In Church Creek, Maryland, a house that is riddled with asbestos and other damage will be given away to anyone who wants it.

The state-owned Linthicum House needs to be removed from the property in order to make room for the planned Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park and Discovery Center. The historical attraction will center on the life and times of Tubman, a slave that escaped from her master and formed part of the Underground Railroad network in the 1850s.

The three-story house is structurally solid, but rundown. The state hopes to entice someone to take the home away by offering it for free. An open house is set for April 21; proposals are due May 5.

A free house might seem like a great find in these troubled economic times. In fact, the house is a steal when you consider it has seven bedrooms, 10-foot ceilings and 3,400 square feet of space. But the cost of transporting the house to a new location could run over $40,000 dollars.

More troubling still is the environmental impact the house might have. The house contains both lead paint and the known carcinogen, asbestos. In addition, both dead and live animals are in the house, posing possible health risks of their own.

Asbestos exposure is linked to diseases such as asbestosis and mesothelioma.

Depending on the location of the asbestos, workers may have to remove the asbestos before transport in order to preserve public health. When asbestos is moved, it can release a fine dust that, when inhaled, proves deadly.

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