Newsletter
'Baby boom' carpenters at greatest risk of developing asbestos related cancer
One in 17 British carpenters born in the 1940s will die of mesothelioma - a cancer of the lining of the lung caused by asbestos - according to new research published in the British Journal of Cancer.
In the largest global study of its kind - funded by Cancer Research UK and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) - more than 600 patients with mesothelioma and 1 400 healthy people were interviewed to examine UK rates of the disease linked to different occupations.
The researchers have calculated that men born in the 1940s who worked as carpenters for more than 10 years before they reached 30 have a lifetime risk for mesothelioma of about one in 17. For plumbers, electricians and decorators born in the same decade who worked in their trade for more than 10 years before they were 30, the risk is one in 50 and for other construction workers one in 125.
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Inquiry into cost of asbestos pay-outs
Published Date: 06 November 2008
THE cost of compensating people with the asbestos-related condition pleural plaques will be investigated by the Scottish Government, it was announced yesterday.
The community safety minister, Fergus Ewing, told MSPs he would seek further information following claims that new legislation could carry a £607 million price tag.
A woman who is being slowly killed by her father's love has received £100,000 compensation.
Father's love became deadly
Debbie Brewer was hugged every night by Phillip Northmore when he returned from work.
Unbeknown to her, his overalls were covered in asbestos fibres, a material that can cause cancer.
He later died of an asbestos-related cancer.
Forty years on and Mrs Brewer has been told she has just nine months to live.
The asbestos on her father's overalls triggered mesolthelioma, an asbestos-related cancer of the lining of the lung.
Mr Davenport worked as a lagger for the Ministry of Defence's Devonport dockyard in Plymouth, between 1961 and 1967.
The MoD has admitted liability for the transmission of the disease.
The cancer is almost always linked to asbestos and can take more than 20 years to manifest itself.
Mrs Brewer, a mother of three from Plymouth, said she "had no future" but was glad of the payout.
"I'm not jumping for joy, I am glad that my claim has been proved right but it is a victory tainted by the sadness that the situation ever came about," she said.
"There is no cure for me - I have no future."
Scientists estimate that 200,000 people will die of cancer caused by asbestos.
Scottish Domestic Energy Assessments
We have now passed the required training and can carry out Domestic Energy Assessments in Scotland.
Artex & Textured Coatings
Are there any textured coatings in your house?
If the textured coating was applied after the mid 1980s, then the chances are good that there is no asbestos present in the artex / textured coating. If it is older than that, then it is likely that asbestos is present. Although the above guidelines cannot be guaranteed, it is a guide of what to expect. So what are your options if you suspect that you may have asbestos in your textured coating?
Have the coating removed. A guide price would be £1000 - £1600 for this work
Paint over it. The HSE produce documents to guide you safely through this process. Contact me and I'll e-mail you a free copy of the relevent guide.
Plaster over it. This is a good option where you want to revert back to a flat ceiling and relatively inexpensive.
NEVER scrape it off or even worse - sand it flat. If there is asbestos present, this is the worst thing you could possibly do, you would be putting yourself and your family at great risk.
New Radon Maps & Information now available, see Radon Section
HI-Borders is a group of Domestic Energy Assessors working together in the Borders area
Click here to visit HI-Borders and for more information
Did you know that there are more people dying from asbestos related diseases every year than are killed on our roads?
Check the latest data from the Health & Safety Executive click here
Energy Performance Certificates & HIPs (Home Information Packs)
As from August 1st 2007 it became mandatory for all non commercial property sales to provide a Home Information Pack (HIP) which must contain a Energy Performance Certificate. Initially for properties with 4 or more bedrooms, and from 10th September, properties with 3 bedrooms.
The Housing Health and Safety System came into force within the provisions of the Housing Act in April 2006.
The European Directive sets out the provision for the energy performance of buildings and the issue of Energy Performance Certificates.
These will apply to homeowners, operators and developers of properties. An Energy Performance Certificate will be required at the time of sale of the property.
What is an Energy Performance Certificate ?
An Energy Performance Certificates tell you how energy efficient a home is on a scale of A-G. The most efficient homes - which should have the lowest fuel bills - are in band A.
The Certificate also tells you, on a scale of A-G, about the impact the home has on the environment. Better-rated homes should have less impact through carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
The average property in the UK is in bands D-E for both ratings. The Certificate includes recommendations on ways to improve the home's energy efficiency to save you money and help the environment.
Sellers of newly built homes will have to provide a predicted assessment of the energy efficiency of the property, but a full Energy Performance Certificate should be provided to the buyer when the home is completed.
Radon gas linked to cancer deaths
Domestic exposure to radon gas is responsible for a significant number of lung cancer deaths, research has found.
The risk appears to be much higher for smokers.
The researchers conclude radon in the home causes approximately 20,000 lung cancer deaths in the European Union each year - about 1,000 in the UK.
The British Medical Journal study, funded by Cancer Research UK and the European Union, is the largest ever of its type.
The researchers found lung cancer risk to be raised by 16% for every 100 Bq/m 3 of radon present in the home.
Professor Darby said: "We also found that there is a detectable risk even in homes with levels below 200 Bq/m 3, which is the currently recommended 'action level' in the UK.
"Indeed we estimate that about ninety per cent of radon-induced lung cancers occurred in homes with levels of radon below 200 Bq/m 3."
Source - BBC News
Canada: Support for asbestos, but not for victims
The Canadian government spends millions promoting its asbestos exports, but isn’t so forthcoming when it comes to its own victims of asbestos disease. Almost 1,000 of the 1,500 people in Ontario who developed the asbestos cancer mesothelioma between 1980 and 2002 weren't compensated, according to a new research paper, which says this allowed the province's Workplace Safety and Insurance Board to shortchange victims of the disease, and taxpayers, out of hundreds of millions of dollars.