A hidden menace.

I note that the bungalow formally occupied by the late Bill Cole on the little lane to the health centre has now been fully demolished and work has begun on the new dwellings to be built there. The demolished bungalow was largely constructed of asbestos, a reminder to us all of how common that substance was in construction work only a few years ago. As is now regularly reported in the media the numbers of confirmed sufferers from asbestosis continues to rise and is likely to do so for a long period given the long incubation period of the ddisease. When working in the electrical wholesale trade in the 60s and 70s I certainly remember handling asbestos as I am sure do many others.

The dangers of asbestos came home to me when living in Scotland in the 80s and meeting ex shipyard workers in Glasgow invlved in the long campaign to gain compensation for exposure to asbestos fibres. Although eventually sucessful its doubtful that many lived long to enjoy their success. The dangers of asbestos was again brought home to me when a water leak which damaged the living room ceiling of the maisonette I was living in resulted in a specialist team having to be brought in to remove the whole ceiling due to asbestos content. Asbestos is the hidden menace in our midst, safe whilst undisturbed but with potentially deadly consequences when iinterfered with.

What it makes you wonder is if we have materials now which we take for granted but could come back to haunt us in the future. Although saftey measures are much more stringent then in the 60s or 70s there still remains the potential for other hidden menaces to threaten our health and lives.