Asbestos is one of the most dangerous things that can be found in the built environment’s workplace, remaining the cause of 5,000 deaths per year. Here, High Speed Training go into more depth on the issue
November marked Lung Cancer Awareness Month and saw worldwide campaigns dedicated to raising awareness for one of the most common cancers in the UK and worldwide. One particularly rare and aggressive form of lung cancer is mesothelioma, frequently associated with asbestos exposure.
Over 2,700 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year, with the NHS estimating that it is responsible for over 2,500 deaths per year. In 2029, only 20% of people diagnosed with mesothelioma survived for at least two years, post-diagnosis.
November also marked 25 years since the UK implemented a full ban on asbestos; exposure to which is responsible for up to 90% of mesothelioma cases.
What is mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that affects the mesothelium, a thin membrane that lines the inner surface of the chest wall, where it is known as the pleura, the abdomen where it is known as the peritoneum, and also in the testicles.
Pleural mesothelioma is far more common, with around 12 cases for each single case of peritoneal mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is more common in men than in women and nearly half of the people diagnosed with the disease are over 75 years old.
Symptoms of pleural mesothelioma include shortness of breath, chest pain, coughing, sweating, loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue, and lethargy.
Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include a painful or swollen abdomen, constipation or diarrhoea, feeling or being sick, indigestion, loss of appetite and weight loss, night sweats and fatigue.
Mesothelioma UK is the national charity for anyone affected by mesothelioma. It supports people with mesothelioma in living better and longer and in preventing mesothelioma from happening to future generations through advocacy for better treatment and care, research, and patient support.
What sets mesothelioma apart from many other cancers is the main underlying cause – asbestos exposure – and how it can be avoided.
What is asbestos?
Asbestos is a naturally occurring substance that was used in buildings and materials for many years to provide additional fire protection and insulation properties.
There are two main types of asbestos: Serpentine (or chrysotile) has long and curled fibres, and amphibole, amosite (brown) & crocidolite (blue), have straight, needle-like fibres.
Asbestos is resistant to heat, fire and chemicals, and for this reason, was used in buildings and products worldwide. It was widely used in UK industry and was present in thousands of products, with the peak of its use in the 1960s and 1970s. Blue (crocidolite) and brown (amosite) asbestos were banned in the UK in 1985, with white (chrysotile) asbestos being banned in 1999. This ban made it illegal to supply and manufacture asbestos products in the UK.
It is made up of tiny fibres, invisible to the naked eye, which can be released when asbestos-containing materials are damaged, exposed or broken. When inhaled, these fibres can lodge in small airways and can penetrate the lining of the lung (pleura). Some fibres can also be swallowed and become lodged in the abdominal lining (peritoneum).
Over time, inflammation can occur and the DNA of the cells in the lining of the lung become damaged, leading to mesothelioma development. This can often take decades to occur.
What makes it dangerous?
Asbestos can potentially be found in any building, including houses, factories, or offices built before 2000, as it was frequently used in roof, ceiling, and floor tiles, insulation, water tanks, pipe lagging, and many other places.
Over the years, asbestos is believed to have been used in around 3,000 products, including toothpaste, fake snow and even cigarette filters.
It is likely that everyone will breathe in asbestos fibres at some point, as very low levels are present in the air around us. Some people have a much greater risk of developing mesothelioma because their exposure has been much higher; this is usually linked to occupational exposure. Certain industries are associated with heavy asbestos use or exposure. These include shipbuilding, construction and demolition, HVAC, carpentry and joinery, mechanics, the armed forces, electricians, power station workers and engineers.
This is not an exhaustive list, and people in other industries may have had considerable exposure through their employment or through asbestos that may be present in their place of work.
Asbestos remains present in many public buildings. People working in occupations not traditionally linked to asbestos exposure potentially have an increased risk due to the presence of asbestos in buildings. These include healthcare workers and school workers.
Exposure can also be para-occupational and can occur through exposure to asbestos present on clothing from those working in environments with heavy use or from living near an asbestos manufacturing plant. If disturbed, asbestos can affect anyone in the immediate area. Fibres can also be carried on clothing, which may then impact the worker’s family and friends. This is called Secondary Exposure.
Whilst other asbestos-related diseases only develop as a result of heavy asbestos exposure, there is no accepted safe level when it comes to mesothelioma.
Why is asbestos still the UK’s single biggest workplace killer?
Asbestos remains the UK’s biggest workplace killer, responsible for up to 5,000 deaths per year. The British Safety Council estimates that asbestos is present in 1.5 million buildings in the UK, including over 75% of schools and hospitals. Asbestos-related diseases in former school and hospital workers alone cost the UK economy £1.3bn per year.
Thousands of people continue to die from unnecessary exposure to asbestos every year.
Worryingly, death rates for female teachers and nurses are rising and are significantly higher than for the general population.
Though removing all of this deadly material would pose a significant financial and logistical challenge, research commissioned by Mesothelioma UK in 2023 estimated that removing asbestos from schools and hospitals within the next 10 years would save the UK economy almost £12bn over 50 years in reduced economic and social costs of asbestos-related diseases. The savings to the UK public finances would be around £3.6bn.
25 years after the asbestos ban, a new awareness campaign from online training provider High-Speed Training, and leading charity Mesothelioma UK set out to understand and explore how much had really changed across the UK, utilising surveys of tradespeople and the general public.
The campaign features three real life stories: Emily-Jane Scandrett, Liam Bradley, and Sue Farrell, all mesothelioma patients whose lives have been affected by asbestos exposure.
The powerful videos can be found by visiting High Speed Training’s Asbestos Knowledge Base. The stories aim to challenge the notion that asbestos only affects certain demographics and share the devastating impact that exposure can have.
The campaign also calls for change, with an Open Letter to the Department for Education calling for mandatory asbestos training to be included in apprentice and trade-college level qualifications to safeguard the next generation of tradespeople and their families.
The survey
The campaign set out to understand and explore how much had really changed across the UK over the last 25 years, utilising surveys of tradespeople and the general public.
High Speed Training’s survey found that a shocking 49% of tradespeople view asbestos as a problem of the past. A further 50% agreed that asbestos has become less of a concern, the longer they’ve been in their trade, with over a quarter (26%) stating that they have not followed correct procedures when encountering asbestos.
Breaking the findings down by industry, the survey found that roofers are the tradespeople most likely to ignore asbestos removal guidelines (59%), followed by plasterers (57%) and joiners (38%).
The main reasons for this were expense (55%) and supervisors requesting employees to remove asbestos themselves (26%), putting their own health and the safety of their colleagues, families, and the public at risk. This is highlighted by the fact that 69% of people surveyed believed there should be stricter penalties for improper removal practices that may endanger workers.
The industry echoes the need for clear and effective training, with almost half of respondents (46%) believing their asbestos training was insufficient and 70% believing it should be compulsory for apprentices and college students.
High Speed Training also investigated the public’s levels of concern and knowledge. Whilst general awareness levels around asbestos were high, the survey found that 1 in 10 people think that asbestos is still legal in the UK, 36% believing it is a problem for the past, and 31% not knowing or not believing that it can affect the general public.
The survey also found that 68% of people reported that they have never been concerned about asbestos at home, and 69% have never been concerned about asbestos at work.
A call for change
The stats lay bare the need for increased education and awareness. High Speed Training has authored an open letter alongside Mesothelioma UK to the Department for Education, calling for mandatory asbestos training to be included in apprentice and trade-college level qualifications. To read the open letter in full and add your voice to the campaign, please visit: https://www.highspeedtraining.co.uk/campaign/asbestos-knowledge-base/open-letter/
