Hundreds of thousands of students and teachers across the UK will die from exposure to asbestos, a bombshell report has claimed.
The electrical and thermal insulator, which can be found in many British schools, could bring with it a “tsunami” of deaths from cancer as many buildings begin to deteriorate.
The Joint Union Asbestos Committee (JUAC) has warned that over 21,000 schools in the UK could be at risk, thanks to the toxic building material which has been dubbed a “silent killer”.
Liz Darlison, chief executive of Mesothelioma UK, said that “is like a bomb that is slowly exploding”.
Since 1980, at least 1,400 teachers and support staff and 12,600 pupils have died from mesothelioma – the aggressive cancer that inhalation of asbestos fibres causes.
This number is only forecast to get bigger and bigger in the next 20 to 60 years, as crumbling school buildings place more people in the firing line for danger.
JUAC had produced a report following an investigation involving eight education unions. It states: “Hundreds of thousands of students and staff, exposed to asbestos in their schools since the mid-1990s, are predicted to die from mesothelioma.’
It adds: “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’.”
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The toxic building material has been dubbed a ‘silent killer’
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The current policy, which has been the same for multiple successive governments, sees the material left in place until it is visibly damaged.
Lawyer Harminder Bains, who has been representing asbestos victims for 30 years, has now been instructed by the National Education Union to bring a legal case against the Government.
Bains, whose father passed away from mesothelioma, said that schools are “not fit for purpose”.
“You don’t have to see visible dust for it to be dangerous, and inhaling any amount is potentially deadly,” she said.
“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?”
Darlison said the issue is a ‘national disgrace’, adding: “The ongoing presence of asbestos in our deteriorating school buildings is like a bomb that is slowly exploding.
Asbestos poses a threat to humans
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The electrical and thermal insulator can be found in many British schools
PA
“It’s an unbelievable tragedy and a national disgrace that we are not doing more to protect people, especially children.”
JUAC’s report, called What Is The Real Risk From Asbestos In Schools?, used official Government date to determine the possible fatality rate.
Lib Dem MP Munira Wilson, who has previously pressured the Government to reveal the scale of the asbestos issue, said: “This study is shocking and goes to emphasise the devastating impact of years of neglect on our schools. Every parent should know that when they send their child to school, they will be taught in a safe environment.”
A spokesman for the Health and Safety Executive said it did not recognise the figures used in the report
It added: “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.”
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.
