On Thursday morning, an asbestos issue caused some parts of the U.S. Capitol building to be closed temporarily. Other areas are still closed to the public.

"During ongoing asbestos abatement work there was a potential release affecting the House side of the Capitol," the Architect of the Capitol said in a statement according to NBC News. "Samples have been collected to determine whether there was potential exposure."

At around 2:30 a.m. the issue arose. It is currently being investigated by the Architect of the Capitol and the U.S. Capitol police.

"[Senior] source says they don't know 'the extent' of industrial spill at Capitol. Air testing going on. EPA & HAZMAT on scene," Chad Pergram, a Fox News reporter, said at 8:50 a.m. this morning via Twitter.

A note from House Speaker John Boehner directed toward Congress members said that an "industrial accident" would delay the House floor's itinerary for the day. Republican House leaders said the delay would last two hours, with the day's session starting at 12 p.m., according to USA Today.

The House portion of the Capitol building became open to staff and members a little bit after 9 a.m. ET. Some areas of the building are still closed, however, according to USA Today. This includes a room on the building's third floor as well as the East Grand Staircase.

"[Capitol] Police: The East Grand staircase on the House side of @uscapitol from floors 1-3, & H-324 will remain closed until further notice," S2, a Twitter source dedicated to Capitol news, said.

Tours held by the Capitol's visitor center were not affected by the issue.

"All other areas of the House side of the Capitol will return to normal operations, including tours," a statement from the Architect of the Capitol's office said.

It has not yet been determined how long it will take to clean up the mess, The Wire reports.
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Follow Scharon Harding on Twitter: @ScharHar.

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