TUC Risks 20th September
A company boss whose firm used deadly silica despite the process being banned for 58 years has received a £26,000 fine but has escaped jail.
Andrew Thomson, trading as Thomson Sandblast, of Great Harwood, was also ordered to pay £24,000 costs and was told that magistrates had considered a custodial sentence.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated the company after receiving a complaint that sand containing free silica was being used for the dry sand blasting of vehicles. Blasting of articles using sand containing free silica has been banned since 1950 and can lead to silicosis, which is progressive, irreversible and can continue to develop after exposure ceases. It is also a known cause of occupational cancer and autoimmune diseases.
The firm was issued an HSE prohibition notice on 29 June 2006, requiring an end to sandblasting without adequate breathing protection for workers. When inspectors revisited the firm in February 2007 they found the notice had been ignored. HSE principal inspector Dorothy Shaw commented: 'When the premises were visited the general conditions were found to be poor. Vehicles were being dry blasted using what was suspected to be sand in a building that was not fully enclosed or had a filtered extraction unit. The respiratory protection equipment being used was in poor condition putting employees at risk from silicosis, which is a chronic obstructive, pulmonary disease characterised by breathlessness and a chronic cough.' She added: 'The dry blasting of vehicles with sand containing silica and the non compliance of enforcement notices are regarded as very serious matters by the HSE. When passing sentence on Mr Thomson, the magistrates commented that there had been a complete disregard for health and safety and that they had considered a custodial sentence.'
Friday, 3 October 2008
The asbestos industry's deadly lies
TUC Risks August 30th 2008
The deaths of tens of thousands of UK workers from asbestos disease was not an unanticipated tragedy, but resulted from a sophisticated political and public relations campaign to prolong the use of the deadly fibre.
Ed Howker, writing in the New Stateman, reveals the extent of the support asbestos giant Turner and Newall (T&N) received from government officials and politicians.
One government medical adviser is recorded as advising T&N to keep quiet about the cancer dangers of their product.
In correspondence between two directors of the plant, the opinion of Professor Archie Cochrane, director of epidemiology at the Medical Research Council, was noted: 'In tackling a problem of this nature [mesothelioma] one should either be completely frank with everyone or maintain complete secrecy - it is the latter that he feels is best at the moment.' To assist in the cover up, the company employed public relation firm Hill and Knowlton, credited with writing the playbook on 'product defence' in its highly effective defence of the tobacco industry.
In 1968, T&N circulated a confidential five-point plan prepared by Hill and Knowlton entitled 'Putting the case for asbestos.' Its purpose was to enable staff to field questions about asbestos cancer. It began, in capital letters: 'Never be the first to raise the health question.'
The government, meanwhile, brushed aside health concerns, fearing a risk to jobs. The company also had the loyal support of then Rochdale MP Cyril Smith, a sometime company shareholder who claimed in the Commons to be basing his comments on his own detailed research, but who in fact had asked T&N to draft a speech delivered in the House. The New Statesman article brings the story up to the moment, revealing how a bankruptcy ruse and other company manoeuvring continue to deny its asbestos disease victims the compensation they are due.
The deaths of tens of thousands of UK workers from asbestos disease was not an unanticipated tragedy, but resulted from a sophisticated political and public relations campaign to prolong the use of the deadly fibre.
Ed Howker, writing in the New Stateman, reveals the extent of the support asbestos giant Turner and Newall (T&N) received from government officials and politicians.
One government medical adviser is recorded as advising T&N to keep quiet about the cancer dangers of their product.
In correspondence between two directors of the plant, the opinion of Professor Archie Cochrane, director of epidemiology at the Medical Research Council, was noted: 'In tackling a problem of this nature [mesothelioma] one should either be completely frank with everyone or maintain complete secrecy - it is the latter that he feels is best at the moment.' To assist in the cover up, the company employed public relation firm Hill and Knowlton, credited with writing the playbook on 'product defence' in its highly effective defence of the tobacco industry.
In 1968, T&N circulated a confidential five-point plan prepared by Hill and Knowlton entitled 'Putting the case for asbestos.' Its purpose was to enable staff to field questions about asbestos cancer. It began, in capital letters: 'Never be the first to raise the health question.'
