Asbestos present in vast majority of university estates

As many as nine out of 10 universities in England have asbestos in their buildings, a freedom of information request has revealed.

Of the 91 institutions replying to an information request by legal firm Stephensons, 86 per cent —78 universities in total— said that the potentially hazardous material is present on their estates.

Asbestos—which can cause the lung cancer and mesothelioma—is now banned, but it was commonly used in schools, colleges, universities and other public buildings between the 1940s and the 1970s. Asbestos fibres only become a risk to human health when they are released into the air and breathed in.