Participants at the north London meeting get their message across. Photo Hank Roberts.
On 4 April an impressive meeting was held in Hamilton House, north London, to build a campaign to remove all asbestos from schools. Appropriately, it was held during Global Asbestos Awareness Week. The aim is to press government to take corrective action urgently.
Since 1980, at least 1,400 teachers and support staff and 12,600 pupils have died from mesothelioma – caused by inhaling asbestos fibres. Most victims die within 18 months of receiving a diagnosis. There is no cure; current treatments can only slow the cancer’s growth.
Britain has the world’s highest mesothelioma rate. Teachers and support staff are five times more likely to develop it than the general population according to one expert.
For decades successive governments have left asbestos where it is, unless visibly damaged. Yet it can be present in ceilings and display boards, which are easily damaged.
Freedom of information requests to the Department for Education have established that there are at least 21,500 schools containing asbestos. Any school built before 1999 – when its use was finally banned – is likely to contain it.
The meeting called for three essential measures as part of a National Asbestos Strategy: a national database of school buildings containing asbestos; proper inspections and recording of asbestos levels in all areas of schools; and a programme to remove asbestos from schools, starting immediately.
• A longer version of this article is on the web at www.cpbml.org.uk