Tens of thousands of children and teachers could die unless the government acts now on asbestos in schools, MPs have been told.
During a debate called in the House of Commons, Ian Lavery MP demanded that the Department for Education enforce a clear strategy for tackling asbestos in schools, including the phased removal of asbestos containing materials.
Mr Lavery told the House that even the simplest of tasks such as inserting drawing pins into the walls or slamming a door five times could release levels of amosite (brown asbestos) fibres more than 600 times greater than the level normally found outdoors.
He also criticised previous governments for viewing the issue as “too big to handle" and said that many students and teachers currently in schools are unaware of where asbestos containing materials are located – and what kind of asbestos it is.
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