Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 1:57 pm Post subject: Asbestos ‘risk’ revealed in 80% of borough’s schools
Quote:
MORE than 80% of Blaenau Gwent’s schools are laced with asbestos, a Freedom of Information request has revealed.
An FOI application on behalf of parent company Media Wales revealed more than 377,000 school pupils of all ages are exposed to the dangers of asbestos in Wales. And in a more detailed breakdown of the borough’s fixtures, it was revealed 30 of the 36 schools contain dozens of sources of the toxic mineral.
All secondary schools in Blaenau Gwent contain asbestos, and only six primary schools have escaped any evidence of it; St Illtyd’s, Willowtown, Blaen y Cwm, Roseheyworth Millennium, St Mary’s Brynmawr and Coed y Garn. It leaves 8,757 pupils and countless staff facing the risk of disturbing the hazardous material, which can cause a wealth of asbestos-related illnesses.
Figures have shown teachers are up to 10 times more likely to suffer from mesothelioma or other asbestos-related illnesses and their pupils are also at risk, although the disease may not surface for decades.
It was found in everything from floor and roof tiles and textured coatings to ceiling tiles, fire breaks, toilet cisterns, and service pipe lagging.
Emma Corfield, an asbestos surveyor and consultant, said the news that no blue asbestos was present is good, but does not mean there is not a high risk.
“Brown poses exactly the same threat as blue,” she said. “It’s more about if they were used in products that could be disturbed. White is usually in low-risk items, but the brown in ceiling tiles and lagging is a real risk.”
Blaenau Gwent has not performed as badly as some boroughs, with many not having a strategy involving asbestos – Blaenau Gwent already has a management plan in place.
But Ms Corfield, who recently hosted a National Assembly conference on the issues, said it is important the plan is not just lip service.
“It’s all about having that information given to any maintenance staff doing work, or sub-contractors being told – it mustn’t just be a piece of paper, but a real set of guidelines,” she said.
In a statement from Blaenau Gwent Council, a spokesperson said it had been pro-active in dealing with asbestos.
Adding it had in past years invested millions in limiting and removing asbestos risks, the spokesperson said: “We fully met our obligations from the start. Like many other local authorities we had already surveyed our school buildings before [asbestos regulations] came into force [in 2002] and had put in place plans to manage the risk.
“Importantly, this duty requires the identification of all asbestos-containing materials, within the authority’s buildings, but not the removal of all undisturbed asbestos from buildings.”
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