Asbestos in old schools ‘will kill 400 every year’

ALMOST 400 Britons will die from lung cancer every year after being exposed to asbestos in old schools, research shows.

Figures from the Health and Safety Executive reveal 40 deaths a year among teachers and other staff from mesothelioma, a cancer linked to asbestos.

And research by the US Environmental Protection Agency shows that for every teacher death, nine pupils are likely to die – or 360 a year. Despite the risks, schools have no legal obligation to tell parents if their premises contain asbestos.

Official HSE advice states that schools are considered ‘low risk’ and asbestos deemed safe as long as it is not disturbed.

But campaigners point out that asbestos lurking in walls could easily be disturbed by a desk or single drawing pin. Although asbestos has been banned since 1999, it is still found in buildings including schools.

When materials containing asbestos are disturbed, they release fibres into the air. Inhaling these fibres can cause serious diseases such as mesothelioma.

A Government report last year warned that one in five schools did not comply with safety procedures on asbestos. The latest figures were obtained by BBC1’s Inside Out North West, which will be screened in the region tonight.

The National Education Union said asbestos in schools needed to be ‘removed as a priority’ to save teachers and pupils’ lives.

The Department for Education said it had invested £5.6billion in the maintenance of school buildings since 2015 and that some of this was used to remove asbestos.