News and Knowledge

Calls for government to change asbestos safety regulations

The government has been urged to take further action to prevent more people from dying from asbestos exposure – 25 years after the deadly material was banned in the UK.   Figures show that despite a ban being in place for more than two decades, thousands of people are still dying from asbestos-related causes every…

Royal Marines to sue Ministry of Defence for asbestos exposure 

Current and former Royal Marine Commandos are taking the Ministry of Defence to court after claiming they were exposed to asbestos whilst training in Latvia.   Edward Hill, an ex-marine engineer and vehicle mechanic claims their bosses breached their rights by making them sleep in a garage that allegedly contained the banned substance.    …

BT worker died after being exposed to asbestos on a daily basis, coroner rules

A telecoms engineer who worked for BT died after being exposed to asbestos on a ‘day-to-day’ basis, a coroner has ruled.   Ian Stubbs, of Hawkes Lane in Bracon Ash, near Norwich, was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma in 2021 after experiencing a long-term cough and shortness of breath. A personal statement, which he wrote before his…

Asbestos in schools – fears for 1,000 British schools after increasing number of teacher deaths

A new report has expressed ‘extreme concern’ as up to 1,000 schools could contain asbestos in the UK.   A report, published by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has revealed that 700,000 pupils are learning in ‘unsafe’ schools that need major rebuilding or refurbishment.     The report has criticised the school estate, adding that…

Volkswagen ordered to pay damages of $5.75 million in Mesothelioma case

During the years 1972-75, whilst working at Spokane Volkswagen dealership as an auto mechanic, Mr. Sorrentino, developed malignant mesothelioma which is a rare and fatal asbestos-related disease.   Mesothelioma is a cancer that usually starts in the layers of tissue that cover each lung (the pleura) – this is called pleural mesothelioma. More rarely it can start…

The rise of women with Mesothelioma

Latest figures from Cancer Research UK show that, while men account for most cases of Mesothelioma, cases among women rose by 93 per cent between 1993 and 2018 (compared with 47 per cent in men).   Dean Fennell, professor of thoracic medical oncology at the University of Leicester, says, “The proportion of women being diagnosed…

UK failing to manage asbestos

A report into asbestos has recently suggested that “extensive asbestos remediation work is still needed to thousands of buildings across the UK”.   The report jointly produced by the Asbestos Testing and Consultancy (ATaC) Association and the National Organisation of Asbestos Consultants (NORAC) indicated that that asbestos is still present in more than 100,000 buildings…