UK Families Left Out In The Cold Due To Asbestos -- MesoLink.org -- 09-24-04

There has been a big problem with housing in the UK for many years, with many singles, couples and families literally on the streets with nowhere else to go. The local authorities already have long lists of people in housing need, with very few properties in which to house these people.

To make matters worse, asbestos is causing an additional delay to those waiting to be housed. Many of the council’s properties – and those belonging to other social landlords – are several decades old, which means that they may be rife with asbestos.

This is causing a further delay in the housing of these desperate people and families.

Although restrictions on the use of asbestos were introduced in the UK in the early 1980s, this hazardous substance was widely used for insulation, amongst other things, up until the 1970s. The council housing department, which is already under-funded, has to find the money to deal with the professional removal of the asbestos in order to make their properties safe for applicants to move into.

Asbestos exposure is the known cause of a deadly cancer, mesothelioma, and regular exposure to disturbed asbestos can result in an untimely and painful death several decades after exposure.