Asbestos found in Cambridgeshire hospitals

Asbestos present in Cambridgeshire hospitals

Cambridgeshire, England, UK - According to figures released under the Freedom of Information Act, asbestos is present in thousands of locations in hospitals and GP surgeries in Cambridgeshire county.

By law, hospitals are required to maintain logs of the locations where asbestos present within their buildings. The hazardous material, widely used in building construction between the 1950s and 1980s, is known to cause diseases fatal to those who have been exposed to its toxic fibers.

The National Health Service said the asbestos materials present in the hospitals pose no risk to patients, staff and visitors unless damaged or disturbed and resulted in the fibers becoming airborne.

MP Andrew Langley said there is a 2020 program for rebuilding Addenbrooke's Hospital, which currently contains an asbestos registry of over 3,000 entries. He said the project will allow the hospital to move away from the potentially dangerous material. However, he added that the NHS currently has a long backlog of maintenance issues, which could cause problems with the deterioration of asbestos materials.

A spokesman for Addenbrooke's said that the hospital has put in place processes to ensure safety for all. He said all suspected and actual locations of asbestos-containing materials in the registry have been inspected and assessed for risk.

As for other Cambridgeshire hospitals, Papworth Hospital said it conducts asbestos assessments on an annual basis while Hinchingbrooke Hospital said the materials used in its buildings' construction were predominantly not of the asbestos-containing variety.

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