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Asbestos could pose threat to public sector workers

11 November 2008

Public sector workers could be among thousands more people exposed to the dangers of asbestos than at first thought.

Teachers, lecturers and medical staff could be particularly at risk, with asbestos still present in schools and hospitals.

Asbestos, used for years as fire proofing and insulation in roofs and walls until it was banned in 2000, is believed to remain in around 500,000 UK buildings.

Sara Hunt, solicitor and asbestos specialist at national law firm Shoosmiths, said: “Health and Safety Executive (HSE) figures reveal that 76 teachers and lecturers, and 25 nurses died from mesothelioma – a cancer often linked to asbestos – between 2002-2005.

People are at risk when asbestos is disturbed and asbestos fibres become airborne.

Hunt said: “The difficulty is that it is not always known whether asbestos is present in a building, and it can be disturbed inadvertently by drilling or cutting during maintenance work or refurbishment.”

Retailer Selfridges had to replace 26 display windows recently when asbestos was found in the frames of its 100-year-old Oxford Street store, in London.

“More must be done to ensure that asbestos is identified and removed safely from the likes of schools, hospitals and council houses to protect the health of those who are risk,” Hunt said.

Around 4,000 people a year die from the effects of asbestos, and the HSE predicts this will rise to 5,000 over the next five years.

The asbestos threat to tradesmen such as builders, plumbers and joiners is already well known, and was highlighted by the British Lung Foundation earlier this year when it found that only 12% of tradesmen questioned knew that asbestos could cause mesothelioma.

People exposed as long as 40 years ago might only now be developing asbestos related illnesses.

For further information please contact:
Name: Alastair Gray
Phone: 08700 864096
Email: Alastair.Grya@shoosmiths.co.uk

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