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Scan QR Code for number of mesothelioma patients in your parliamentary constituency John Flanagan and Derek Maylor; MAVSG Nearly ten years ago, May 2016, the TUC highlighted concern over the 5,000+ people are likely to die prematurely as a result of asbestos exposure noting that that figure was three times the number of RTC deaths. Whilst banned since 1999 the dangers of asbestos are still with us, in many workplaces, in the community and sometimes even in our homes.
There is no safe threshold of exposure to asbestos fibres, so if fibres enter the body even in small quantities and over a short period, they can lead to mesothelioma several decades after exposure. The TUC, Asbestos Victims Support Groups and the APPG on Occupational Safety & Health have believed that Government should pass legislation requiring removal of existing asbestos rather than just managing it and pushing the problems down the line.
We know that there is an increase in cancer rates across the UK (ITV cancer under 50: searching for answers – health correspondent Rebecca Barry 3 April 2025) with more people under 50 than ever before, this includes bowel cancers, colorectal, liver, pancreas, gall bladder, bile duct and so on. We are concerned that ingestion of asbestos fibres (as opposed in inhalation) may be the main causational factor. The campaign doesn’t go far enough, the amount of corrugated ACM on garages for example all over the country, aging and crumbling; the Government fed contractors dragging fibre cables through bone-dry ACM cable ducts releasing fibres into our streets; obviously there’s ACM drinking water pipes and so on. The Kenyan Government noted that the removal of asbestos should include drinking water pipes as recently as the 12 March 2025. Most asbestos legislation refers to duties in the workplace but Regulation 11(1) and Regulation 16 of The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, require proper planning and precautions to prevent exposure to and spread of asbestos during non-licensed work. The TUC should be pushing for removal of all asbestos both in work and outside the workplace in the community. When we turn on a tap, we assume that the water is perfectly safe to drink, however as pipes age and deteriorate asbestos can scatter into the water. According to the United Utilities 15% of drinking water pipes in the north west contain asbestos which was used as a binding agent many years ago. These pipes are worn and near their end of useful life cycle, a concern around the world not just the UK, the worry is that asbestos fibres are being released into people’s drinking water. We would like to see the eradication of asbestos in the drinking water supply network throughout the UK alongside the campaign for the removal of asbestos from UK buildings. Source: John Flanagan, Derek Maylor MAVSG / Asbestos Information CIC See also: Asbestos and Mesothelioma information in the Unionsafety E-Library
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The founding of the Asbestos Information CIC (Community Interest Company) is step towards protecting the public, preventing exposure, and the eradication of asbestos. The creation of a national asbestos database will support local identification and on a similar theme, a creation of a map that identifies asbestos cases to a local MPs constituency is part of the “Act Now on Asbestos” campaign (see p16 of Proposal for the Development of a National Asbestos Strategy).