The government, meanwhile, brushed aside health concerns, fearing a risk to jobs. The company also had the loyal support of then Rochdale MP Cyril Smith, a sometime company shareholder who claimed in the Commons to be basing his comments on his own detailed research, but who in fact had asked T&N to draft a speech delivered in the House. The New Statesman article brings the story up to the moment, revealing how a bankruptcy ruse and other company manoeuvring continue to deny its asbestos disease victims the compensation they are due.
Council's school asbestos warning
TUC Risks August 23rd
Denbighshire County Council could face prosecution by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) if it fails to deal safely with asbestos in Prestatyn High School.
The council has suspended a staff member after an attempt to remove asbestos failed to meet HSE standards. The watchdog has ordered that the work must be completed by the end of September. The local authority said action was being taken and the work would not affect pupils and staff returning to school at the beginning of September.
The work relates to asbestos pipe cladding at the school. An HSE spokesperson said: 'There is an improvement notice on the removal of asbestos at Prestatyn High School. It was issued on June 27. There is a compliance date for the work to be completed by the end of September.
If the council fails to do so it is a criminal offence, and it could face prosecution.' A council spokesperson confirmed an HSE improvement notice had been served, adding: 'An action plan is already being implemented and we shall be meeting the HSE to ensure compliance with their requirements.' She said 'that a member of staff has been suspended pending the results of an internal investigation.' Earlier this year, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) called on the government to carry out a survey of all UK schools to check whether asbestos is present.
Denbighshire County Council could face prosecution by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) if it fails to deal safely with asbestos in Prestatyn High School.
The council has suspended a staff member after an attempt to remove asbestos failed to meet HSE standards. The watchdog has ordered that the work must be completed by the end of September. The local authority said action was being taken and the work would not affect pupils and staff returning to school at the beginning of September.
The work relates to asbestos pipe cladding at the school. An HSE spokesperson said: 'There is an improvement notice on the removal of asbestos at Prestatyn High School. It was issued on June 27. There is a compliance date for the work to be completed by the end of September.
If the council fails to do so it is a criminal offence, and it could face prosecution.' A council spokesperson confirmed an HSE improvement notice had been served, adding: 'An action plan is already being implemented and we shall be meeting the HSE to ensure compliance with their requirements.' She said 'that a member of staff has been suspended pending the results of an internal investigation.' Earlier this year, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) called on the government to carry out a survey of all UK schools to check whether asbestos is present.
Canada: How to kill a UN convention
TUC Risks August 23rd 2008 accused Canada of trying to kill a UN convention.
The Rotterdam Convention gives countries the right to be informed about, and to refuse, extremely hazardous chemicals and pesticides. For more than two years, the committee has called for chrysotile asbestos (white asbestos - the only form used in the world today) to be put on this 'prior informed consent' list. It meets every criterion in the convention, but in 2006, Canada brought the convention to its knees by blocking a consensus for chrysotile asbestos to go on the list.
Human rights activists are calling for Canada to stop acting like a rogue state and instead allow chrysotile asbestos to be listed under the Rotterdam Convention.
The Rotterdam Convention gives countries the right to be informed about, and to refuse, extremely hazardous chemicals and pesticides. For more than two years, the committee has called for chrysotile asbestos (white asbestos - the only form used in the world today) to be put on this 'prior informed consent' list. It meets every criterion in the convention, but in 2006, Canada brought the convention to its knees by blocking a consensus for chrysotile asbestos to go on the list.
Human rights activists are calling for Canada to stop acting like a rogue state and instead allow chrysotile asbestos to be listed under the Rotterdam Convention.
Essex companies exposed workers to asbestos risk
TUC Risks 16th August reported that two companies in Essex have been fined after workers in their employment were exposed to asbestos containing materials.
R Maskell Ltd of Loughton was fined £150,000 with costs of £30,000 at Ipswich Crown Court while LCH Contracts Ltd of Billericay was fined £70,000 and costs of £13,821.
Both companies pleaded guilty to breaches of Regulation 15 of the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002.
In 2005 R Maskell was carrying out refurbishment work and had, after discovering asbestos, sub-contracted LCH Contracts to carry out asbestos removal at St Francis Tower, Ipswich.
When HSE inspectors visited the site to inspect asbestos removal work taking place, they became very concerned over the state of the building, as there was debris on floors and in black sacks on most floors of the 15 storey tower block and some appeared to be asbestos containing materials (ACMs).
