April 2014

Every building in the UK that was built before the year 2000 is likely to contain asbestos.  This means that an Asbestos Refurbishment and Demolition Survey must be undertaken before any demolition or refurbishment/remodelling work can be carried out.  Because asbestos is the single greatest cause of work related death in the UK, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is working hard to ensure that the risks of being exposed to this hazardous substance are min

Here in the UK we seem to see asbestos in the news fairly regularly, so once a month, one of our blog posts deals with recent news stories about asbestos.  This is our third news roundup and, again, it would be interesting to know what you, the readers, think of the stories that feature here.  Please join in by adding your comments below the regular news roundup postings.

Christopher Booker is a journalist and author, one of the founders of Private Eye magazine (along with Richard Ingrams and Willie Rushton in 1961) and a regular contributor.  He has also had a regular column in the Sunday Telegraph and is outspoken on a number of scientific subject, including the link between passive smoking and cancer, global warming and the dangers posed by asbestos.

There’s a new kid on the block that’s rivalling asbestos in terms of the dangers when inhaled.  A University of Edinburgh study discovered that carbon nanotubes are dangerous when they get into the lungs, forming scar-like tissue that the body uses as a type of scaffolding, building new cells over them, so thickening the walls of the lungs.

Plymouth in Devon has a special reason to fear asbestos – the Devonport Dockyard was a hotbed of asbestos in the past and in the five years from 2008 to 2012, 120 deaths occurred in Plymouth due to asbestos related causes.  In fact, during those five years, a total of 396 asbestos related deaths were recorded in Devon and Cornwall, a particularly high number.  The death figures would be higher still, it’s thought, if it weren’t for the efforts of former dockyard Union leaders, Bill Goffin, John Williams and Dick Powell.  As senior dockyard conveners they were a thorn in the sides of managem

Babington Hospital in Derbyshire has come a cropper due to asbestos.  The Friends of Babington Hospital have been organizing a fund raising annual Garden Party since way back in 1957.  To date, the yearly bash has raised more than a quarter of a million pounds and provided locals with a great party in the grounds of Babington Hospital.  The Garden Party features stalls and raffles and the entertainment is provided by the Babington Choir.

Today we’re talking a look at second hand asbestos exposure.  We’re probably all fully aware of the dangers of asbestos and the harrowing health problems that can result from asbestos exposure.  Even though asbestos use was banned in the UK in 1999, asbestos was so widely used throughout industry for so many years that exposure is still a real problem, especially in the construction industry.  Asbestos problems will be with us for many years to come due to the fact that it can take more than 20 years for the first symptoms of mesothelioma (the fatal disease that results from exposure to asb

We’re probably all familiar with Artex, the surface coating that decorators use to apply texture to walls and ceilings in homes and buildings throughout the UK.  Artex has been extremely popular due to its ability to cover up a range of imperfections and can be applied without the need to learn any plastering skills.

We all know that asbestos is a hazardous material that has been totally banned in many countries in the world, including here in the UK where an overall ban came into force in 1999.  However, asbestos is still legal to use in the United States of America, particularly in the construction industry.  There is legislation covering the use of asbestos in industry though many consumer products can still legally contain trace amounts of the substance.