TGWU issues new warning on Artex use

TGWU national secretary Bob Blackman has issued a fresh warning against relaxing the asbestos regulations relating to Artex.

Speaking in support of an ‘Action Mesothelioma Day’ to raise awareness of the effects of exposure to asbestos, Blackman said official figures predicting the numbers of deaths from the disease “may be an underestimate”.

The official figures show 1,874 deaths from mesothelioma in 2003, with the toll forecast to rise to 2,450 a year in 10 years’ time.

Blackman said: “Many people will not realise that Artex, which has been widely used in home decoration, contains asbestos. That’s why the TGWU has been so vocal in pushing for the Health and Safety Executive not to relax regulations on disposal.”

Asbestos Removal Contractors Association chief executive Terry Jago agreed the regulations should not be relaxed.

He told CJ: “We recognise that mesothelioma is connected with asbestos and there’s no known amount of exposure that triggers it. We’re very surprised at this moment in time that the Health and Safety Executive is planning to deregulate textured coatings without a lot of data to support it.”