Asbestos testing has turned up the harmful fibers in several areas of the Gracedale nursing home building in Northampton County.

Northampton County's director of administration, Tom Harp, said the Gracedale safety committee requested that the building be tested for asbestos.

He said there were concerns that some previous work done in certain areas of the building may have resulted in the exposure of asbestos.

The tests were done a couple weeks ago, according to Harp, and some areas did test positive for asbestos. The main areas with asbestos were the carpentry shop, maintenance workshop, storage area and the loading dock.

Harp said some of the areas have been shut down, and none of the asbestos got airborne, which is when it can cause health problems.

Officials, however, want to get the asbestos cleaned up as soon as possible to keep it from becoming airborne, said Harp, who noted that the cleanup could cost tens of thousands of dollars.