Inhaling asbestos is the single greatest cause of work related disease leading to deaths in the UK, accounting for 4,000 deaths per year, according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). And the number of deaths is on the rise, especially in teachers.
According to the HSE, deaths from mesothelioma, a cancer linked to asbestos, continue to increase in the UK (from 153 in 1968 to 2,347 in 2010). High risk jobs have included carpenters, plumbers, electricians, pipe fitters, metal workers and in more recent years it’s come to light, teachers. Back in 2012 it was deemed a “national scandal”, after the Department for Education (DfE) revealed that its "best estimate" was that more than three-quarters of schools contain asbestos.
Statistics obtained late last year by Michael Lee, one of the founder members of the Asbestos in Schools Group (AiS), showed that the numbers of school teachers dying of mesothelioma is on the increase. Seventeen school teachers and three teaching and educational support assistants died of mesothelioma in 2011. This compares with an average of 13 school teachers a year between 2001 and 2005, and 15 between 2006 and 2010.
And, as we know, there are many more children than teachers in schools.
Researchers in the US found that for every death of a teacher from asbestos-related diseases, nine children will die. In June 2013 the Government’s advisory committee on cancer concluded that children are more at risk from exposure to asbestos than adults, being more vulnerable because they have longer than adults to develop work related diseases related to the material.
In March last year a leading epidemiologist gave evidence to the Parliamentary Education Select Committee that it is a reasonable assumption that up to three hundred people will die each year from their asbestosexposureexperienced as a child at school.
The results from exposure to asbestos often take many years to show themselves. In the case of Mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of internal organs, people do not develop symptoms of the disease until about 30 or 40 years after exposure and there is no known cure.
If you are suffering from Mesothelioma (or any type of illness or injury) caused by exposure to asbestos as the result of others negligence then you may have the right to seek Industrial Accident Compensation (sometimes also called an Industrial Illness Claim). As with other personal injury claims there is a 3 year timescale within which these need to be made, but this starts from when the diagnosis was made, not from when the exposure occurred.
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If you would like to talk to someone about your situation, or that of a family member or friend, then our friendly specialist advisors are on hand. There is no charge for this service and you are under no obligation to claim with us.
If You Have a Genuine Claim, Contact a Genuine Company
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If you’ve had an accident that wasn’t your fault and suffered an injury - you can trust us to handle your claim professionally.
Call us now on 0800 756 7774 and talk to us to find out if you have a claim - or fill in our Quick Claim form (on the right of this page).
If you are concerned about your child possibly being exposed to asbestos while at school there is advice and guidance available here –
http://www.asbestosexposureschools.co.uk
http://www.hse.gov.uk/services/education/asbestos.htm
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