Former Bloxwich teacher inquest verdict
Former Bloxwich teacher inquest verdict
Adam Lumley The YamYam 11 Feb 10
An inquest into the death of a former teacher at a Bloxwich school has reached a verdict of death due to an industrial disease.
Beryl Green, former head of business studies at Frank F Harrison School in Leamore Lane, died in November last year aged 77. She had been suffering from mesothelioma, a form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos dust.
The inquest heard that Mrs Green worked as a commerce teacher at Frank F from 1974 until her retirement in 1990. A statement from members of her family read to the court said: “She remembers the removal of asbestos from the casings around the heaters in the classroom where she worked. The work went on for months.”
Asbestos is present in almost every school in Walsall built before the dangers of airborne asbestos fibres were realised. Particular concerns have been raised concerning the temporary “mobile” classrooms constructed in the 50's and 60's as a quick fix for overcrowded schools. Many still remain in use with children being taught in the same temporary classrooms that were once used by their parents.
The governments Building Schools for the Future and Primary Capital programmes aim to rebuild or refurbish every school in the country and, at long last, the dangers of the presence of asbestos are being taken into account. However, figures for the number of teachers and children exposed to asbestos in the past are not available as the devastating effect of mesothelioma takes years and sometimes decades to become evident.
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