Ahead of the Westminster Hall debate on asbestos in schools, campaigner Michael Lees, on behalf of education union Voice, writes about its effect on the health of teachers and children in schools.
Scale of the Problem
There are about 25,000 schools in the country the majority of which contain asbestos, with recent freedom of information requests in nine local authorities determining that about 90 per cent contain the material. All the asbestos material is old and much is deteriorating so that increasingly the dangerous asbestos fibres are being released.
Policy of asbestos management frequently fails
The government's policy is that if asbestos is in good condition and not likely to be disturbed then it is safer to leave it in place and manage it than it is to remove it. However frequent asbestos incidents in schools have caused widespread contamination; the evidence is that this policy has failed on many occasions.
Bathroom sealant keeps asbestos fibres from entering classrooms
About half the schools in the country are system built, and contain large amounts of asbestos. Twenty years ago tests showed that dangerous levels of asbestos fibres can be released into the classrooms when the doors are slammed or walls hit. Nothing was done to remedy the problem until it was rediscovered in 2006 where once again tests showed that common every day classroom activities release millions of asbestos fibres.
The cause being hidden damaged asbestos material, asbestos debris and fibres lying undetected in the wall, structural column and ceiling voids. The government's remedy is not to remove this dangerous material but to seal it in place with bathroom sealant. This is a sticky plaster solution. It is not a safe or long term remedy for all it will take is one set of curious fingers and the lethal fibres will once again be released into the classrooms.
Professional concern over asbestos management
The teaching unions and the members of the asbestos association, ATAC, are most concerned about the state of asbestos in schools and the unacceptable standards in asbestos management in many of them. They are also concerned that all too often there is a lack of training and asbestos awareness amongst school governors, headteachers and even building managers, the very people who are expected to manage the asbestos.
Successive government have not assessed the scale of problem
Successive governments have refused to assess the scale of the problem or carry out a risk assessment as they are concerned that parents might panic and demand the removal of all asbestos from their children's schools, and that they privately admit would be extremely expensive. ATAC and the teaching unions are therefore working together to assess the extent of the problem so that the evidence can be presented to the government.
Teachers' Mesothelioma deaths are increasing. They are the tip of the iceberg as children are more vulnerable
More than 40 years ago the government were warned of the particular risks to children from asbestos and told to take preventative measures, but they ignored the warnings and for the next 20 years and more continued using thousands of tons of asbestos in the construction of schools. Over the years the asbestos has deteriorated and released its deadly fibres to be breathed in by the staff and children. Sadly the end result is that some of them have developed the asbestos related cancer, mesothelioma and have died.
As the asbestos deteriorates then the numbers of school teachers dying from mesothelioma has increased year on year with a total of 178 dying of the disease since 1980. However, for each teacher there are a class full of children who have been exposed at the same time, and they are more vulnerable to the effects of asbestos.
But statistics don't show how many of them have developed the disease as the latency is very long and can be from 10 to 60 years, so their deaths are shown in the statistics under whatever occupation they had at the time and not as the result of asbestos exposure at school. Twenty-five years ago the USA carried out an audit of asbestos in their schools and a risk assessment which estimated that 1,000 teachers and children would die from asbestos exposure at school, with 90 per cent of the deaths being those who had been exposed as children. The teacher's deaths are therefore but the tip of the iceberg.
Policy allows asbestos to remain following BSF/PCP refurbishment
The majority of schools will be refurbished rather than rebuilt under the Building Schools for the Future initiative and the primary capital funding schemes. The Department for Children, Schools and Families claim that over time these schemes will solve the problem as the asbestos will be removed. However the schools minister has stated in a parliamentary answer that asbestos does not have to be removed during refurbishment.
Consequently, with a shortage of funding for the schemes, some local authorities have taken the decision to leave the hidden asbestos in situ as asbestos removal is a major expense during a refurbishment. This means that this golden opportunity will be missed and future generations of teachers and children will remain at risk from the dangers of asbestos in our schools.
Debate will bring the issue of asbestos in schools into the open
This is an important debate as it will bring the issue of asbestos in schools into the open. Until the government assesses the scale of the problem and the risks it can never allocate the necessary resources so that the asbestos can be managed. But however good any system of management might be it just takes one failure, an accident or perhaps a child slamming a door and the dangerous fibres will once again be released into the classrooms. Until the government adopts a policy of progressive removal of all asbestos from our schools, the teachers and children will continue to be exposed to the deadly fibres. Sadly, they will continue to die.
This debate directly affects the health of teachers and children in schools in your constituency. There will be a BBC 1 Inside Out report shown in most constituencies on the evening of the debate.
