‘Get all asbestos out of our schools’ (From The Northern Echo)

‘Get all asbestos out of our schools’

10:46am Wednesday 3rd September 2008 in News By Joe Willis, Regional chief reporter

A LEADING North-East lawyer has called for potentially deadly asbestos to be removed from every school in the region within two years.

Industrial disease specialist Roger Maddocks has urged local authorities to conduct a thorough audit of asbestos in their schools.

The partner at Newcastle law firm Irwin Mitchell believes education bosses should then remove the substance from all school buildings by 2010.

The call follows the death last week of 28-year-old Leigh Carlisle, from Oldham, who is believed to be the youngest person ever to die from mesothelioma.

Her family suspect she was exposed to asbestos while at primary school.

Mr Maddocks said: “People need to remember that it is not just industrial workers that may be affected – we have already seen a number of cases in which asbestos has affected teachers and nurses.

“It is therefore vital that we survey all UK schools for asbestos, sooner rather than later.

“The Government and official bodies have known about the risks for many years and yet nothing has been done to rid our schools of this deadly substance. This needs to change.”

Mr Maddocks said the number of people diagnosed with mesothelioma was rising every year.

He said there were 2,387 mesothelioma deaths in the North-East between 1981 and 2005.

The lawyer has the backing of the National Union of Teachers (NUT).

Ian Grayson, NUT national executive member for Tyne and Wear, said: “There has been a big increase in the number of teachers dying from asbestos-related cancer.

“We would like the Government to put funds into carrying out a national assessment of schools with asbestos, and make sure schools with the worst levels of asbestos are replaced first.”

Experts say sufferers of the disease are often unaware that they have been exposed to asbestos and are generally diagnosed with the disease 30 to 40 years after contact.

Durham County Council said it had carried out comprehensive asbestos surveys of all of its schools so that asbestos management plans could be drawn up.

The authority said it followed advice from the Health and Safety Executive, which did not advocate wholesale removal of asbestos from buildings.

North Yorkshire County Council said a full audit of asbestos in the authority’s schools had already been carried out.

“The situation is constantly monitored to ensure there is no threat to children,” a spokesman said.