The HSE investigation found the building to be contaminated with ACMs and evidence was found that asbestos insulation board (AIB) had not been removed following adequate safety procedures.
HSE Inspector, Nicola Surrey said, "Every year 1000 people who worked in building maintenance and repair trades die from past exposures to asbestos fibres. The exposure of employees from R Maskell Ltd and LCH Contracts Ltd to asbestos could and should have been avoided by straightforward safety precautions. HSE will not hesitate to take action against those who fall short of the law in such a way. Asbestos must be properly managed to prevent people dying from asbestos diseases in the future. If you are responsible for managing the maintenance and repair of a building, you must manage any asbestos in it. HSE has provided guidance to help people understand what they have to do to comply with their legal obligations."
R Maskell Ltd of Loughton was fined £150,000 with costs of £30,000 at Ipswich Crown Court while LCH Contracts Ltd of Billericay was fined £70,000 and costs of £13,821.
Both companies pleaded guilty to breaches of Regulation 15 of the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002.
In 2005 R Maskell was carrying out refurbishment work and had, after discovering asbestos, sub-contracted LCH Contracts to carry out asbestos removal at St Francis Tower, Ipswich.
When HSE inspectors visited the site to inspect asbestos removal work taking place, they became very concerned over the state of the building, as there was debris on floors and in black sacks on most floors of the 15 storey tower block and some appeared to be asbestos containing materials (ACMs).
The HSE investigation found the building to be contaminated with ACMs and evidence was found that asbestos insulation board (AIB) had not been removed following adequate safety procedures.
HSE Inspector, Nicola Surrey said, "Every year 1000 people who worked in building maintenance and repair trades die from past exposures to asbestos fibres. The exposure of employees from R Maskell Ltd and LCH Contracts Ltd to asbestos could and should have been avoided by straightforward safety precautions. HSE will not hesitate to take action against those who fall short of the law in such a way. Asbestos must be properly managed to prevent people dying from asbestos diseases in the future. If you are responsible for managing the maintenance and repair of a building, you must manage any asbestos in it. HSE has provided guidance to help people understand what they have to do to comply with their legal obligations."
Asbestos report withheld for giving wrong view
TUC Risks August 16th 2008 reported that the Canadian Government is withholding a damning report on asbestos on the eve of an international conference at which Canada plans to defend its export of the carcinogen.
The report was commissioned by 'Health Canada' to support the Conservative government's long-standing fight to keep chrysotile asbestos off a UN watch list, a position federal officials plan to argue at a convention in Rome this October. But, according to 'The Star', members of an expert panel that produced the $100,000 report say the findings justify a ban on production and use in Canada.
Health Minister Tony Clement commissioned the report last year to determine the relative carcinogenic potency of chrysotile asbestos, which is linked to lung cancer and mesothelioma, which this week lead to the death of British MP John MacDougall. The panel's findings were made final in March but have yet to be released. A Health Canada spokesman said in an email the department is reviewing the report to "help further its knowledge of chrysotile asbestos fibres in relation to human health ... (and the report) will be made available to the public after the department has reviewed the findings."The panel was originally criticised by opposition parties because it was believed some of its members were so-called asbestos supporters, however the report seems to back the position of asbestos campaigners world-wide. That asbestos of all kinds are a killer.
New Democrat MP Pat Martin, a supporter of a Canadian ban on asbestos, said "They want the world to believe that Quebec asbestos is somehow magically benign. ... It's cowardly and it's the very antithesis of transparency and accountability." At a UN convention in 2006, the Canadian government successfully blocked a decision by more than 100 governments that would have required all exporters to label the product as hazardous. There is only one mine still producing chrysotile asbestos in Canada which produced 13,000 tonnes in July, a four-year high. Global consumption has increased almost 25 per cent in the last five years as a result of demand in developing countries such as India.
The report was commissioned by 'Health Canada' to support the Conservative government's long-standing fight to keep chrysotile asbestos off a UN watch list, a position federal officials plan to argue at a convention in Rome this October. But, according to 'The Star', members of an expert panel that produced the $100,000 report say the findings justify a ban on production and use in Canada.
