19 December 2023

At the end of November 2023, new research conducted by Landman Economics revealed the true cost to the UK economy of asbestos in schools and hospitals and provided evidence to support a national plan for its removal. The research also shows that asbestos-related diseases in former school and hospital workers cost the UK economy £1.3 billion per year.

Landman Economics is a UK specialist consultancy in quantitative analysis and economic modelling. The study was supported by the Asbestos Testing and Consultancy Association (ATaC), the Asbestos Removal Contractors Association (ARCA), the National Education Union (NEU), UNISON public service union, ResPublica, and Airtight on Asbestos.

”Asbestos exposure is still the UK’s single greatest cause of work-related deaths. Thousands of people die from unnecessary asbestos exposure every year. This report provides important new evidence to support the recommendations of the Work and Pensions Select Committee that a national plan should be drawn up to remove asbestos from British workplaces over the next 40 years, and a central register established of all asbestos in non-domestic buildings.”

Rt Hon Sir Stephen Timms MP
Chair of the Work and Pensions Committee

To read the full report, click here – Clearing The Air: The costs and benefits of removing asbestos from UK schools and hospitals