Asbestos - The Deadly Legacy

Asbestos was known to the ancients. The Romans mined it from the Italian Alps and they called it amianthus, meaning without miasma, undefiled or incorruptible. Strabo (30 B.C.) and Plutarch (A.D. 70) refer to the wicks of the vestal virgins as asbesta, the unquenchable, inextinguishable or inconsumable. However, it was only from the late 19th century onward that asbestos became a widespread material for industrial use.

In 1880 annual world production of asbestos amounted to 500 tons but by the end of the 20th century the cumulative world production of asbestos had reached a staggering 174,000,000 metric tons. It became known as the 'magic mineral' for its unique insulation and fire resistant properties and because it could be spun into yarn, woven into cloth and mixed with cement, rubber, plastics or graphite, it provided the shipbuilding, construction, electrical, chemical, car and engineering industries with many useful products. As 'magic' as this mineral is, it has proven to be one of the greatest health disasters and biggest industrial killers known to man. Asbestos was banned in the UK in November 1999 and in the European Union from January 2000, but its legacy lingers on, and it will continue to do so for some considerable time to come.

Asbestos kills, that's the bottom line. Ignore those wiseacres who tell you that 'white' is less dangerous than 'blue' or 'brown' asbestos. White asbestos or chrysotile, has the longest and strongest fibres and can be spun. Blue and brown asbestos consists of fibres too short for spinning but are more stable chemically and more resistant to heat and acids. The effect on the human body however, is all the same: if these fibres are inhaled they can all result in a series of asbestos-related diseases. Once in the lung, the fibres get lodged or pierce the lining and cannot be ejected. This results in lung-scarring and in the case of mesothelioma, it leads to the development of a tumour. Although asbestos-related diseases are none discriminatory, their main 'beneficiary' has been the industrial working class, shipyard and construction workers especially. The problem with asbestos is the long latency period between initial exposure and the onset of the disease, often between 20 to 40 years. There are four main types of asbestos-related disease: pleural plaques, diffuse pleural thickening, asbestosis and mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is the cancer caused by exposure to asbestos and as yet there is no cure. Once diagnosed, the life expectancy of the sufferer is usually between 3 and 18 months. Official statistics will tell you that around 3,500 people die from mesothelioma per year in the UK. Asbestos victim support groups and trade unions believe this figure to be an underestimate.

Laws Changed to Favour Bosses

The increasing number of asbestos cases that will arise over the next decade or so has mobilised the insurance industry into action. They have used their financial muscle to change the law. In January this year, the Court of Appeal overturned 20 years of judicial precedent regarding pleural plaques (the "least worst" of the asbestos-related diseases) and decreed that this was no longer a compensatable condition. More recently on 3 May, the Law Lords ruled in favour of the insurance industry again, this time with regard to those suffering from mesothelioma (the worst of the asbestos conditions). From now on, where more than one employer was responsible for the asbestos exposure, and where it is not possible to bring a claim against all of them, because one of the former employers may not be trading or was not insured for example, then the amount of compensation may be reduced. 

So what should you do if you have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease? Firstly, it is imperative that you understand from your GP or consultant exactly which asbestos disease you have. Secondly, you need to find out how you may have been exposed to asbestos. Here your trade union, work colleagues or asbestos support group can help. Thirdly, you then need to arrange an interview with a solicitor who specialises in asbestos-related diseases. This is important. Do not respond to press or television advertisements. Your trade union and support group will help here too. Asbestos victim support groups hold lists of specialist law firms, usually trade union ones and referral through such a group usually means free legal advice for the sufferer.

As mentioned, the import and use of asbestos has been banned in the UK since 1999, but the legacy remains. It is estimated that there is some 6,000,000 tons of asbestos in both public and private dwellings. The once fashionable Artex material used as a wall and ceiling covering during the 1970s contained around 15% asbestos. If you have Artex in your home do not try to remove it yourself by any means.

You may have read recently of the appalling stories concerning asbestos in schools and the death of teachers through asbestos exposure due, for example, to pinning up their pupils drawings on the classroom walls. The walls turned out to be made up of Asbestos Insulation Board (AIB). Between 1991 and 2000, 73 primary and secondary school teachers died from asbestos poisoning according to the HSE's own statistics. But when teaching assistants, nursery nurses and lecturers are included the figure leaps to 145. And what of their pupils many of whom will be adults by now? Later in life some of them will be reporting an asbestos-related disease and they will declare that they had never worked with, or ever been in contact with, asbestos. The probability is that they will have been exposed at school.

There is no easy solution to the asbestos problem. By nationalising the construction industry and placing it under workers' control with input from the victims and families of asbestos-related diseases, we can begin to make a start in eradicating the health risks posed by 'legacy asbestos'. Capitalism cannot do this, it simply costs the capitalists too much and, as we saw, they find a way of clawing back their money. In the meantime the struggle for a global ban on asbestos continues.

John Kelly is the organiser for the Tyne & Wear Asbestos Support Group based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Email: cau@ne11ee.freeserve.co.uk