Staff and pupils dying from asbestos in schools

[nobodysdaughternow]

I am completely shocked to discover I have potentially sent two of my children to schools which could potentially kill them.

The Times today detailed the story of Chris Willis diagnosed with mesothelioma (a cancer caused by inhaling asbestos fibres) at 29 years old. He died last year at 34.

Newcastle City Council paid substantial damages to Chris for his exposure to asbestos, which he believed happened at Kenton School between 2000 and 2007.

Schools with asbestos are told not to publish asbestos management plans.

10,000 teachers, pupils and staff who have died from asbestos exposure at schools in the past four decades.

If your child goes to a 'block built' school with asbestos, which is at or past it's design life expectancy, then they are at risk.

I naively believed asbestos exposure ended with my grandparents generation. I am very, very angry.

My middle ds went to a special school which was literally crumbling. It was an appalling school and when my son was distressed, he would throw himself at the particleboard wall which I now know may well have contained asbestos.

I didn't have a choice where I sent my kids to school. I thought poor Ofsted's were my biggest worry.

Aibu to ask if you know about the danger to teachers, staff and pupils from asbestos?

None of what you've said is evidence there is a danger posed by asbestos.
Of course I believe schools are in a poor state of repair. There is a gulf between this and actively shedding asbestos.

Please do feel free to share any actual evidence.

Have you read the actual article? No you haven’t. Maybe try reading that first?

In 2013 a committee that advises the government on cancer found that a child exposed to asbestos at the age of five was five times more likely to develop mesothelioma than an adult exposed to it at 30.

Just highlighting this...

I attended. school in the 50/60s when asbestos was everywhere. Hasn't harmed me or any of my peers. More info is needed.🙄

https://schoolsweek.co.uk/school-building-condition-data-will-be-published-this-term-says-gibb/

Why would MPs vote against publishing which school buildings are unsafe? Are we going to find out before the summer recess?

I wrote to our school ages ago about this because of the shocking no of teachers dyeing from it.
Pushing little pins into it for wall displays etc

Firstly are you really in touch with all your school friends and know none have died of lung conditions or cancer?

Secondly the risk was less than as the recently built schools were in good repair - now they are not.

I lost my friend a few years back to this. 34 years old and left behind a 4 year old child. It's horrendous and gives me horrible anxiety about it all

Yes, I am in touch with the majority, but not every single person.. And, no, they haven't. We're all doing ok (now late 60's, early 70's in age.😚

Hospitals as well. The hospital I worked in until recently was riddled with asbestos. Building was crumbling and there were incidents on the ward where there were ceiling collapses/leaks from pipes in the ceilings and colleagues caught under the ceiling had to take all their clothes off inc their shoes and underwear for them to be incinerated and go home in scrubs.

then there was extensive building work which went on for two years and inc asbestos removal. The workmen were in space suits and breathing gear and the other side of plastic dust sheets taped floor to ceiling. We were told there was no risk…..but then why were there asbestos monitoring gadgets in all the rooms and corridors for years? Because by the time they’ve picked up it’s too high isn’t that too late?

How do you know - are you in touch with everyone who was at school with you in that period?

This is my dad. Worked as an electrician all his life now has asbestosis. No idea where from because it could have been one of the many many buildings he worked on in a forty year career.

So all of the hundreds of children attending primary school with you, and all the thousands at secondary, are both known to you and all still alive? I don't believe you on either count. Maybe you know about 30 who are still fine. Some may still develop the condition of course. But it will only affect a minority not every person who attended school at that time

I don't believe none of your classmates have died of or suffered from cancer. I am at least 10 years younger and I know that at least 3-4 over my primary and secondary years have died and obviously more have had it and there will be loads I don't know about because you can't keep in touch with the hundreds of people who pass through a secondary school at the same time as you do. Probably their cancers were not due to asbestos, but your assertion is nonsense.

I went to Kenton School and I remember gaping holes in the ceilings, especially in North Block and the North Block gym. Lots of the walls around school had various bits of damage and kids being kids would pick at them, look inside them, flick bits of them at other kids. It was a 'thing' to throw things like pens at the ceiling to see if they'd stick in the tiles. When it was windy, the corridors would be windy too and it would lift the ceiling tiles then dust would sprinkle down when they resettled.

The old school was demolished a few years ago and rebuilt.

It's not just taking down walls that disturbs asbestos.

No, as I said above, I'm in touch with many, but not all. Some have died of things like car accidents, some of brain bleeds, some have died of other things, but none I've heard about has been asbestos related.

No, actually, none of the peers I am touch with have had cancer, let alone asbestosis..why are you finding that hard to understand?🙄

My late FIL had it, but that was through a welding job in the 1950's, nothing to do with school.

There is asbestos in my school ceiling. We’ve been told not to touch the ceiling.

If I understand it correctly schools are forced to pay tens of thousands of pounds they can’t afford to external contractors for asbestos surveys. I wonder why local authorities can’t provide their own surveyors for schools to avoid these ridiculous costs?

Well, interesting that that is categorically not what was said on the asbestos management training I attended as a senior leader in a secondary school full of asbestos. We were specifically warmed not to hammer nails in panels and to look out for cracks etc.

Yeah obviously because there's no need to hammer in nails even if the risk is miniscule, so best route is elimination.

Cracks are a warning sign of issues to
come so again, obviously you wouldn't be trained to ignore it but I bet they didn't tell you to evacuate immediately if you saw a crack did they? That'd be because it's not an immediate risk.

A significant number of schools are now run by academies and not the local authority.

The academisation programme weakened the local authorities’ capacity to maintain the schools that they still run.

Asbestos maintenance is a good example of the kind of massive expense that an academy trust can’t extend to (… but a local authority would have been well-positioned to manage).

As you keep correcting people (despite an article full of worried experts, and evidence) can you share your exact 'expertise' in asbestos in public buildings, specifically UK schools turquois?

You say you have had 'extensive training' but that's not very clear as to how expert you are. I'd like to know how much credence to give to your views.

No it never ended with your grandparents! I was brought up in the 80's. Many schools were ridden with asbestos and still today. The government have always known and still do.
anyone diagnosed with mesolelioma automatically is given a clam form to sign for compensation. It's the only cancer proven to be caused by asbestos