UK Paper Reports On Asbestos Deaths -- MesoLink.org -- 04-18-06

A UK paper has reported that up to 15 teachers are dying every year from asbestos related cancer, and that many children could also be at risk from the disease. The report claims that both children and teachers are being put at risk each time notices are pinned to walls and ceilings.

The report, in the Sunday Express, stated that 147 teachers died from the asbestos related cancer between 1991 and 2000, with figures based on data from the UK’s Health and Safety Executive. The figure included primary and secondary school teachers as well as special needs staff, nursery school teachers, lecturers, and education assistants.

The husband of one teacher that died from the cancer at just 51 years of age stated: “At least four of the schools my wife worked in had no asbestos management plan and were unaware of the whereabouts of asbestos. One school had no idea that any asbestos existed at all, let alone that every wall, ceiling, and radiator contained it.”

A spokesman for the Health and Safety Executive stated that within weeks new regulations and guidelines relating to asbestos on schools would be issued. One official stated: “We already say that schools should avoid putting pins into walls.”