The National Union of Teaches met in Liverpool on 2nd April 2013 and demanded action after the Department of Education told MPs that schools had a ‘duty to manage’ asbestos materials but they do not have a duty to remove it. Officials told the Commons Education Committee that the Government’s policy is to “contain and actively manage asbestos and for its removal to be carried out correctly and safely (for example when buildings are demolished or refurbished, or when damages means that asbestos is no longer safely contained)”.
 
According to the Health and Safety Executive records more than 253 teachers in Britain have died from Mesothelioma since 1980 as a result of exposure to asbestos dust during their employment at school, and asbestos exposure in schools is still an issue in 2013. On behalf of the National Union of Teachers Ian Grayson stressed there is no such thing as managing asbestos in a classroom full of active children and the only safe way to manage asbestos is to remove it.
 
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Fury over asbestos classroom threat