UK Schools in Asbestos Threat
The National Union of Teachers (NUT) in UK warns that the asbestos levels in thousands of schools built before the mid-1970s are extremely high and can cause many health hazards.
A campaign has been conducted by the teachers the title of which is "organized responsibly so as not to cause panic". All parents will be asked to join the campaign which may help tackle the threat to staff and pupils.
Asbestos in schools have caused many hazards including the deaths of 73 schoolteachers from the lung cancer mesothelioma between 1991 and 2000. Mesothelioma is a malignant tumor of the mesothelium which is most commonly caused by the ingestion of asbestos particles. Symptoms of the disease may not appear for decades after exposure. But it kills more than half of its victims within seven months of diagnosis.
Teaching unions are not satisfied with the speed of the action taken by the Health and Safety Executive and government departments to prevent the hazards. It is still unknown how many school buildings may contain asbestos. The deadly material has been banned now however, there are about 13,000 of the 20,400 primary schools and 3,400 secondaries in Britain which were built between 1945 and 1974 when the use of asbestos-containing materials was at it's peak.
The teachers had been advised last year by a committee chaired by the HSE to stop displaying pupils' work by putting drawing pins in asbestos insulating board on school walls and ceilings. It is usually safer to manage the asbestos materials in good condition than removing them as it may cause many hazards when the material is disturbed during the removal process.
