Asbestos is a category 1 carcinogen, meaning there is no safe level of exposure.
asserted
Asbestos → mean → exposure
The substance, which for decades was used as a building material (see box below), is the main cause of mesothelioma, an aggressive and deadly cancer in the tissue that surrounds the lungs, heart and intestines.
asserted
that → use → lungs
Patients with mesothelioma have an average life expectancy of around 12 to 18 months after they have been diagnosed, according to Cancer Research UK.
uncertain
they → have → UK
But many people won’t have realised they were at risk – because inhaling even just a small number of asbestos fibres can trigger it, and it can take years or even decades for the disease to develop.
asserted
disease → realise → years
Shockingly, the UK has one of the highest rates of deaths from asbestos in the world.
asserted
UK → have → world
While the majority of those affected worked in the building industry (see Malcolm’s story, right), scores of firefighters have developed the disease from tackling blazes, and asbestos is also found throughout hospitals and schools.
While all forms of asbestos were banned in 1999, more than 90 per cent of hospitals still contain it, as do 80 per cent of schools.
Many of these buildings are now crumbling with age, with a report by the Joint Union Asbestos Committee predicting a tsunami of deaths of teachers, support staff and pupils.
Domestic dwellings – ie homes – also contain asbestos: it was found in 73 per cent of the social housing analysed in a 2022 report.
asserted
it → affect → report
The same proportion of privately-owned and rented housing were likely to be affected, according to an expert report produced for two trade bodies, the National Organisation of Asbestos Consultants and the Asbestos Testing and Consulting Association.
uncertain
housing → own → Consultants
Worryingly, 70 per cent of the asbestos examined was damaged, which means it can become ‘friable’, ie fibres can break off and become airborne, so anyone can breathe them in.
asserted
anyone → examine → them
The same report showed that 30 per cent of the damaged asbestos was in the highest-risk category, meaning that it had deteriorated so much that it posed a threat to life and needed to be dealt with or urgently removed.
asserted
it → show → life
But the cost of removing asbestos from homes using contractors can be prohibitively expensive.
asserted
cost → remove → contractors
And so some homeowners will attempt to remove it themselves.
asserted
homeowners → attempt → it
Others may not realise the material they’re taking out of their homes is actually asbestos.
uncertain
they → realise → homes
And now a Good Health investigation has found the majority of councils that operate household waste and recycling centres (HWRCs) allow people to dispose of asbestos from home renovations at their facilities – these are the same facilities where families drop off their garden waste or everyday recycling.
asserted
families → find → waste
Depending on the location, the local authorities overseeing these centres are known as unitary authorities (62 in England), county councils (21 in England), or metropolitan councils (36 in England – these are in major cities, with ten in Greater Manchester, for instance) – or London borough councils (32 in England).
asserted
these → depend → England
Across these councils, asbestos policies vary (you can find out what your local authority allows by scanning the QR code below).
asserted
authority → vary → code
In England, 81 per cent of unitary authorities; 71 per cent of county councils; and 56 per cent of metropolitan councils permit the practice.
asserted
cent → permit → practice
A separate 28 per cent of metropolitan councils permit householders to drop it off at a more specialist waste facility – although these are often located on the same site as the HWRC.
asserted
these → permit → HWRC
(Where councils don’t allow for a drop-off or arrange for collection, householders must use a licensed hazardous waste contractor.)
In London, councils are far more cautious, with only four permitting household drop-off (Islington, Havering, Newham and Enfield).
asserted
four → allow → off
The picture in the other three UK nations varies.
asserted
picture → vary → nations
In Wales, similarly to England, 78 per cent (17 of 22) of unitary councils permit drop off at HWRCs.
asserted
cent → permit → HWRCs
Residents in Swansea can arrange for collection via the council.
asserted
Residents → arrange → council
In Scotland, only 25 per cent of councils allow the practice (eight out of 32).
asserted
cent → allow → 32
A further seven permit asbestos to be dropped at specialist waste transfer facilities – three of which are on the same site or very near HWRCs.
asserted
three → permit → HWRCs
In Northern Ireland, none of the 11 councils permit residents to drop it off – although Belfast council will collect from the residence, with clear instructions for householders on how to bag it up.
asserted
council → permit → it
Alarmingly, the rules that the councils that do allow asbestos drop-off have for how the public should remove asbestos and bag it vary – potentially exposing householders and the facility workers to risk.
asserted
public → allow → risk
This is different if asbestos is found in non-domestic buildings.
asserted
asbestos → find → buildings
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has strict exposure limits which are monitored through air sampling if asbestos is suspected of releasing fibres or is due to be removed.
asserted
asbestos → have → fibres
The sampling happens before the work begins, during removal and after removal.
asserted
work → happen → removal
The method is to count fibres in the air.
asserted
method → count → air
Employers have to adhere to these regulations and breaches can mean severe penalties, from fines to imprisonment.
asserted
breaches → have → imprisonment
The regulations require specialised equipment, including masks with filters, gloves, boots, eye protection and disposable overalls.
asserted
regulations → require → filters
The Daily Mail's campaign, Asbestos: Britain's Hidden Killer, has been calling on the Government to introduce a 40-year phased removal of asbestos from all public buildings
Workers must be trained in the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, with training for working with higher-risk asbestos, and contractors have to be licensed for higher-risk work.
asserted
contractors → hide → work
Landfills are also regulated with strict rules.
asserted
Landfills → regulate → rules
But when it comes to asbestos waste in local recycling centres, there are no HSE rules for householders – which experts say is profoundly worrying.
asserted
experts → come → householders
For instance, on its website Oxfordshire County Council advises householders they can handle some products by hand, without mentioning gloves or masks.
asserted
they → advise → gloves
It states: ‘Cement-bonded asbestos (such as that found in pipes or garage roofing) can be removed by hand, though care must be taken not to breathe in any fibres.’
asserted
care → state → fibres
In fact, experts disagree on this assessment of cement-bonded asbestos (more on this later).
At Hornsey Street Reuse and Recycling Centre (RRC), in the London borough of Islington, a bright yellow asbestos container stands by the vehicle entrance, so all local residents using the centre have to drive past it to park.
asserted
residents → disagree → it
Staff – who guide drivers where to park – may be standing near this asbestos container, which is next to a drop-off point for another recycling container and the first-aid point for staff.
uncertain
which → guide → staff
They do not routinely wear masks.
asserted
They → wear → masks
Experts warn that this kind of situation could result in accidental asbestos exposure for householders themselves, other residents visiting the HWRC and workers.
uncertain
kind → warn → HWRC
…and 92 more, not listed.
The Aporia
