Action day's asbestos warning

EVERYONE should know about the dangers of asbestos.

This was the message given to more than 100 people at Derby's second annual Action Mesothelioma Day.

The event was about the fight for justice for those affected by the aggressive cancer caused by exposure to asbestos.

With Derbyshire's industrial history, including British Rail and the Trent Valley power stations, many of the county's workers were exposed to the deadly material.

But Roger McKenzie, regional secretary for the Midlands Trade Union Congress, said the fact that six million tonnes of asbestos was still contained in buildings in Britain meant it was something that could affect anyone.

Mr McKenzie said: "It's in our schools, hospitals, ships and factories as well as the homes in which many of us live. Mesothelioma is something that everyone can get."

Adrian Axtell, regional secretary for the union Unite, which sponsored the event, said it was the responsibility of employers to ensure their employees and visitors were not exposed to asbestos.

Mr Axtell said: "They have a legal duty to manage asbestos in buildings. They must survey for asbestos and record the results and remove asbestos safely. If this is not possible, they need to manage the asbestos safely. They need to tell workers where it is."

Valerie Pepper, whose husband died of mesothelioma in June 2007, spoke at yesterday's event at the Quad arts centre.

She praised the Health and Safety Executive's "vigorous campaign highlighting the dangers of asbestos". But she said that "DIYers" may have slipped through the net.

Mrs Pepper said: "They may not associate the message to themselves. But asbestos is contained in bath panels, flues, artex, textiles in old fuse boxes and fire blankets.

"Asbestos in these products is stable if in good condition and left alone. The message is that people should leave things alone if they are not sure."

Mrs Pepper, of Chellaston, said it had been heartbreaking to see her husband reduced to being unable to even dress himself because of the disease.

She said. "If I can help just one husband, wife, mother or child by what I have to say then it's worth it."

John Wood, of Ripley, a former painter and decorator who was diagnosed with mesothelioma in January last year, was at the event yesterday. He said it was time for the Government to realise the extent of the problem.

He said: "The number of cases are magnifying – there's thousands that have it now."

The event was organised by Derbyshire Asbestos Support Team, which has supported 121 people with mesothelioma in last five years. For advice, call 01246 231441 or e-mail mail@asbestossup port.co.uk.