During construction a new building, the new national gallery, all outdated building materials will be removed from the site, the statement said.

The head of the lab responsible for testing the material containing asbestos, Zoltán Czap of Kör Ker Kft., said that “the sample is not an inhalable, directly life-threatening variant of asbestos”.

Fears that the asbestos may be a danger to health were raised by the Ligetvedők NGO, which has protested against the government-backed project to redevelop the park.

Republished with permission of Hungary Matters, MTI’s daily newsletter.