Andy Reed joined Mesothelioma UK today in parliament for the launch of the latest report - Clearing the Air.
Mesothelioma UK is pleased to share Clearing The Air: The costs and benefits of removing asbestos from UK schools and hospitals, a report that analyses the costs and benefits of removing asbestos from public buildings in the UK.
The analysis focuses on two types of public building: schools and hospitals.
Previous research has found that asbestos is present in 80% of schools and 94% of hospital trusts in England.
Historically, research and campaigning activities around asbestos have looked at the incidence of asbestos-related diseases (ARDs) for people who worked directly with asbestos (for example in construction or manufacturing). By contrast, this report focuses on ARDs arising because of incidental exposure to asbestos – for teachers, doctors, nurses and other employees who never worked directly in asbestos manufacturing or fitting, but who did work in schools and hospitals containing asbestos. This incidental exposure remains an ongoing and serious problem even as incidence of ARDs arising from working directly with asbestos has fallen markedly.
With a foreword by Rt Hon Sir Stephen Timms MP, Chair of the Work and Pensions Committee, this report is dedicated to Mavis Nye, a tireless campaigner for asbestos awareness, who died the the same month it was published.
This report was produced by Mesothelioma UK with the kind support of the Asbestos Removal Contractors Association (ARCA); the Asbestos Testing and Consultancy Association (ATaC); the National Education Union (NEU), UNISON, the Airtight on Asbestos Campaign; and ResPublica.