Health Minister Tony Clement commissioned the report last year to determine the relative carcinogenic potency of chrysotile asbestos, which is linked to lung cancer and mesothelioma, which this week lead to the death of British MP John MacDougall. The panel's findings were made final in March but have yet to be released. A Health Canada spokesman said in an email the department is reviewing the report to "help further its knowledge of chrysotile asbestos fibres in relation to human health ... (and the report) will be made available to the public after the department has reviewed the findings."The panel was originally criticised by opposition parties because it was believed some of its members were so-called asbestos supporters, however the report seems to back the position of asbestos campaigners world-wide. That asbestos of all kinds are a killer.
New Democrat MP Pat Martin, a supporter of a Canadian ban on asbestos, said "They want the world to believe that Quebec asbestos is somehow magically benign. ... It's cowardly and it's the very antithesis of transparency and accountability." At a UN convention in 2006, the Canadian government successfully blocked a decision by more than 100 governments that would have required all exporters to label the product as hazardous. There is only one mine still producing chrysotile asbestos in Canada which produced 13,000 tonnes in July, a four-year high. Global consumption has increased almost 25 per cent in the last five years as a result of demand in developing countries such as India.
Asbestos in schools and hospital
Bedford Today, 25 September 2008 reported that asbestos had been found in 192, (almost 90 per cent) of schools across the county and in Bedford Hospital.
Teachers and hopsital workers exposed to asbestos fibres have a high incidence of deaths from asbestos related diseases.
A spokesman for Bedford Hospital, confirmed there was asbestos at Bedford Hospital. He said: "A number of buildings at Bedford Hospital contain asbestos which is well managed and closely monitored in line with the 'Control of Asbestos Regulations' (Health & Safety Executive, 2006)."
To read the full story please click on the link below:
http://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/bed-news/Asbestos-in-schools-warning.4527267.jp
Teachers and hopsital workers exposed to asbestos fibres have a high incidence of deaths from asbestos related diseases.
A spokesman for Bedford Hospital, confirmed there was asbestos at Bedford Hospital. He said: "A number of buildings at Bedford Hospital contain asbestos which is well managed and closely monitored in line with the 'Control of Asbestos Regulations' (Health & Safety Executive, 2006)."
To read the full story please click on the link below:
http://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/bed-news/Asbestos-in-schools-warning.4527267.jp
Cyril Smith accused of being part of asbestos cover up
Rochdale on Line 28th August 2008 reported that former MP Sir Cyril Smith had lobbied on behalf of the world's largest asbestos factory, Turner and Newall.
Smithe tried to help the Rochdale based company to supress knowledge of the dangers of asbestos.
An article in the New Statesman magazine reveals that Rochdale's former MP wrote to the head of personnel at T&N during a summer political recess in 1981 to tell him that the House would debate EEC regulations on asbestos in the next parliamentary session and asked what the factory would like him to say
The letter reads: "Could you please, within the next eight weeks, let me have the speech you would like to make (were you able to!), in that debate?" The T&N draft response is almost identical to what the Rochdale MP said in his house of commons speech, which stressed the need for less regulation on asbestos and that other products should be approached 'with caution'.
Sir Cyril said: "The public at large are not at risk. It is necessary to say that time and time again." T&N exposed millions to asbestos fibres in full knowledge of the dangers and used Sir Cyril to cover a truth that it had secretly admitted to in 1961, namely that "the only really safe number of asbestos fibres in the works environment is nil".
To read the full account click on the link below
http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/print/13421
Smithe tried to help the Rochdale based company to supress knowledge of the dangers of asbestos.
An article in the New Statesman magazine reveals that Rochdale's former MP wrote to the head of personnel at T&N during a summer political recess in 1981 to tell him that the House would debate EEC regulations on asbestos in the next parliamentary session and asked what the factory would like him to say
The letter reads: "Could you please, within the next eight weeks, let me have the speech you would like to make (were you able to!), in that debate?" The T&N draft response is almost identical to what the Rochdale MP said in his house of commons speech, which stressed the need for less regulation on asbestos and that other products should be approached 'with caution'.
Sir Cyril said: "The public at large are not at risk. It is necessary to say that time and time again." T&N exposed millions to asbestos fibres in full knowledge of the dangers and used Sir Cyril to cover a truth that it had secretly admitted to in 1961, namely that "the only really safe number of asbestos fibres in the works environment is nil".
