Sue Stephens died in 2016, aged 68
Hundreds of teachers have died of an illness related to asbestos exposure over the past 15 years.
Lung cancer mesothelioma – caused by inhaling fibres from the now banned building material – has claimed 292 since 2005, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.
Now, a teachers’ leader is urging a life-saving scheme to remove it from all the UK’s 32,770 schools.
Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “The problem of asbestos in education buildings must not be forgotten.
“On average, a teacher has died of asbestos-related disease every fortnight over the past 15 years.
This death toll will continue until the Government develops a planned and costed programme for its removal from educational buildings.”
