It has long been known that school and hospital buildings in the United Kingdom are heavily contaminated with asbestos, but the true costs of the problem were made painfully clear when a recent report revealed that nearly 150 of the country’s health and education workers have died from mesothelioma since 2017.
High Number of Teacher and Nurse Mesothelioma Deaths Cause for Concern in UK
According to an analysis of death certificate data from the United Kingdom‘s Office for National Statistics, 94 education professionals and 53 healthcare professionals have died of malignant mesothelioma in the last five years. Despite this being an unusually high number, experts suggest that it might be an underestimate based on professions being inaccurately recorded on individual death certificates.
The high rate of mesothelioma in the education and health professions is attributed to the amount of asbestos remaining in the country’s schools and hospitals, and this is raising the ire of officials and victims alike. They point to budget cuts that have made the condition of school buildings a low priority, despite government documents suggesting that the structures represented a “risk to life.” The country’s Health and Safety Executive launched a school building inspection program last year, while scientists are attempting to quantify the impact of asbestos on both teachers and students.
As Mesothelioma Deaths Climb, UK Government Weighs Solutions
In the face of the growing number of mesothelioma deaths among those who work in England’s school buildings and hospitals, some have suggested a thorough identification and registration of buildings where asbestos is present – and particularly in highly trafficked areas such as hallways and stairwells – to allow for prompt removal. Others argue that a wholesale removal problem could put students and teachers at risk, while still others are lobbying for a program that would build entirely new schools.
While the government seeks the right solution, those who work in the buildings continue to face the risk of malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. Speaking of the problem, Liberal Democrat MP Munira Wilson said, ‘These devastating figures show the tragic human cost of years of underinvestment in our schools and hospital buildings. No teacher or nurse should have to put their health at risk when they turn up to work each day.”
Exposure to asbestos is a global problem. If you or someone you love has been sickened as a result of negligence, contact the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net at 1-800-692-8608.
