’Tsunami’ of deaths from asbestos in UK schools feared as report warns thousands could be at risk
A damning report warns that hundreds of thousands may die in the coming decades due to asbestos in crumbling UK schools, leading to a potential "tsunami" of deaths.
Asbestos in British schools will lead to hundreds of thousands of people dying, states a new report.
More than 90% of schools contain asbestos says the Joint Union Asbestos Committee and teachers and pupils face a “tsunami” of deaths from exposure on a daily basis. Horrifying statistics show that at least 1,400 teachers and support staff along with 12,600 pupils have died since 1980 from mesothelioma, a cancer caused by breathing in asbestos fibres. And it is believed that many more will also die over the following decades with older buildings containing asbestos crumbling.
“When asbestos containing materials are in a poor condition, they are more likely to release asbestos fibres,” states the JUAC. “Asbestos was used widely in the construction of schools and can be found in various locations including: walls and ceilings, floor tiles, air cabinet heaters, pipe lagging, cement products, roof tiles and toilet cisterns.”
The JUAC’s report follows an investigation by eight unions representing teachers and support staff and it says that “hundreds of thousands of students and staff” exposed to asbestos since the mid-1990s are predicted to die from mesothelioma. It continues: “Crucially, the evidence in this report suggests that [asbestos] is likely to be a tsunami in the UK. Their deaths would be the consequence of ineffective asbestos regulations and a cost-cutting culture that wrongly implies ‘asbestos is safe so long as it is not disturbed’.”
Successive governments have failed to take action and have allowed asbestos which is damaged to remain in place at schools, it is claimed. Lawyer Harminder Bains, whose own father died from mesothelioma, and who has been representing asbestos victims for several decades has been instructed by the National Education Union to take legal action against the Government to make schools safer.
“You don’t have to see visible dust for it to be dangerous, and inhaling any amount is potentially deadly,” she said, reported the Mail. “Schools are not fit for purpose. As one teacher said to me, we wouldn’t send our children into burning buildings, so why are we sending them into buildings riddled with asbestos?”
Liz Darlison, CEO of the charity Mesothelioma UK, said the issue is a "national disgrace". She reportedly said: ‘The ongoing presence of asbestos in our deteriorating school buildings is like a bomb that is slowly exploding. It’s an unbelievable tragedy and a national disgrace that we are not doing more to protect people, especially children.’
And the JUAC states it “firmly believes the current Government policy does not safeguard the health of children and school staff and instead, all asbestos in schools should be removed, starting with the most dangerous first. This is because it is extremely difficult, and in some cases impossible for asbestos in schools to be managed safely.”
A spokesman for the Health and Safety Executive reportedly said it did not recognise the figures quoted by the JUAC. A statement read: “Our inspection campaign showed that the majority of schools are managing asbestos safely. We are continuing to carry out inspections on asbestos compliance in schools and elsewhere.”
And a Department for Education spokesman said: “We take the safety of children and those who work with them incredibly seriously.” It said that it expected all authorities to have ‘“robust plans” to manage the toxic material. The Mirror has contacted the HSE and the Department for Education for comment.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
