About a dozen University of Iowa staff members were relocated from their work sites in the Main Library on Feb. 10 after fumes from an asbestos-abatement project entered the building, said UI spokesman Tom Moore.

A work crew was using a solvent Feb. 9 to remove an adhesive in the learning commons on the fifth floor, he said. The crew set up a fan to vent the fumes outdoors, but heavy winds on Feb. 10 caused the fumes to re-enter the building, primarily affecting staff on the first floor.

Moore said UI Facilities Management conducted an air testing and didn’t find anything harmful.

"Some people will say they were more seriously affected by others," he said. "They chose to go home."

Moore said library staff should be able to continue working in their normal sites by today.

— by Beth Bratsos