ASBESTOS
Failed asbestos policies must end
When the doors were slammed just five times, in their schools then they might panic and demand its
the level was 33 times greater, which was averaged removal – and that would be exceedingly expensive.
over an hour so that if the doors were slammed at the In the early 1980s, the Association of Metropolitan
change of each lesson, the level would be maintained Authorities and the Inner London Education Authority
throughout the day. adopted a policy of progressive removal which was
Nothing was done until 2006, when it was supported by the National Union of Teachers, for
rediscovered in another system-built school that when they considered that even the best system of asbestos
the doors were slammed, walls and columns hit, and a management could fail.
person sat on the window sill, the amosite fibre levels in They also considered that effective management
the classroom were 44 times greater than the clearance was too expensive, and that in the long run complete
indicator. removal would not only be the safest solution, but
The problem is caused by hidden damaged asbestos also the most cost-effective. However, these bodies no
material in walls, columns and ceiling voids, and debris longer exist, and although some asbestos was removed,
and fibres can be ejected out of any gap or crack if the most was not. All the teaching unions maintain that
surface is struck – wherever air can pass, then asbestos progressive removal is the safest long-term solution.
fibres can pass just as readily. Building Schools for the Future will rebuild half the
Department for Children, Schools and Families’ secondary schools in the country and will refurbish the
guidance is to leave the amosite fibres and debris in other half. The Primary Capital Programme will rebuild
place and to seal the gaps with bathroom sealant. only five per cent of primary schools, consequently the
Although the HSE claims this is the Rolls Royce majority of schools in the country will be refurbished.
of treatments, it can only be considered a temporary However, as has been seen in the recent articles in
expedient, a sticking plaster solution. It only takes one SecEd, the government policy is that the asbestos does
set of curious fingers and the fibres will be released not have to be removed, and increasingly the evidence is
again. that the hidden asbestos will remain within the structure
More than 25 years ago, the USA put resources into of the buildings. This means that it will have to be
schools so that they could manage their asbestos, with managed long into the future, and from past experience
a risk assessment and a national audit being carried asbestos management fails all too frequently.
out. Training and funding were provided and laws Unless all the asbestos is removed when the schools
were introduced specifically for schools because of are refurbished, the potential will remain that staff and
the particular vulnerability of children, with a policy of pupils will continue to be exposed to asbestos, and sadly
openness being adopted. when that happens they will continue to die. SecEd
In stark comparison, the UK policy of management
has been proved on too many occasions to fail, and • Michael Lees has spent eight years campaigning for
that is because the policy has not been backed with asbestos to be removed from all UK schools.
the necessary resources. Successive governments have
maintained a policy of secrecy and have refused to carry
Further information
out a national audit of asbestos in schools or undertake Prof Peto’s research was published in the British
a risk assessment. The training is inadequate and local Journal of Cancer on March 3, 2009. The full study can
authorities are expected to fund asbestos management be found at www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/rr696.htm
mainly from their own resources. Michael Lees’ ongoing research in this area can be
FOI documents show that the underlying reason is found at www.asbestosexposureschools.co.uk
cost, for the government is concerned that if teachers For more on the figures and references in this article,
and parents became aware of the extent of asbestos contact Mr Lees at michael@lees1262.fsworld.co.uk
were built between 1945 and 1975 when the use of A recent research study by Professor Julian Peto, of
asbestos was at its height, with many more being built the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
after that period and thousands of older schools being and also Cancer Research UK, has highlighted that the
refurbished using asbestos. UK has the highest rate of mesothelioma deaths in the
Consequently, most schools in the country contain world because we were the main importer of amosite.
asbestos in one form or another, with recent FOI He also highlights that men and women, who are not
requests showing that 90 per cent of schools in the local aware that they have been exposed to asbestos, are
authorities questioned contain asbestos. The dangers dying of mesothelioma at a rate four times greater in
were known about more than 40 years ago, so one must Britain than in the rest of the world.
More Choice. More Opportunity
ask why the vast majority still contain asbestos when it The exposures he describes are precisely those that
could have been progressively removed. occur in schools, with staff and children being unaware
The reason quite simply is that successive that they have been exposed to asbestos – the particular
governments have had a policy of management concern being that their exposure is frequently to amosite
rather than removal. As the fabric of the schools and at times to crocidolite. The end result is that the
Here in Hertfordshire, we are home to an
has deteriorated, so have the asbestos materials, with number of school teachers dying increases year-on-year,
fibres being released through age, fair wear and tear, with 178 dying of mesothelioma since 1980, 64 of those
exceptional range of schools - from small
vandalism, botched maintenance, lack of maintenance, being in the last five years.
and even from common everyday classroom activities, I believe these deaths are the tip of the iceberg, for
such as slamming a door. children have been exposed at the same time. There
village primaries to large secondaries.
‘
We also offer superb induction and CPD.
Ninety per cent of schools in the local authorities
questioned contain asbestos. The dangers were
Within this very supportive environment,
known about more than 40 years ago, so one must
you will have every opportunity to
ask why the vast majority still contain asbestos when
establish and develop your career.
it could have been progressively removed
Any building or maintenance work can release high are many more of them and they are mo
levels of asbestos fibres unless stringent management
systems are in place, but despite the fact that every
’
For more information about opportunities in
re vulnerable,
but because of the long latency period, their deaths
Hertfordshire Schools, log on and apply at
occur many years later and are recorded under whatever
school by law should manage their asbestos, there are occupation they have at the time.
frequent reports of asbestos incidents that have caused About half the schools in the country are system-
www.teachinherts.com
widespread contamination and significant exposures, built, with the majority containing large amounts
not only to the workmen, but also to the occupants of of asbestos. Many schools have a light steel frame
the schools. construction, which requires fire protection around
Tel: 01438 844871
There are cases of pupils being told to break up critical areas, such as structural columns, window
ceiling tiles containing amosite, pupils kicking the and door surrounds, ceilings, and fire walls. In 1987,
Email: teachinherts.hdc@hertscc.gov.uk
asbestos around like snow, and teachers and children air tests in a system-built school in south London
looking on as windows have been ripped out of their showed that when a wall, which appeared to be in good
Hertfordshire is committed to the protection and safety of children and young people.
asbestos insulating board surrounds using crowbars condition, was kicked, amosite fibres were ejected
and powered saws. Of equal concern are the everyday into the room, with readings 87 times greater than the
exposures, of which the occupants of the room are “clearance indicator” – the level at which rooms can be
unaware. re-occupied once work has been carried out.
SecEd • March 12 2009 9
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