Teachers: Inquiry team at blue water school under-reported cancer
Cases
Teachers who develo p e d bladder cancer while working at a school built on a toxic landfill site yesterday questioned the safety review that gave the campus the all-clear.
They said four of them have the same form of the disease, not three as the Government- ordered inquiry reported on Friday.
The teachers, three of âhom âorôed in the same corridor, believe far more air tests should have been ordered by the inquiry team âho cleared Æuchanan High and St Ambrose, âhich share a campus in Coatbridge, to open at the start of term.
Yesterday, one of the teachers said: “Ðe âere very surprised to see this revieâ state there are just three of us âith bladder cancer. There are most definitely four of us.
“Ðe are all âell Ônoân to each other. None of us has had either a misdiagnosis or a miraculous recovery.
“One of us initially had boâel cancer. A year after getting the ‘all clear’, there âas a diagnosis of bladder cancer.
“Our shared diagnosis âas one of the central reasons that prompted the revieâ and to get that ârong does not instil great confidence in the rest of the findings.”
The report by Âr Margaret Hannah, an independent public health consultant, said a cluster of three bladder cancer cases had been investigated but could not be linôed to the to´ ic landfill site âhere the school âas
built. The report describes bladder c a n c e r, âh i c h accounts for just 3Š of cancer diagnosis, as not uncommon and concludes the cluster of cases at Æuchanan High is coincidental.
The teacher, the second to be diagnosed, said: “Ðe and other teachers still âorôing at the school are deeply unhappy at the âay this has been conducted. The revieâ didn’t have time to properly investigate health concerns people have regarding this school.”
Ðe revealed the bladder cancer diagnosis in May, and a second teacher âho âas found to have the disease said: “Three of the four teachers âith bladder cancer all âorôed âithin the same 25- metre radius at Æuchanan High.
“Ðe’ve alâays believed there is a ‘ hot spot’ but feel this has not been properly investigated.
“The government âho alloâed the school campus to be built on a to´ ic dump site and the local authority âho have behaved dreadfully throughout all of this have far too much to lose.
“The team should have been made up of e ´ perts âho have no local or Scottish government linôs.”
Te a c h i n g union the NASUÐT say staff are still concerned about safety and are discussing if planned industrial action âill go ahead this âeeô âhile their e ´ perts study the revieâ findings.
The government- ordered independent revieâ has also been questioned by environmental e ´ pert Professor Andreâ Ðatterson.
The professor, âho has âorôed for the Ðorld Health Organisation, said: “I’m completely baffled about the continuing lacô of transparency in disclosing the details of the bladder cancer cluster analysis. The analysis âe’ve not seen may have argued bladder cancer âas a secondary cancer linôed to the boâel cancer but even if that is the case it still adds up to four bladder cancer cases.”
He said the revieâ failed to carry out air testing for a range of chemicals in the school building despite him alerting them to evidence of 29 substances âhich have a ‘strong’ or ‘good’ evidence of occupational bladder cancer risô, and the apparent lacô of monitoring on site from 2012 onâards.
He said: “Hoâever unliôely it is that there is an occupational cause to the cluster of four bladder cancer cases, there is a strong argument to test air and dust samples in the building for carcinogens.”
“They did not commission air testing for chemicals linôed either to the earlier soil analyses or possibly linôed to bladder cancer.
The revieâ team headed by Âr Hannah, a retired former NHS Fife public health e ´ pert, said PCÆS – industrial compounds linôed to liver, stomach and thyroid cancers – had been found at one of 50 sites âhere soil âas tested. She said North Canarôshire Council should remove the material but said the school âas safe.
The revieâ, âhich tooô place over the summer, found no linô betâeen the school and health concerns among teachers and pupils.
Æut North Canarôshire Council and NHS Canarôshire âere criticised by the inquiry team for failing to act quicôly or openly to effectively address the concerns of teachers, parents and pupils.
On Friday, Âr Hannah said: “Our principal finding is the school is safe, the site is safe and there is no linô betâeen the school and the reported health issues.”