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Cwmcarn school asbestos should be demolished, says survey | |
(about 17 hours later) | |
Asbestos found at a school poses a potential health risk and the building should be demolished, a report says. | |
The 900-pupil Cwmcarn High School closed suddenly last month after a structural report identified asbestos in the main block. | |
The report says asbestos in the roof may have been blown by the heating system and airborne fibres were 10 times higher than the accepted levels. | |
The union Unison said demolition was the safest option for staff and pupils. | |
The survey revealed the building "poses potential serious risk to health" and should be demolished, as recommended by a previous inspection. | |
The Welsh government ordered all schools to report on asbestos levels. | The Welsh government ordered all schools to report on asbestos levels. |
The report by Santia Asbestos Management Limited said asbestos in the roof void may have been blown around the building by the heating system. | The report by Santia Asbestos Management Limited said asbestos in the roof void may have been blown around the building by the heating system. |
Ceiling tiles being disturbed by draughts, repairs to the electrical circuit and even pupils scraping chairs and tables in classrooms may have caused damage to asbestos boards, it suggested. | Ceiling tiles being disturbed by draughts, repairs to the electrical circuit and even pupils scraping chairs and tables in classrooms may have caused damage to asbestos boards, it suggested. |
The company said in the report: "We are of the opinion that it is not feasible to continue operating the school in the current condition based on the risks imposed on occupants." | The company said in the report: "We are of the opinion that it is not feasible to continue operating the school in the current condition based on the risks imposed on occupants." |
The report said it would not be practical to refurbish the building, removing all the asbestos, given other upgrades and safety improvements that would needed. | The report said it would not be practical to refurbish the building, removing all the asbestos, given other upgrades and safety improvements that would needed. |
Special health clinics have been set up for parents and pupils of the school, which was shut on Friday 12 October. | Special health clinics have been set up for parents and pupils of the school, which was shut on Friday 12 October. |
Students are now being educated 12 miles away at Coleg Gwent's Ebbw Vale campus for the rest of the school year. | Students are now being educated 12 miles away at Coleg Gwent's Ebbw Vale campus for the rest of the school year. |
Unison Cymru/Wales said it welcomed the recommendation to demolish the school building. | |
"We believe that this is the safest option for the staff and students alike," Dominic MacAskill, head of local government said. | |
"Unison will continue to campaign for the safety of the school workforce and our future generations in order to bring this hidden killer under control." | |
Open windows | |
Stephen Spiro, professor of respiratory medicine at University College Hospital in London, said it was difficult to know how teachers and pupils might be affected by the asbestos. | |
"It depends on how long they would have been in the area that's contaminated, how constant the the level of asbestos fibres in the air are," he said. | |
"It depends enormously on whether windows are open, whether the building or the ceiling tiles are disturbed, whether the heating is on - because the heating will circulate fibres more readily than if the building is cold. | |
"There will probably be less exposure in the summer than in the winter and it also depends on which type of asbestos fibres these children have been exposed to. | |
"So all one can say is that it is potentially a situation that you would not want to continue and you really can't estimate the health risk. | |
"Although it's worrying if the asbestos levels are very high for a long time, by which I mean months or years." |
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