WORKERS believe they may have been exposed to asbestos discovered during the refurbishment of a library.

The £350,000, six month restoration of the Grade II listed Hove Library in Church Road has been halted after around 30 contractors are thought to have come into contact with the substance, Britain's biggest single cause of work-related deaths.

The building is due to re-open on May 23 with a media launch the day before. Brighton and Hove City Council said it was not expecting a delay but union leaders said the library would not open until early June.

Brighton and Hove Unison branch secretary Alex Knutsen said his organisation was considering legal action against the council.

He said "We have advised all those who have been in the building to talk to their doctors. It is difficult to know exactly who has come into contact with it because there are no immediate side effects but we know many of them have.

"Of course we all know what asbestos can do over a period of time. It is my understanding in talking to the council that it is going to have to consider its legal position because it owns the building.

"Certainly we are looking towards taking legal action on behalf of our members."

The brown asbestos, or amosite, was discovered in two places inside the library after electricians began drilling through walls and by a lift shaft.

A number of areas in the library, which was first opened in 1908, had been marked off to warn contractors that asbestos was present. But the area being drilled had not been marked and it is understood that holes in the wall were left exposed for a number of days until the asbestos was discovered - increasing the danger.

One worker told The Argus: "If I've been exposed I'm effectively facing a life sentence. Everyone knows how deadly this stuff is and people who've been exposed to it in large amounts generally develop cancer within years."

About 3,500 people die from having contact with asbestos every year, with most developing forms of cancer like mesothelioma. The full effects of contact can take up to 60 years to develop.

A spokesman for the council said: "Specialist asbestos contractors were brought in to make safe the affected areas, which has involved sealing off an old dumb waiter' shaft which is no longer in use and carrying out specialised cleaning work.

"The council is liaising with contractors who have been working on the library to keep them informed of the situation."

A spokesman for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said: "The building has been cordoned off inside and the builders are not allowed to go near it.

"The council has reported the discovery to the HSE and it will now decide if it is to be investigated."