Considerable time and expense have been devoted to clearing it safely from buildings. Only licensed contractors can do the work. It has to be disposed of safely, where it cannot be ingested or inhaled. On the 7th of April a meeting in Manchester heard about the dangers of asbestos from Jason Addy of the Spodden Valley Campaign and Hilda Palmer of occupational health and safety organisation, Greater Manchester Hazards. The meeting was called by Greater Manchester Trades Council and the Manchester Social Forum.

Asbestos may be out of favour, but the problems it causes linger on. In Rochdale’s Spodden Valley a huge quantity of asbestos may lie buried on the land where Turner and Newall’s, the world’s largest asbestos factory, once processed the killer fibres. There are no plans to clear up this potential hazard, but there is a lot of interest in digging up the site: developers Countryside Properties want to build 650 houses and a nursery on it. Over the lifetime of the factory – more than a hundred years – as much as 300 tons of asbestos a year may have been dumped. The total could be 10,000 tons or more. At the very least we can say that unknown quantities of asbestos were casually dumped and still lie buried, though some is occasionally disturbed and asbestos can even be seen on the surface. Locals who worked at the plant have already died from mesothelioma, the disease asbestos causes. Many still linger on, sick and suffering but unable to obtain compensation. Companies just wait for the claimants to die. And the problem is not just in Rochdale. Nationally 5,000 people a year die from asbestos-related diseases, a quarter of them people who worked in construction, while others worked in the asbestos industry or used asbestos products.

Countryside Properties claim there is only minimal risk associated with the £100 million+ development and have even gone so far as to conduct a safety survey of the site in association with Rochdale Council, who do not consider the site to be ‘contaminated’. Save up and buy them a dictionary! By carefully avoiding the areas where the highest contamination occurred they have managed to drill 86 cores and find significant quantities of asbestos in only one. That one, however, contained 50% asbestos – the blue asbestos, which is 500 times more likely to cause cancer than the white. There was enough asbestos in that one single core to give thousands cancer! Strangely, the company is claiming that it cannot find asbestos on the site of the world’s largest asbestos factory!

Asbestos fibres never break down. Once released into the environment they represent a serious threat to health unless they are cleared up by professionals – and even then, with the invisible fibres measuring as little as fifteen thousands of an inch, who is to say that every single one is safely accounted for? There is even doubt as to the professionalism of the labs handling the Rochdale samples: there are 150 labs in the UK, but only very few are capable of doing the necessary tests on samples from this land. A proper test of just one sample costs £130 so testing is an expensive game. 0.001% (a thousandth of a percent) by weight of asbestos in the soil is still dangerous. Once dug up and exposed to air the asbestos can blow away and you can breathe it in. There is no safe lower level of this cancer-causing substance. So you need to be sure. Especially in a windy spot like Rochdale!

Of course, Countryside Properties cannot ‘find’ asbestos on the Rochdale site – even though locals say it is literally lying about – to do so would create an immediate uproar of protest and jeopardise an immensely lucrative deal. After all, who among the housebuyers is going to come back to the company after 30 years to say that they have got cancer caused by asbestos from the site? Of course the directors will be safe far away, enjoying their money in the sun. The company may not even need to continue its existence once this money-spinning deal has been assured. Early retirement beckons for the bosses. For potential purchasers the cancer ward is a more likely option – after they have handed over their savings to Countryside Properties!

The people of Rochdale are not impressed by this piece of wheeling and dealing and are fighting for their very survival. A vigorous campaign of opposition is under way. Under the Environmental Protection Act Turner and Newall should clean up the site. Countryside Properties should not be allowed to develop it until rigorous professional testing can assure the public that the site is completely safe. The Council should stand up for the rights of the people who elected them. Otherwise Rochdale will be cancer capital of the north-west.

What can you do to stop them?
If this deal goes ahead you’d be better to leave Rochdale. For your own safety. Will the place become a ghost town? Can you see house prices going through the floor? Will everyone be happy then?

If you want to be safe and sound, take action now!

Join the Spodden Valley Campaign
Tell everyone you know about what’s going on.
Lobby the council. If you live in Rochdale remind them you have the vote! Go to Council Meetings and protest.
Alert your MP to this appalling threat and demand action now.
Remind environmental organisations to support the campaign
Contact and visit Countryside Properties to let them know what you think
Use the Freedom of Information Act to find out whether the land has been designated as contaminated under a draft designation. For information on how to do this contact the campaign.
Type ‘asbestos’ into Google to find out more about the dangers.
Start a Social Forum where you live to bring people together to discuss the issues that matter and take action. Google social forum. To find out more about setting up a local Social Forum email  mcrsocialforum@hotmail.co.uk Social Forum groups are springing up all over the country: we can’t rely on councillors and politicians to solve all our problems – it’s time to get involved.

Do or die? Don’t wait till it’s too late!

Pete Field
Manchester Social Forum