Alice Mahon, a former Member of Parliament, passed away final 12 months at the age of eighty five due to malignant mesothelioma, a most cancers linked to asbestos publicity. In response, her son, Kris, is urging for the elimination of asbestos from all buildings to safeguard lives. Asbestos, a fabric recognized to trigger most cancers when inhaled, is the leading cause of work-related deaths within the UK.
Mahon, a former Halifax MP, was a staunch advocate for asbestos victims and supported requires a public inquiry into the high prevalence of asbestos-related illnesses amongst former power industry staff. She claimed to have been uncovered to the harmful material while working as an auxiliary nurse at a West Yorkshire hospital in the course of the 1960s and Nineteen Seventies. Additionally, Mahon believed that she might have been uncovered to asbestos throughout her 17-year tenure in Parliament.
Kris, who now works as a legislation professor in New Zealand, is asking for extra motion from the UK government. He argues that asbestos shouldn’t be left in place, stating, “The authorities has a duty to guard lives from a identified, indiscriminate killer similar to asbestos: that requires proactive action to locate and take away asbestos.”
In Exclusive , over 5,000 asbestos-related deaths had been recorded, together with these from cancers corresponding to mesothelioma. Last year, the Commons Work and Pensions Committee referred to as for a method with a 40-year deadline to remove all asbestos from public and business buildings. The charity Mesothelioma UK is campaigning for a register of all workplaces within the nation that comprise asbestos and a timetable for its eradication. They describe the scenario as a “ticking time bomb” and urge the government to prioritise high-risk environments corresponding to colleges and hospitals.
Asbestos was recognized in 680 rooms across the parliamentary property in surveys carried out between 2019 to 2022 by the parliamentary upkeep services group. A UK Parliament spokesperson stated, “As with many historic buildings, asbestos is current – and appropriately managed. The danger to anyone on the property could be very low.” However, the Public Accounts Committee lately released a report that discovered a growing list of well being and security incidents within Parliament, including some involving asbestos publicity.
Concerning asbestos in Parliament, Kris says, “Every office, including such grand places because the Palace of Westminster, ought to be a protected place. The dangers of asbestos are so well-known now, and have been for many years, that steps to establish and take away asbestos from all workplaces should have been completed by now.”