Asbestos found in Canadian hospital

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, May 7 (UPI) -- The discovery of cancer-causing asbestos in ductwork prompted officials to close the pediatric operating rooms at a hospital in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Wednesday.

Officials at IWK Health Centre said all elective surgeries for children were canceled, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported. No asbestos was detected in the air at the hospital, officials told the CBC.

The ductwork was to be inspected and cleaned Wednesday and the area was closed off as a precaution.

No elective surgeries in the hospital's women's unit had been canceled and any child needing emergency surgery was to be taken care of in the women's operating rooms, the hospital officials said.

Asbestos was once widely used in construction for insulation purposes but its fibers have been determined to cause lung cancer and other health problems.