Asbestos dangers still need to be drilled home, following Vivienne’s awful fracking stunt

Sirs,

Asbestos dangers still need to be drilled home, following Vivienne’s awful fracking stunt

As the General Manager of The UK Asbestos Training Association (UKATA), I couldn’t help but raise my eyebrows at Vivienne Westwood’s Christmas ‘gift’ to David Cameron – a box full of deadly white asbestos. The gift, presented by a gas mask wearing Santa, is part of her campaign against fracking and its possible lasting implications on Britain’s health.

Whilst commentators believe the evidence to back up the dangers of fracking is limited and highly controversial, on the contrary, the real and present risk of deadly asbestos exposure speaks for itself. Comparing the largely unknown quantity of fracking with a known killer of thousands of tradespeople a year – asbestos – is in my opinion a cheap stunt and disrespectful to the thousands who have lost loved ones and colleagues from asbestos-related diseases.

Mesothelioma as the result of asbestos exposure is still the biggest workplace killer in the UK and with the figure still rising and many buildings erected prior to 1999 still containing the substance, its safe removal needs to remain a government and HSE priority, even if the fracking debate is perceived as a ‘sexier’ headline grabber currently.

If Mr Cameron needs to know how to safely dispose of his Christmas gift from Vivienne, he can consult one of our approved training providers at www.ukata.org.uk

Yours faithfully,

Craig Evans, General Manager, UKATA
ENDS

Original Source: The Independent, 18.12.14
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/vivienne-westwood-to-offer-david-cameron-a-christmas-present-of-asbestos-9930363.html

Photograph and caption:
Craig Evans, General Manager of UKATA (UK Asbestos Training Association).

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Ref: UKATA0169 – Asbestos message still needs drilling home