Call Comes On Action Mesothelioma Day, A Day To Help Raise Awareness Of Deadly Disease

Asbestos-related disease lawyers at leading law firm Irwin Mitchell are calling for improved asbestos management on Action Mesothelioma Day as the deadly material continues to pose health risks.

Mesothelioma is an aggressive, and terminal, form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, often decades before victims begin to suffer with symptoms. According to the latest statistics from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) more than 2,500 people in the UK lose their lives to the disease every year.

Asbestos was used in the construction and insulation of public buildings such as schools, and hospitals for decades due to its fire retardant properties, and was a component in a wide range of products including cement, sealants, pipe and boiler insulating material, corrugated roofing, ceiling tiles, wall tiles and wall insulation.

But as the substance deteriorates and falls into disrepair it can pose a danger to the health of those who come into contact with the dust and fibres.

When asbestos dust or fibres become airborne and are breathed in, it can cause a number of serious diseases including mesothelioma - an aggressive and incurable form of lung cancer, other lung cancers and asbestosis - a serious scarring condition of the lungs.

According to a report from the all-party parliamentary group on occupational health and safety, published in 2015, almost all the 14,000 schools built between 1945 and 1975 contain the material along with many refurbished during those three decades.

Irwin Mitchell has represented clients who contracted asbestos-related diseases while working as teachers, shop assistants during periods of building renovation and tradesmen – such as electricians, plumbers and carpenters. Those suffering from asbestos-related disease are sometimes diagnosed decades after exposure.

Coming at the end of a week that saw the Joint Union Asbestos Committee hold a national conference on asbestos in schools, specialist lawyers at Irwin Mitchell’s Cambridge office are renewing their call for local authorities to do more to protect teachers, pupils and other school staff from the deadly fibres.

Usually found in one of three main forms, asbestos was used as insulation and fireproofing in non-domestic buildings from around the 1920s up until the 1980s. In 1985, the more dangerous and deadly brown and blue varieties were banned.

The white form of asbestos was also stopped however not until 1999. It is assumed that all schools built before 2000 contain the substance.

Over the last five years, information gathered under the Freedom of Information Act (FoIA) requests to councils has revealed asbestos has been disturbed in more than fifty schools, including one in Cambridgeshire.

This was in 2012 when a contractor, who was working at Burwell Village College Primary, damaged some asbestos insulation board present at the school. A subsequent investigation by the HSE found the contractor had been in breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act.

Further information obtained under FOI from Cambridgeshire County Council last year revealed that more than 235 schools in the county contained asbestos while a further 47 caretaker houses/buildings contained the substance.

Rosemary Giles, a partner and specialist asbestos-related disease lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, said: 

Expert Opinion

“Mesothelioma has been linked to industrial exposure for a long time but in recent years we have been instructed by an increasing number of people who have been exposed to asbestos in schools and other public buildings.

“A systematic plan to safely remove asbestos in schools is not such a tall order bearing in mind the dangers. We have campaigned for a long time for more to be done to address the presence of dangerous asbestos in schools but we are still waiting for a serious commitment to be made to tackle the problem.

“It is estimated that more than 200 teachers have died from mesothelioma in the past fifteen years which should be more than enough proof that urgent action is needed.” Rosemary Giles - Partner

The call for concern and action coincides with Action Mesothelioma Day, which occurs annually on the first Friday in July. The day aims to bring together victims of the disease, those who have loved ones affected by it, healthcare professionals, support groups and those working to understand the disease and find a cure, to ensure the public are aware of the terrible impact it can have on sufferers and their carers.

The latest HSE statistics, released this week, state there were 2,542 mesothelioma deaths due to past asbestos exposure in 2015, an increase on the 2,515 recorded mesothelioma deaths in 2014.

According to the health and safety watchdog, the latest projections suggest that there will continue to be around 2,500 deaths per year for the rest of this current decade before annual numbers begin to decline in 2020.

Rosemary, who is also a senior litigator and an Association of Personal Injury Lawyers-accredited asbestos disease specialist, added: 

Expert Opinion

“Mesothelioma is an extremely aggressive and incurable cancer and it causes a great deal of suffering to those affected by it.

“The first Asbestos Regulations, to manage the use of asbestos because of its danger to health, became law in 1931, so to learn that people were exposed to the fibres much later is very upsetting for the individuals or the families who come to us.

“Now, we are fully aware of the dangers, and fatalities are regularly publicised, it seems only right that robust measures are put in place to ensure when the time comes, the removal of this potentially deadly substance is managed properly.” Rosemary Giles - Partner

If you or a loved one has been affected by an asbestos related illness, our solicitors can help you to claim compensation. See our Asbestos Claims page for more information.