Asbestos Scandal in UK Schools Blamed on Government

Sarah Jane Bowman lives with a death sentence. At age 40, the U.K. native received tragic news that she had the deadly cancer mesothelioma. “To be told that I had a terminal illness and had less than a year to live was simply too much to comprehend,” Bowman said in a report issued by the Joint Union Asbestos Committee (JUAC). “My family and I have struggled to overcome this.” Mesothelioma is a rare disease with a long latency period that affects mostly tradesman, such as pipefitters and contractors, in the latter years of their lives. For them, exposure to toxic asbestos is an occupational hazard. Bowman didn’t fit into that category. Instead, she was sentenced to death for the crime of being a schoolgirl. New Report Announces Startling Statistic Last month, JUAC issued a startling report claiming 86 percent of U.K. schools contain the carcinogenic substance asbestos. Since 1980, more than 400 British educators died from asbestos-related diseases. In the meantime, tens of thousands of schoolchildren like Bowman sat at desks and walked the halls of these same buildings. The report cites a leading cancer epidemiologist, Julian Peto, who predicts up to 300 new mesothelioma cases each year in staff and former students from the 1960s and ’70s as a result of contamination in U.K. school buildings. Used heavily in building materials prior to 1980, asbestos deteriorates over time and releases toxic fibers into the air. It’s most often found in floor and ceiling tile...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: news