Alice Mahon: Ex-MPs death must prompt asbestos action, says son

Former MP Alice Mahon died of a crab linked to asbestos exposure. Now her lad is calling for asbestos to beryllium removed from each buildings to support lives.

Asbestos is simply a worldly which if inhaled tin origin crab and is the biggest origin of work-related deaths successful the UK.

Mrs Mahon, who died past twelvemonth of malignant mesothelioma astatine the property of 85, was champion known arsenic a fiery Labour left-winger and a adjacent state of erstwhile Labour person Jeremy Corbyn.

But the erstwhile Halifax MP besides campaigned tirelessly for asbestos victims, backing calls for a nationalist enquiry into the precocious incidence of asbestos-related illness amongst erstwhile powerfulness manufacture workers.

She said she had been exposed to asbestos erstwhile she worked arsenic an auxiliary caregiver astatine a West Yorkshire infirmary successful the 1960s and 1970s, an inquest was told successful January.

She besides believed she could person been exposed during the 17 years she spent arsenic successful Parliament, the inquest heard.

Mrs Mahon's son, Kris, tells the BBC: "Alice was precise keenly alert of what was going to hap to her erstwhile she had her diagnosis.

"Her plans had to beryllium replaced with a calm acceptance that decease was coming."

His parent lived adjacent doorway to a plumber who besides died from mesothelioma astatine the property of astir 60. Additionally a young antheral who was a carpenter and builder and good known to the household died from mesothelioma.

"So we saw 2 hard-working men reduced to ghosts earlier their aboriginal deaths," says Kris.

Asbestos is classified arsenic being carcinogenic, which means it tin origin crab specified arsenic mesothelioma and different unsafe lung conditions erstwhile the fibres are inhaled.

Until it was banned successful 1999, it was wide utilized arsenic a gathering worldly for roofing, insulation, walls and flooring.

It remains contiguous successful buildings crossed the UK.

As agelong arsenic the asbestos is successful bully information and is not disturbed determination is negligible risk, according to the Health and Safety Executive.

But if it is disturbed it tin go a information to wellness due to the fact that asbestos fibres are released into the aerial and radical whitethorn respire them in.

Companies person a work to forestall employees being exposed to the substance astatine work, nether the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.

However, the regulations authorities that asbestos-containing materials that are successful bully information and improbable to beryllium disturbed tin beryllium near successful place.

MPs from each parties person campaigned for much enactment to get escaped of asbestos, which tin beryllium a analyzable and costly process.

Last year, the Commons Work and Pensions Committee called for a strategy with a 40-year deadline to region each asbestos from nationalist and commercialized buildings.

The government's presumption was acceptable retired successful April by Rishi Sunak, successful reply to a question from Conservative MP Jane Hunt.

The premier curate said: "The instrumentality does necessitate work holders to measure whether asbestos is present, what information it is successful and whether it gives emergence to a hazard of exposure, and they indispensable gully up a program to negociate that risk, which indispensable see removal if it cannot beryllium safely managed wherever it is located."

Ms Hunt backs the foundation Mesothelioma UK's run for a registry of each workplaces successful the state that incorporate asbestos and a timetable for eradicating it.

The foundation says the concern is simply a "ticking clip bomb" and is asking the authorities to prioritise high-risk settings specified arsenic schools and hospitals.

Kris, who works arsenic a prof of instrumentality successful New Zealand, is besides calling for much enactment from the government, arguing that asbestos should not beryllium near successful place.

"The authorities has a work to support lives from a known, indiscriminate slayer specified arsenic asbestos: that requires proactive enactment to find and region asbestos," helium says.

"Asbestos is successful galore settings, often mingled with different products, and the statement is often enactment guardant that it is champion near successful spot due to the fact that it is lone a hazard if it is disturbed.

"But the occupation is that buildings deteriorate and request refurbishment, oregon are knocked down and replaced, and this volition pb to asbestos being released successful uncontrolled circumstances. The safest happening to bash is region the risk."

In 2019 determination were much than 5,000 asbestos-related deaths, including from cancers specified arsenic mesothelioma.

In January, an inquest ruled that Mrs Mahon "came by her decease arsenic a effect of an concern disease".

Mrs Mahon had blamed the illness connected her vulnerability to asbestos during clip arsenic a caregiver astatine Northowram Hospital, successful Calderdale, West Yorkshire, the inquest was told.

She had described successful a compensation assertion however the impermanent huts she worked were made of corrugated asbestos sheets, that had been disturbed by attraction work.

But she besides believed she whitethorn person been exposed to the substance during her clip arsenic an MP, aft being told aft her status successful 2005 that Parliament was "riddled with asbestos".

Asbestos was identified successful 680 rooms crossed the parliamentary property successful surveys carried retired betwixt 2019 to 2022 by the parliamentary attraction services team.

A UK Parliament spokesperson says: "As with galore humanities buildings, asbestos is contiguous - and appropriately managed. The hazard to anyone connected the property is precise low."

The spokesperson added that immoderate enactment posing an asbestos hazard is "properly planned" successful compliance with regulations.

However, the Public Accounts Committee precocious released a report that recovered a increasing database of wellness and information incidents wrong Parliament, including immoderate involving asbestos.

"There are already radical connected decades-long hazard watchlists aft being exposed to asbestos successful the building," warned the committee's Labour chairwoman Dame Meg Hillier.

Regarding asbestos successful Parliament, Kris says: "Every workplace, including specified expansive places arsenic the Palace of Westminster, should beryllium a harmless place.

"The risks of asbestos are truthful good known now, and person been for decades, that steps to place and region asbestos from each workplaces should person been completed by now.

"At the precise least, determination should beryllium elaborate audit to find the risks, which tin nary uncertainty beryllium done alongside different refurbishment."

The UK Health Security Agency says asbestos should not beryllium removed without adept advice. People are advised to interaction their section assembly for much accusation astir its removal and disposal.