Asbestos-containing materials found in dozens of local schools

THE Education Authority (EA) has moved to reassure concerned parents, pupils and staff members after dozens of Tyrone school building have been found to have asbestos-containing material.

According to figures recently-released by the Department of Education, out of about 1,100 schools in the North, asbestos-containing material had been found in 975.

While dozens of primary and post-primary schools across Tyrone are included on this list, the EA has said the health of staff members and pupils was
the organisation’s “highest priority”.

In a statement to the Tyrone Herald, the EA said that they currently invest over £1m annually to remove the substance from schools.

A spokesperson said, “We appreciate the emotive nature of this subject matter but wish to reassure both pupils and parents that the health and wellbeing of our children and young people, staff, and the wider school community remains our highest priority.

“We invest over £1 million annually on the identification, management, remediation, or removal of asbestos.

“There are very strict processes in place for asbestos management.

“We work in partnership with a dedicated team of environmental specialists to ensure that all identified Asbestos-Containing Materials (ACMs) are managed in accordance with legislation and guidance.

“In the vast majority of cases, ACMs can be safely managed by enclosing, sealing, encapsulating or repairing.

“Where these remedial actions are not practical or appropriate, ACMs will be removed under controlled conditions.”

Asbestos was banned in the UK in 1999 because the fibres were linked to diseases including cancer.

The Health and Safety Executive NI (HSENI) guidance on asbestos in buildings said that its presence alone ‘should not be a cause for concern’.

“Asbestos only becomes a health risk when it is released into the air and breathed in,” the guidance said.

Asbestos was used extensively as a building material in the UK from the 1950s through to the mid-1980s.

It was used for a variety of purposes, typically fireproofing and insulation.

But when asbestos dust is inhaled or ingested, the fibres can become permanently trapped in the body.

Over decades, trapped asbestos fibres can cause inflammation, scarring and eventually genetic damage.

Asbestos is only harmful if disturbed.

Moving it can break the fibres, which can then be breathed in.

The EA says that, in the majority of cases, asbestos removal can be done without closing the school, by isolating the affected area and having tight controls surrounding the removal of the material.

A full list of schools with asbestos-containing materials can be found on the Department of Education website.