Plymouth: The time has come to prioritise the removal of all asbestos from our schools

Sue Stephens, was a primary school teacher in Buckinghamshire for almost 30 years. She was a wonderful teacher and incredibly committed to her job. She taught over 800 children and was loved by so many of them.

Tragically she passed away on 26 June 2016 from mesothelioma, a cancer that comes from exposure to asbestos. It has a very long latency, meaning that many victims are diagnosed with the illness 15 to 40 years after their exposure.

Sue believed she was exposed to asbestos in the school she taught in.

Despite their loss, her family are really worried about how many teachers and pupils continue to be exposed to asbestos without knowing it. Her daughter, Lucie Stephens, has started a petition in her Mum’s name calling for the removal of asbestos from schools. This will be delivered in person to the Minister of Education.

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/protect-our-children-and-teachers...

The continuing presence of asbestos in UK schools is a scandal, especially as all of it is now old, and much of it deteriorating. Approximately 86% of UK schools have asbestos in them, putting over 7 million pupils at regular risk of exposure. A survey by the NUT in 2015 found that only 46% of teachers knew if there was asbestos in their school. This lack of awareness puts them and their pupils at risk of exposure.

More than 228 school teachers in England have died of mesothelioma since 1980, with 140 dying in the last ten years. Last year 22 teachers died, meaning the UK has the highest death rate in the world. There is a similar pattern for school support and maintenance staff. Experts predict that the number of deaths will continue to rise.

Of even greater concern is that children are at risk of developing mesothelioma in later life, because of exposure to asbestos at school. It is estimated that 200 - 300 former pupils are dying each year as adults because of exposure at school. Children are particularly vulnerable to developing mesothelioma. A five year old child that is exposed to asbestos is five times more likely to contract mesothelioma than someone exposed at age 30.

All of these deaths are completely preventable. People continue to be put at risk due to successive governments deciding not to remove asbestos from our schools.

Commenting on the situation and the death of Sue Stephens, John McClean, Chair of JUAC and Secretariat of the Asbestos in Schools group said:

‘Tragically there has been yet another death resulting from asbestos exposure in schools. The continuing presence of asbestos in so many of our schools is a disgrace. Effective Government action to tackle this scourge is long overdue and our children and school staff deserve better.’

Kevin Courtney, NUT Acting General Secretary, said:

'Yet another teacher’s life has been tragically cut short by this dreadful, and entirely preventable, disease. Nothing can be done to put right past asbestos exposure, but we must do more to protect future generations of school children and staff. The Government must now set out a long term strategy for the phased removal of asbestos from all schools.’

Dr Mary Bousted, General Secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), said:

'It’s scandalous that every year teachers and support staff are dying from asbestos related illnesses because they have been exposed to asbestos in school. The government must listen and start a phased removal of all asbestos in schools so that no more children or teachers are exposed to asbestos and risk dying from this entirely preventable disease.’

Twenty years ago laws were passed in the USA that parents and teachers must be given an annual report on the presence and condition of asbestos in their school and the measures taken to manage it.

Parents in the UK are still being kept in the dark about the dangers that our children face from exposure to asbestos. If 300 pupils died in 2015 from a quick acting airborne killer at their schools there would be widespread concern and calls for immediate action to prevent further deaths. The fact that the asbestos takes 15-60 years to kill pupils still does not make this death toll acceptable in any way.

This has been allowed to continue for far too long. The time has come to prioritise the removal of all asbestos from our schools.