Children are more vulnerable to asbestos exposure than adults, a government advisory committee has warned ministers.
The Committee on Carcinogenicity (COC) this week published its Final Statement in which it found that children are more vulnerable because they live longer and so asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma has more time to develop.
Campaigners are hoping the ruling will have a “profound influence" on government asbestos in schools policy. More than 75 per cent of UK state schools contain asbestos but government policy, based on Health and Safety Executive (HSE) advice, is that schools should identify and protect/manage asbestos-containing materials, rather than remove them.
This is despite the fact that more than 140 school teachers have died from mesothelioma in the past 10 years. It was also claimed in March that up to 300 people a year could be dying of mesothelioma because of asbestos exposure as children at school.
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