Asbestos hazard remains in public buildings

Even though the use of asbestos in building has been banned, there are still a lot of buildings within the UK which contain the substance within their walls; and since the ban there have been varying reports on the frequency of incidences of mesothelioma, the lung cancer that the material can cause in those who are exposed to it. The presence of asbestos in a public building or within housing can cause major problems for caretakers, maintenance workers, and also for safety representatives. It can be difficult to obtain information on its whereabouts and condition.

Asbestos management programmes require that all the asbestos in every building is located and listed. Tenants and potential house buyers should be told where it is and what to do in order to not put them at risk of exposure, and any maintenance or building work should be checked for asbestos risk.

Unfortunately many local authority or council houses were built containing asbestos and sold on to the tenants.  In asbestos surveys carried out by the Association of Metropolitan Authorities (AMA) in 1985 it was estimated that 1.9 million out of the 2.2 million AMA houses contained asbestos.  The total stock of local authority housing in the UK including non AMA houses was estimated at 4.5 million, with 4 million containing the material.  However, the survey has not been reviewed since, so it is not possible to say how of the much asbestos found in local authority property in 1985 has since been removed.

On top of this statistic a programme by the BBC, “Inside Out” screened in January 2009, made a Freedom of Information request to the government and discovered that in the South East of England, the presence of asbestos within school buildings was shockingly high, remaining in 90% of schools.  The rise of cases of mesothelioma in teachers is being called just the tip of the iceberg of the health problem.  Many of the children who study at an affected school, or who did so in the past, will have been exposed to asbestos during their school lives too, meaning there are potentially thousands more cases of mesothelioma lying undiagnosed in the South east of England.

If asbestos is found in a public place such as a school, then registered professional asbestos surveyors should be called in.  The removal of the material by someone untrained in the area can be done but isn’t advised in public buildings due to concerns with public health. If asbestos is found in either a home or workplace environment, it may be necessary to take a sample to identify the type; this can be done by most asbestos consultants.  The most dangerous type of asbestos is blue crocidolite, which has been found in a small minority of school buildings in the South East of England.

When moving into a new property as a tenant or owner, make sure you are fully aware of the potential of any asbestos containing materials being present in the building.  Seek independent advise if you can, as some landlords or property vendors may not disclose the risks that you need to be aware of.

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