British Kids Reported Safe in School Buildings

A recent BBC program reported that 554 out of 599 Kent County schools have some level of asbestos contamination. The report on the program Inside Out caused a great deal of concern among parents, students and school personnel.

School officials have confirmed that the buildings do contain a number of construction materials that include asbestos. However, a majority of the asbestos is the chrysotile type, considered the least hazardous. Still, there is some evidence of more dangerous varieties including brown amosite and blue crocidolite in the Kent schools.

Peter Binnie, head of operations for the Kent County Council’s Property Group, oversees the school buildings and states that the asbestos in the school is closely managed and controlled with little risk to students and staff. He reassures that many are safer in the schools than in their own homes.

Asbestos, a naturally occurring mineral, has been used for decades in buildings because of its high heat resistance. However, it was later found that exposure to asbestos could eventually lead to a number of deadly lung diseases such as asbestosis and malignant mesothelioma, an aggressive lung cancer.

Not everyone in the Kent Schools is as confident in their safety as Mr. Binnie. Around 4,000 deaths are contributed to asbestos cancer each year in the United Kingdom including an increasing number of teachers. England’s National Union of Teachers is now demanding that all asbestos be removed from the country’s schools. For now, it looks as if community’s members will have to rely on Mr. Binnie’s promise that the asbestos is being closely watched and managed.