To read the full account click on the link below
http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/print/13421
Legal challenge to French warship dismantling in Britain
AFP Sep 3, 2008
Environmental campaigners are to go to court to try to stop an asbestos-contaminated French aircraft carrier from being broken up in Britain.
The 32,700-tonne Clemenceau has spent the past five years being moved around the globe as officials tried to find a final resting place for the vessel, which contains 700 tonnes of asbestos.
The 51-year-old vessel was towed to India in a failed bid to have it dismantled there before it was announced in July that she will be scrapped by British company Able UK in Hartlepool, northeast England, after it was granted a waste management licence by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Campaigner Iris Ryder said the Friends of Hartlepool group had lodged a High Court challenge to the decision to bring the ship to Britain from its current base in Brest, western France.
"Today's legal challenge is the beginning of a new stage in the fight by Hartlepool residents to prevent our community from becoming the international toxic waste dumping ground of choice of both governments and polluting industries," she said.
"The Clemenceau was considered too toxic to be broken and dumped in India and Turkey and was even refused permission to be towed through the Suez Canal on its voyage of shame back to France.
A HSE spokesman confirmed that a legal challenge had been lodged.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iPEWt24Fayg03gKJo9jobwjoA3NQ
Environmental campaigners are to go to court to try to stop an asbestos-contaminated French aircraft carrier from being broken up in Britain.
The 32,700-tonne Clemenceau has spent the past five years being moved around the globe as officials tried to find a final resting place for the vessel, which contains 700 tonnes of asbestos.
The 51-year-old vessel was towed to India in a failed bid to have it dismantled there before it was announced in July that she will be scrapped by British company Able UK in Hartlepool, northeast England, after it was granted a waste management licence by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Campaigner Iris Ryder said the Friends of Hartlepool group had lodged a High Court challenge to the decision to bring the ship to Britain from its current base in Brest, western France.
"Today's legal challenge is the beginning of a new stage in the fight by Hartlepool residents to prevent our community from becoming the international toxic waste dumping ground of choice of both governments and polluting industries," she said.
"The Clemenceau was considered too toxic to be broken and dumped in India and Turkey and was even refused permission to be towed through the Suez Canal on its voyage of shame back to France.
A HSE spokesman confirmed that a legal challenge had been lodged.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iPEWt24Fayg03gKJo9jobwjoA3NQ
‘Sandwich panels’ as deadly as asbestos
Property Week .com 29.08.08 reported that the construction industry could be facing huge costs to remove a commonly used substance when demolishing buildings after experts warned it was as hazardous as asbestos.
CA Group, a UK industrial buildings manufacturer, said foam insulation ‘sandwich panels’ that are used in many buildings posed an environmental hazard risk and a pollution threat to the water table, and their removal would financially hit the property industry.
Brian Watson, commercial director at CA Group, said the project removal costs would affect funders, owners, manufacturers, specifiers and demolition contractors because the removal would be ‘massive and expensive’.
However, it is unclear who would be required to pay the clean-up costs. Watson said foam panels could no longer be disposed through crushing or burning but must conform to the same costly recycling regulations as refrigerators.
CA Group estimates that removal costs range between £1/sq ft to nearly £3/sq ft and, ‘when multiplied by the quantities of foam that hides in roofs and walls nationwide, runs into the billions’.
http://www.propertyweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=274&storycode=3121081&c=3
CA Group, a UK industrial buildings manufacturer, said foam insulation ‘sandwich panels’ that are used in many buildings posed an environmental hazard risk and a pollution threat to the water table, and their removal would financially hit the property industry.
Brian Watson, commercial director at CA Group, said the project removal costs would affect funders, owners, manufacturers, specifiers and demolition contractors because the removal would be ‘massive and expensive’.
However, it is unclear who would be required to pay the clean-up costs. Watson said foam panels could no longer be disposed through crushing or burning but must conform to the same costly recycling regulations as refrigerators.
CA Group estimates that removal costs range between £1/sq ft to nearly £3/sq ft and, ‘when multiplied by the quantities of foam that hides in roofs and walls nationwide, runs into the billions’.
http://www.propertyweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=274&storycode=3121081&c=3
Dead MP was suing government over asbestos
Dunfermline Press 28th August 2008
AN ASBESTOS support group hopes the tragic death of former Rosyth Dockyard worker and MP John MacDougall will force a change of heart from the UK Government on compensation awards.
