asbestos in the environment
Why asbestos is still threatening our health
In an article published today, Treven Pyles from US health and safety advisers EHS explains why asbestos is still ‘a considerable threat’ to our health. Why is there so much asbestos around? Although asbestos was first used by people in the Stone Age, its use became widespread around the time of the Second World War.…
Read MoreThe startling statistics behind our ZeroAsbestos campaign
Everyone is worried about road traffic accidents. At the back of our minds we always know that our next car journey could be our last, or that we could lose family and friends in a tragic road accident. Do we have the same anxiety when we go into our place of work, or to school,…
Read MoreA minute’s silence for the 100s of people who died across the West Midlands this year because of work related accidents and diseases
This afternoon people gathered on-line from charities and trades unions to remember the loss of 100s of lives across the West Midlands this year. The cause of death was work related accidents and diseases. These causes ranged from being crushed by cattle to covid-19 and microscopic asbestos fibres. The vast majority of those who died…
Read MoreWe are calling for Zero Asbestos!
“ZERO Asbestos” was the campaign message to take forward from the conference, Asbestos — Campaign Against All Fears. The joint conference was held on April 16 by Derbyshire Asbestos Support Team (DAST), Asbestos Support Central England (ASCE) and Yorkshire and Humberside Asbestos Support (SARAG), and delegates heard from a number of speakers about the key…
Read MoreMPs Condemn Johnson & Johnson for Continuing to Sell its Baby Powder
Ian Lavery, the chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Asbestos has tabled an Early Day motion (No 58341) in Parliament condemning Johnson & Johnson for continuing to sell baby powder found by scientists to be contaminated with asbestos. Please ask your MP to sign it. The background to the Motion Both the US…
Read MoreAsbestos Sheets Dumped on Country Roads
Staffordshire County Council has reported an increase in fly tipping on rural roads and lanes during the Easter Bank Holiday weekend. This has included sheets of asbestos, which is dangerous to passersby and expensive to remove. The cost is borne by the taxpayer. They are appealing to everyone not to use tradespeople to carry out…
Read MoreThe Silent Killer: Asbestos in People’s Homes
This week’s ‘Engineering & Technology’ magazine draws attention to a hidden killer, asbestos in the home. The article, by Ben Heubl, warns that DIY isn’t a harmless activity. When was asbestos used in British homes? Asbestos was first used in British homes in about 1870. It was particularly popular from the 1950s to the 1980s,…
Read MoreHow to stop the fly-tipping of asbestos waste
Hardly a week goes by when there isn’t a report from somewhere in the UK about fly-tippers illegally dumping asbestos waste. Often it turns up close to footpaths or on country lanes. Sometimes it is even dumped at night in the middle of town and cities. Local residents are appalled and politicians vent their fury.…
Read MoreHow to campaign successfully to remove asbestos: on-line webinar, Friday 16 April 9.30am-1pm
Find out about the ongoing campaign to remove asbestos from buildings in the UK. We’ll tell you how you or your trade union can get involved. The speakers will explain the threat from asbestos in buildings and how it can be eradicated. There will be a break-out group about the campaign to remove asbestos from…
Read MoreHow much did the boss know?
People are sometimes appalled to discover that they were exposed to asbestos during their working life. But equally often, they will say, ‘We worked with asbestos all the time. No one knew any better in those days. We thought it was a safe material to use.’ Their manager, or the owner of the firm, may…
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