How asbestos could slow efforts to fix crumbling concrete in English schools

The crisis over crumbling aerated concrete in English schools could exacerbate the lingering problem of asbestos in public buildings, creating an even bigger headache for the government and causing the re-emergence of a long unresolved issue.

More than 150 schools have been found to contain buildings made from reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac), which has been assessed to be at risk of collapse after exceeding its 30-year lifespan, with many closing because of safety concerns.

The material was used extensively in construction from the 1950s to the 1990s, which was also the boom time for asbestos use until it was banned due to the health risks from inhalation.

This means it is possible asbestos will become exposed in buildings affected by crumbling concrete and could slow down remediation works, extending school building closures by months.

Despite asbestos being banned more than two decades ago, the material remains in at least 300,000 non-domestic buildings in the UK. However, sources believe many of the public buildings affected by Raac are asbestos-free.

Campaigners and teaching unions have been ringing alarm bells for years, with the last official figures published by the Department for Education in 2019 showing that asbestos is present in four out of five schools (81%) in England.

In July, the teaching union NASUWT called for the urgent prioritisation of removing asbestos from school buildings, criticising the government’s “lack of urgency” and saying it was “passing on a potentially deadly legacy” to current staff and pupils.

The latest Health and Safety Executive (HSE) data showed the number of female teachers dying from asbestos related lung cancer was increasing, and it reported there were more than 5,000 asbestos-related deaths in 2019 across the UK.

Asbestos is the general name given to several naturally occurring minerals that have crystallised to form fibres that are strong, heat- and chemical-resistant and do not dissolve in water or evaporate.

Before being banned – partially in 1984 and completely in 1999 – the material was used in many products, including insulation material for buildings, boilers and pipes.

It is not considered harmful when in large pieces and undisturbed, but when moved or exposed it can release smaller fibres that can be breathed in or swallowed, and can lead to cancers including mesothelioma (a type of cancer that affects the lining of the lungs).

The process of assessing and removing the affected concrete panels in school buildings could disturb asbestos material, which may be present in ceiling voids or in the coating of the panels themselves.

But robust monitoring and management regulations mean such buildings would remain shuttered while the material is disposed of. All public buildings are required to have an asbestos register identifying the location of any use of the material, although the HSE has raised concerns about non-compliance among schools in keeping this up to date.

A work and pensions select committee report published in April 2022 urged the government to introduce a 40-year deadline for the removal of asbestos from non-domestic buildings, focusing on high-risk settings such as schools first.

The government rejected the proposal, arguing that setting a deadline “would increase the opportunity for exposure” when the risk is low where asbestos can be “managed safely until planned refurbishment works”.

“There also remains a concern that introducing a deadline would stimulate poor removal and disposal practices with a further risk of increase in asbestos exposures,” the government said in its response to the report.

The Department for Education has been contacted for comment.