Labour MP Mr MacDougall (60) was suing his own Government over his terminal lung cancer at the time of his death.
He believed the cause of the incurable mesothelioma was exposure to asbestos when he was working at the dockyard in the 1960s.
His friend, Prime Minister Gordon Brown, paid tribute to Mr MacDougall at the funeral and described his illness as a “cruel legacy”.
Defence secretary Des Browne and a predecessor in that role, John Reid, were also present.
However, it has now emerged that Mr MacDougall launched a court action against the Ministry of Defence in November after the Government turned down his request for £300,000 in compensation.
And whereas the Scottish Government is bringing forward legislation to help workers suffering from asbestos-related conditions, the same is not true at Westminster, where Mr MacDougall served for seven years.
The campaign group Clydeside Action on Asbestos will give evidence at the Scottish Parliament next week in a bid to make it easier for victims to claim.
In June, the Government at Holyrood unveiled a new bill aimed at entitling anyone in Scotland to raise an action if they contract pleural plaques.
The move would overturn a House of Lords ruling last year that workers were not entitled to compensation because the condition itself is not a disease.
To read the full stroy please click on the link below:
http://www.dunfermlinepress.com/articles/1/27840
AN ASBESTOS support group hopes the tragic death of former Rosyth Dockyard worker and MP John MacDougall will force a change of heart from the UK Government on compensation awards.
Labour MP Mr MacDougall (60) was suing his own Government over his terminal lung cancer at the time of his death.
He believed the cause of the incurable mesothelioma was exposure to asbestos when he was working at the dockyard in the 1960s.
His friend, Prime Minister Gordon Brown, paid tribute to Mr MacDougall at the funeral and described his illness as a “cruel legacy”.
Defence secretary Des Browne and a predecessor in that role, John Reid, were also present.
However, it has now emerged that Mr MacDougall launched a court action against the Ministry of Defence in November after the Government turned down his request for £300,000 in compensation.
And whereas the Scottish Government is bringing forward legislation to help workers suffering from asbestos-related conditions, the same is not true at Westminster, where Mr MacDougall served for seven years.
The campaign group Clydeside Action on Asbestos will give evidence at the Scottish Parliament next week in a bid to make it easier for victims to claim.
In June, the Government at Holyrood unveiled a new bill aimed at entitling anyone in Scotland to raise an action if they contract pleural plaques.
The move would overturn a House of Lords ruling last year that workers were not entitled to compensation because the condition itself is not a disease.
To read the full stroy please click on the link below:
http://www.dunfermlinepress.com/articles/1/27840
HMS Intrepid final voyage to be recycled in Liverpool
September 18th 2008 , IC Liverpool reported that the first warship to be recycled in the UK for more than a decade doccked in Liverpool.
HMS Intrepid, a Royal navy ship which saw service in the Falklands sailed Canada Graving Dock, where it will be dismantles over the next five months.
Ninety five percent of the material on board will be recycled though the union UNITE expressed concerns about safety conditions and the presence of asbestos on board.
It is hoped that this will be the first of many such projects at the Liverpool facility and that many more ships will be broken up responsibly. The Royal Navy has disposed of the waste on board apart from a small amount of asbestos which remains within the frame of the ship and which the yard can handle.
To read the full story please click on the link below:
http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100regionalnews/tm_headline=hms-intrepid-final-voyage-to-be-recycled-in-liverpool&method=full&objectid=21846498&siteid=50061-name_page.html
HMS Intrepid, a Royal navy ship which saw service in the Falklands sailed Canada Graving Dock, where it will be dismantles over the next five months.
Ninety five percent of the material on board will be recycled though the union UNITE expressed concerns about safety conditions and the presence of asbestos on board.
It is hoped that this will be the first of many such projects at the Liverpool facility and that many more ships will be broken up responsibly. The Royal Navy has disposed of the waste on board apart from a small amount of asbestos which remains within the frame of the ship and which the yard can handle.
To read the full story please click on the link below:
http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100regionalnews/tm_headline=hms-intrepid-final-voyage-to-be-recycled-in-liverpool&method=full&objectid=21846498&siteid=50061-name_page.html
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