asbestos in the environment
Service user appears on ITV Central News
Martin Hillsom, one of our service users, appeared last night on a package about asbestos removal in the ITV Central News teatime broadcast. He featured alongside Harminder Bains from the law firm Leigh Day. The package starts 16 minutes into the programme. Photo by Nicolas J Leclercq on Unsplash
Read MoreAndy Street’s Message to ASCE’s Supporters
Andy Street, the West Midlands Mayor, will be joining supporters of the West Midlands charity, Asbestos Support Central England, for an event on Action Mesothelioma Day, Friday 7th July, at the Priory Rooms in Bull Street Birmingham. The event begins at 1pm but Andy will be calling in at about 3pm and will speak briefly…
Read MoreWatch Dr Xand Talking to People About Mesothelioma
People living with mesothelioma report that this is an excellent programme from the BBC. It features Liz Darleston, the CEO of Mesothelioma UK, as well as two patients who talk about their condition. They explain how they were exposed to asbestos. Something to share with your friends. The link is here.
Read MoreThe hidden challenge of asbestos in social housing
In November last year NORAC (The National Organisation of Asbestos Consultants), together with ATaC (the Asbestos Testing and Consultancy Association) undertook the first ever review of how asbestos is managed in the UK. Over a six month period their experts examined 128,761 buildings. They found asbestos in more than 100,000 of them. It could be…
Read MoreHSE launches new campaign, ‘Asbestos & You’
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has launched a new campaign aimed at tradespeople, their managers and supervisors. The campaign material also contains useful information for homeowners, landlords and DIYers. The HSE says: Any job, any day of the week, can potentially release lethal asbestos fibres. It’s not like dust – you can’t see, smell,…
Read MoreThe number of women with asbestos related diseases is growing
After asbestos was banned in the UK in 1999 it was assumed that the number of people with an asbestos related disease would reach a peak and then start to decline. This still isn’t happening. One reason is that asbestos related diseases mostly affect older people. Life expectancy has increased by six years since 1990.…
Read MoreWe need to learn the lessons from asbestos
The story of asbestos is a warning of worse to come. Industry enthusiastically embraced asbestos after World War II. It was cheap and plentiful. It was easy to use and ideal for insulating things or making them more flexible. Despite warning signs, no one stopped to consider its impact on the environment or on human…
Read MoreJohnson & Johnson decide to stop selling baby powder made from talcum
The pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson, also known as J&J, has decided to stop making and selling baby powder containing talcum. From 2023 J&J will switch to using corn starch instead. Two years ago the company withdrew talcum from the baby powder they sell in the USA and Canada. This followed a barrage of lawsuits.…
Read MoreFatalities Caused By Work Related Accidents are Completely Over-shadowed by Fatalities from Work Related Asbestos Diseases
The news media, (TV, Radio, Newspapers and News websites), regularly report work-related accidents, especially those which end in a fatality. However, the number of fatalities at work caused by accidents is very small compared to the number of fatalities caused by exposure to asbestos at work. Just over 200 people died least year in work…
Read MoreMore than 30,000 council buildings contain asbestos
A law firm, Stephensons Solicitors LLP, has discovered that more than 30,000 Council run buildings in England contain asbestos. They found out by using freedom of information requests.253 out of 333 councils have responded to the requests so far. There was at least one building containing asbestos in every local authority.Danielle Callaway, one of the…
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