2023-06-12 17:12:56
More than 26 years after the ban on the use of asbestos, an insulating material considered toxic, a census of France 5 reported a large number of school buildings still concerned.
A leading public health matter. This Monday, a census of the teams of the series “Vert de rage”, broadcast on France 5, revealed that at least 5,505 schools in France still showed traces of asbestos, while its use was banned in 1997 and that teachers have been warning for years about the health risk.
This number could be much higher, given that our colleagues only obtained information on 15,804 schools among the 50,000 French establishments, because of the lack of transparency, assimilated to a taboo subject for town halls and authorities.
“We must react quickly”
Long used as a good thermal and sound insulator in building constructions, asbestos, and more specifically asbestos fibres, “can, when inhaled, be deposited in the lungs and cause diseases such as lung cancer “, specifies the Ministry of Energy Transition on its site.
“All varieties of asbestos are classified as known carcinogens for humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)”, it is also indicated.
In response to this census of “Vert de rage” teams, LFI deputy Louis Boyard, joined by his colleague Clémence Guetté, announced that he was filing a request for a commission of inquiry. “710,000 children are said to be exposed to asbestos in schools. These students could develop cancer tomorrow (…) We must react quickly”, he hastened to tweet.
Contacted by franceinfo, the Ministry of National Education conceded that it did not have consolidated and updated figures on the subject of asbestos in schools, returning the ball to the municipalities in charge of building renovations.
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