Killer Dust in the Classroom

In Britain in the 1970s and 1980s public perception of the dangers of asbestos changed dramatically as asbestos came to be understood as an environmental and public health risk, rather than one limited to those who worked in the industry. The invisible presence of asbestos in the everyday spaces of life caused widespread anxiety and prompted community action in towns and cities across the UK. This article examines how, in the 1980s, asbestos in schools became the focus for public concern. It tracks how different levels of government responded to these concerns and how different conceptualizations of risk were used to push for action or reject it. The focus for this study is London, where, in 1983, the left-wing Greater London Council (GLC) committed to removing all asbestos from schools in the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA). While local governments attempted to remove asbestos, national government resisted calls for new policy and financial assistance and instead cited government-commissioned research by consultant scientists to dismiss concerns. The government response was contested by activists, including Nancy Tait and Alan Dalton, and fueled a growing distrust among concerned parents. Drawing on archival sources from unions, campaigners, and national and local government and media, this article demonstrates how asbestos was caught up in wider questions about regulation and the state’s role in negotiating risk in everyday life.

Action (physics) · Asbestos · Distrust · Government (linguistics) · Negotiation · Newspaper · Politics · Public policy · Historical Studies on Reproduction, Gender, Health, and Societal Changes · Occupational and environmental lung diseases · Political and Economic history of UK and US