Deadly asbestos found in 78% of pre-ban buildings

THE shocking scale of the asbestos threat lurking in Britain's buildings has been revealed in a study.

- Lucy Johnston

Out of nearly 130,000 buildings constructed before the asbestos ban in 1999, an alarming 78 per cent contained asbestos. Of these, seven in 10 were deemed a "high risk" to human health.

The findings, presented in Parliament last week, help explain the rising numbers of teachers and nurses developing asbestos-related cancers.

Researchers believe this is due to "secondary exposure" in schools and hospitals, rather than directly handling the lethal material.

Experts fear more will become ill and die after inhaling asbestos fibres when buildings are adapted to meet net zero targets.

The risks are increasing every day as buildings degrade.