Asbestos is not child’s play

Dear Editors,.

Asbestos is not child’s play
Cancer risk highlighted after Plymouth teenage girl rescued

As the General Manager of the UK Asbestos Training Association (UKATA), I was shocked to hear the story of a 16-year-old Plymouth girl who had to be rescued from a disused hotel in the city that was riddled with deadly asbestos spores. Although the teenager was probably in a place that she shouldn’t have been, the potentially fatal implications of her sneaking into the building should reinforce the dangers asbestos poses in similar abandoned structures.

Asbestos, which is the biggest workplace killer in the UK, causes the rare and incurable form of cancer, mesothelioma. However, the dangers of the substance were not fully known until the late 90s and as a result it was used in building materials right up to that point. When left undisturbed and in a good condition the material is harmless, but if it becomes damaged like in this instance deadly spores are released into the atmosphere to potentially fatal effect.

There is a good chance that many abandoned buildings erected prior to the millennium still contain asbestos and this is yet another reason for parents and teachers to remind their children and pupils that these ruins are not play areas. For more information on the safe removal of asbestos visit www.UKATA.org.uk

Craig Evans
General Manager, UKATA

ENDS

Original Source
Plymouth Herald: Girl, 16, exposed to deadly asbestos after entering disused Plymouth hotel
Read more: http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Girl-16-exposed-deadly-asbestos-entering-disused/story-25913790-detail/story.html#ixzz3PuzhccV3

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

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Ref: UKATA0174 – Plymouth Hotel