Asbestos in Schools: the facts.

I’ve been thinking about this for some time and it often pops back into my thoughts. “Asbestos in schools?” Why, is this still so highly debated by various parties? My opinion is that it all comes down to the queens head, yes money. We all know everything costs money and to a large extent the UK don’t appear to have much now we are nearing the double dip recession. Looks like I’ll be going back to supermarkets own brands, rather than my usual purchases. Well we all have to tighten our belt a little to make sure we have enough money for the future.

Let’s go over a couple of facts about asbestos;

If asbestos is damaged or deteriorating then the fibres can be released and breathed in. Mesothelioma is a cancer that is almost exclusively caused by exposure to asbestos. A large exposure can cause mesothelioma and so can small exposures, particularly as each exposure is cumulative. There is no known threshold below which there is no risk. Lung cancer can also be caused by exposure to asbestos but it is considered that the exposures will normally have to be greater than the very low levels in the case of mesothelioma.

And what about asbestos in schools;

The majority of schools contain asbestos which has been identified in a recent survey of the all UK schools. The teaching unions consider that total removal is the safest option, whereas the Government consider that “managing” asbestos is the best system.  If asbestos is in a good condition and undamaged then an effective system of management can be satisfactory. However there is increasing evidence that a significant number of schools are not managing their asbestos effectively, and that in many cases the asbestos is not in good condition. Much of it is hidden and a normal asbestos survey will not identify the fact that fibres are being given off, only comprehensive air-testing can determine that. 

The effective management of asbestos in schools is essential because children are particularly vulnerable to developing disease after an exposure to asbestos. This was proven in a recent report  detailed below;

A recent study by French researchers concludes persons exposed to asbestos at a young age are more likely to develop Mesothelioma than those exposed to asbestos at an older age.

Figures suggest 140 school teachers have died of mesothelioma in the last ten years. There is evidence of widespread asbestos exposure of teachers, support staff and children in schools and their ever increasing death toll. Despite this, and the verdict of the Coroner, Health and Safety Inspectors refuse to carry out an investigation of the evidence and refuse to acknowledge the verdict of “industrial disease.” They therefore fail to learn the lessons from this and many other identical verdicts. The result is that negligence and dangerous practice are not identified or corrected.

Let’s put it in terms of a scenario, if this teacher had been killed by the school bus the lovely policemen would have investigated the accident and, if negligence was found, they would have initiated a criminal prosecution. Lessons are then learnt and the crime is punished .

One would hope that eventually the government will act to ensure safety throughout all schools and the asbestos problem will be properly managed. On that note, little peps, goodbay for now until my next instalment.

Toodle pip