No 'immediate risk' from asbestos in local schools

A CANCER-causing material found in the majority of schools in Caithness does not present an "immediate risk", according to Highland Council officials.

Results from a newly-released survey show that two-thirds of the county's primary schools and both secondaries contain asbestos.

But the local authority has insisted there are strict measures in place to monitor and manage the situation.

Its asbestos register, released to a daily newspaper this month under Freedom of Information legislation, shows that most local schools contain a form of the substance in wall panels, flooring and ceiling tiles.

The most prevalent is chrysotile, known as white asbestos, which is thought to be the least hazardous type.

Several contain amosite, or brown asbestos – said to be 100 times more potent – while a number, including Pennyland and Miller Academy primaries in Thurso, also contain crocidolite, or blue asbestos – reported to be the most dangerous of all.

Six schools are missing from the report – Canisbay, Crossroads, Dunbeath, Halkirk, Reay and Watten – but a council spokesman confirmed that this did not necessarily indicate that they were asbestos-free.

Where a property is not listed in the register, it only means that a survey has not been carried out or that no information on suspected asbestos is available.

The report, last updated in December, lists "non-housing" council-owned properties throughout the Highlands which are known or suspected locations of asbestos. However, no comprehensive survey of the authority's property portfolio has been undertaken.

Details about asbestos are available at the Highland Council's education offices at Rhind House in Wick, the town's public library and the Rosebank pavilion, and at Thurso's caravan park in Smith Terrace.

Edinburgh-based industrial hygienist Robin Howie, a former president of the British Occupational Hygiene Society, describes the health risks as "significant" and claims that, through exposure, children could be left vulnerable to asbestos-related diseases in later life.

He said: "Children are particularly vulnerable because of their life expectancy. Mesothelioma can be latent in the body for a period of between 50 and 60 years. They have a higher probability of surviving long enough for the disease to develop."

He claims that local authorities and the Government have had an "active disinterest" in the subject for some time.

"Politicians don't spend money today to save money in 60 years as it's not possible to demonstrate now that it's been wisely spent," said Mr Howie. "We all know that local authorities don't have the funding that they would like. They can only carry out the correct remediation work if they get additional funding."

The Highland Council's area education, culture and sport manager, Graham Nichols, maintained that unless asbestos is damaged it poses "no hazard whatsoever".

"There is no cause for panic in the fact that it exists – it only presents a problem if it is broken up or fragmented," he told the Courier.

"Essentially asbestos is perfectly safe until it's damaged. The (Highland Council's) housing and property services have established measures in place to deal with it."

David Goldie, acting head of housing and property services, said: "We do not believe that any asbestos in schools or care homes presents an immediate risk.

"The council has management arrangements and controls in place to ensure that asbestos is recorded, that the presence of asbestos is taken into account in any building maintenance work being undertaken, and that any work to buildings containing asbestos is managed within the relevant regulatory framework."

Under regulations introduced in 2006, the importation, supply and use of all forms of asbestos was banned. It is thought, however, that most schools and other public buildings erected since the 1960s contain the material.

If asbestos is in good condition, it is not dangerous, but if it is damaged or disturbed and people are exposed to its airborne fibres over prolonged periods of time, they could be at a greater risk of developing asbestosis, or mesothelioma – the invariably terminal cancer of the lining of the lungs. Past exposure to asbestos kills around 3000 people a year in the UK. This number is expected to go on rising for the next 10 years.

According to the Health and Safety Executive's website, the most likely way for asbestos in schools to be disturbed or damaged is through maintenance, repair or construction activities. This includes small jobs such as installing telephones or computers, putting up shelving or installing security systems, or tacking work to asbestos insulation boards or ceiling tiles.
The council's register shows that although some asbestos has been removed or sealed off for safety, some schools may not have been inspected since the material was first identified – this could be as early as 1998 in some cases.

A separate asbestos algorithm form which has the facility to record any monitoring carried out has been developed and was recently introduced.

"The recommendations recorded on the asbestos register are lifted from assessments or survey reports," stated a council spokesman. "Refurbishment works and maintenance tasks may have resulted in the recommendations being implemented, but unless this information is forwarded the register cannot be updated."

Where properties have not had a comprehensive asbestos survey carried out, asbestos may not be restricted to areas listed in the register.

Source: http://www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/3864/No_'immediate_risk'_from_asbestos_in_local_schools.html