Asbestos in schools could kill thousands in coming years, report warns

Hundreds of thousands could die from asbestos exposure in UK schools, a worrying new report has alleged. 

The Joint Union Asbestos Committee (JUAC) report predicts mesothelioma deaths will continue to increase from asbestos exposure in the coming years. 

The report reads: ‘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”.’

Asbestos has long been suggested to be left alone unless it is damaged or shredding fibres – but dangers remain. 

Charity Mesothelioma UK CEO Liz Darlison told MailOnline: ‘The ongoing presence of asbestos in our deteriorating school buildings is like a bomb that is slowly exploding.

‘It’s an unbelievable tragedy and a national disgrace that we are not doing more to protect people, especially children.’

Since the 1980s, 1,400 teachers and nearly 13,000 students died from mesothelioma from asbestos. 

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops in the lining that covers the surface of some of the body’s organs – mainly the lining of the lungs – and is usually linked to asbestos exposure.

It can take decades for symptoms from asbestos exposure to present themselves, but once diagnosed, most die within two years. 

The lead investigator for the JUAC report, Dr Gill Reed, said: ‘These findings are very worrying because there is this mantra [that] asbestos in schools is safe as long as it’s not disturbed. 

But no one knows if it’s been disturbed because you can’t always see it, and school checks are simply not adequate or not being carried out effectively.’

The UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) estimates that between 210,000 and 400,000 buildings in the UK contain asbestos – many of them schools.

Charles Pickles works with the campaign Airtight On Asbestos and told MailOnline a national register should be implemented.

He said: ‘We must begin facing up to the problem by introducing a register, which will enable us to plan for asbestos’s removal.’

For further information on asbestos we offer an Asbestos Awareness course, and our team of health and safety consultants can provide