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.…

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A 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…

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We 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…

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Asbestos 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…

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The 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,…

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How 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.…

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How 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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