The University of Lincoln in the United Kingdom has been fined for failing to take adequate steps to remove asbestos from four of its buildings. The British Health Service Executive fined the university more than £22,000 after it was discovered that officials at the university took four years before ordering asbestos removal from the buildings.

A lecturer first brought attention to the asbestos in 2006 after noticing the fibers exposed by a broken door handle. Despite health code that calls for the immediate removal of asbestos, the university failed to address the issue until 2010. The HSE alleged the delay put hundreds of students, faculty and staff at risk of asbestos exposure.

Asbestos is a carcinogenic building material that releases millions of tiny fibers into the air when disturbed. Inhalation of these fibers can lead to the development of severe side effects, including asbestosis and mesothelioma. Thousands of workers in the US and UK have filed mesothelioma lawsuits against asbestos manufacturers, alleging that their products caused them to develop the deadly cancer.