PITTSBURGH — Two workers at Alderman-Dow Iron & Metal Co. Inc. were unharmed after being exposed to a contaminated load of metal sold by metals thieves to the scrapyard.

One worker at the New Haven, Conn., yard was sent home to shower, while a second was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure but later released, according to a company executive. They were the only employees to come in contact with the toxic brass.

Police were tipped off that pipes laden with asbestos and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs) had been stolen from an abandoned power plant. The police caught up with the suspects while leaving the yard, which is how the recycler learned of the contamination. There are no detection methods for toxins like PCBs.

Local firefighters and workers trained to handle hazardous materials assisted at the scene.