Asbestos was widely used as a building material in the UK up until 1999 due to its strength, affordability, and heat resistance. As a result, it is estimated that over 80% of UK schools contain asbestos. This equates to more than 25,000 schools across the country harbouring the toxic substance. While asbestos is only considered dangerous when disturbed or damaged, many school buildings are old and dilapidated from decades of use, putting children and staff at heightened risk of exposure.
The Health Risks
Inhaling asbestos fibres can cause serious diseases like mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis. Mesothelioma is a particularly aggressive terminal cancer where most patients die within 18 months of diagnosis. Shockingly, over the past four decades, it is estimated that tens of thousands of former pupils and teachers have died from asbestos exposure sustained whilst at school. This alarming number is only expected to grow exponentially as more people develop asbestos-related illnesses following even short or indirect asbestos exposures.
Government Inaction
Despite the deadly risks asbestos poses in schools, the UK government has resisted calls to establish a national register of buildings containing asbestos or to allocate ringfenced funding for its removal. They argue that asbestos that remains undisturbed poses negligible risk. However, campaigners counter that the only way to prevent exposure is by removing asbestos completely, particularly in an unpredictable environment like schools where damage can easily occur. The government’s lack of decisive action continues to endanger thousands of children and staff in UK schools daily.
Insufficient Asbestos Management
Even when asbestos management plans are in place in schools, they are often inadequate. Surveys often fail to account for hidden or inaccessible asbestos, risk assessments do not sufficiently consider the potential for disruption caused by boisterous children, and staff are not appropriately trained to prevent accidental disturbance. Additionally, routine building works or improper asbestos disposal can readily spread lethal fibres throughout a school. Serious asbestos exposure incidents continue to sporadically occur in UK schools due to insufficient management policies and practices.
The Reality of Asbestos Exposure
Inhalation of asbestos fibres is all too common for pupils and teachers in UK schools. Some examples include a teacher drilling holes to install IT equipment, triggering significant asbestos contamination and a £280,000 cleanup bill. In another case, improper removal of asbestos ceiling boards led to the entire school requiring decontamination and 1,000 pupils needing temporary relocation for over 6 months. These incidents highlight the serious, yet avoidable threat asbestos poses in schools.
Urgent Action Needed
Protecting children and staff from deadly asbestos exposure should be a top priority for the government and agencies. Although asbestos removal would require considerable funding and time, campaigners argue the cost would be far less than the amount currently spent on asbestos-related disease treatment and litigation. The government has created a condition improvement fund to help pay the cost of remedial work, and there are specialists that can help schools apply for condition improvement funding.
As an immediate step, the establishment of an asbestos register would facilitate effective ongoing management and future removal programmes. However, there also needs to be greater support and stringent accountability systems for schools to demonstrate their compliance in managing asbestos risks.
UK teachers and children deserve a learning environment free from the shadow of asbestos and its devastating health consequences. Concerted and collaborative action between government, agencies, unions and schools is needed urgently to make this a reality.
