Deadly Dust: Britain Warns Tradesmen of Asbestos Risk as Death Toll Mounts
Monday, November 2nd, 2009More than 35,000 people died of mesothelioma in Britain from 1977 to 2007, prompting a new government health education campaign to warn tradesmen of the ongoing risks of asbestos exposure.
The government’s Health and Safety Executive, the agency responsible for workplace health and safety, is promoting an awareness campaign entitled “The Hidden Killer” during the month of November, warning Britain’s 1.8 million tradesmen of the dangers of handling asbestos. It is the nation’s leading industrial killer. Statistics from the Health and Safety Executive show that about a fourth of the 4,000 people who die annually of asbestos-related disease in Britain are tradesmen such as plumbers, joiners and electricians.
“Sadly, there is nothing we can do to stem the tragic loss of workers who were exposed to asbestos in years gone by,” Steve Coldrick, the Health and Safety Executive’s asbestos program director said in a prepared startment. “But we can listen to their stories and the one thing we hear time and again from older workers is that they were never told about the risks of working with asbestos.”
Tiny asbestos fibers can be inhaled and lodge deep in the lungs, causing serious respiratory diseases and cancer such as mesothelioma decades after exposure.
“With this campaign, we can educate today’s workforce about the risks and what action they need to take to protect themselves from this deadly dust.” Coldrick said. “We cannot allow this hidden killer to claim another generation of tradesmen.”
The regulary agency said its research suggests that tradesmen in particular think that asbestos is a historical problem and they are not at risk. But the health and safety executive said asbestos may be present in any building in Britain constructive or refurbished before 2000. An estimated 500,000 workplaces contain asbestsos, the agency said.
Britain’s latest statistics show that 2,156 people died of mesothelioma in 2007, an increase of 5 percent from the previous year.
