Seventy Five Percent of UK Schools Contain Asbestos

A new UK study has found that many school buildings still contains asbestos products that are posing a significant health risk to the teachers and students who inhabit them every day.

According to The Telegraph, a recent report released by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety and Health warned that 75 percent of all state schools were still exposing children, teachers, and other staff who work in them to deadly asbestos fibers.

"This is a national scandal. Urgent action is needed to prevent more pupils, teachers and other staff being exposed to this deadly killer dust,” said Jim Sheridan, the chairman of the group and the Labour MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire North, according to the Telegraph. "We need both far greater awareness of the risks that this material poses and a programme for its phased removal."

Previous reports have attributed as many as 140 UK teachers have passed away from mesothelioma in the last decade. The new report suggests that parents, teachers, and staff receive annual updatesi about asbestos levels in the schools they are linked with, and that asbestos management inspections be reinstated.

While asbestos exposure in schools is not as severe a problem in the U.S. as it is in the UK, there are still a number of school buildings that still likely have asbestos products in them. If you have been exposed to asbestos and now suffer from mesothelioma, contact Sokolove Law for a free legal consultation today.