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West Yorkshire: Asbestos campaign targets hidden killer
Deaths from asbestos are continuing to rise as Government health and safety chiefs target tradesmen in a campaign to warn them of the hidden killer.
More than 900 men died in West Yorkshire from mesothelioma – a cancer caused by breathing in the deadly fibres - between 1981 and 2005.
The toll includes 417 from Leeds, 165 from Bradford, 157 from Kirklees, 118 from Wakefield and 107 from Calderdale.
Across Yorkshire and the Humber more than 2,100 died.
The Government's Health and Safety Executive (HSE) says that every week across Britain around 20 tradespeople die from asbestos-related diseases and the numbers are increasing.
Workers most at risk of exposure to asbestos are those most likely to disturb or damage it such as plumbers, joiners and electricians.
The HSE is targeting them though its campaign 'Asbestos: The hidden killer' which it launches today
It aims to raise awareness of the risks posed by asbestos and how workers can best protect themselves.
Anyone working on a building that was built or refurbished before the year 2000 could be exposed to asbestos without even knowing it.
In the UK, around 500,000 non-domestic buildings contain asbestos.
David Snowball, HSE Regional Director for Yorkshire and the Humber, said: "Asbestos is Britain's biggest industrial killer. Contrary to what many people believe, the risks are not a thing of the past. Asbestos-related illnesses claim the lives of 4,000 people every year – more than die in road accidents.
"The most simple, but important, advice is if you are not sure that there is no asbestos where you are working, then don't start work. It is simply not worth the risk."
The campaign is being supported by unions, employers, health charities, sufferers and victims groups.
Mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the lung. It can take 60 years to show itself. Once diagnosed death usually occurs within 18 months. There is no cure.
Leeds has suffered proportionately more deaths from mesothelioma than many other centres, partly because of the existence of the J W Roberts asbestos factory in Armley which spewed asbestos dust over the surrounding community for decades up to its closure in the late 1950s.
Hundreds have died as a result and more deaths are expected.
Leeds was also home to industries which used asbestos heavily, such as tailoring. Asbestos was used on machinery such as industrial steam presses.
* For more information on the campaign visit: www.hse.gov.uk/hiddenkiller
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