From Playroom to Parliament: Britain’s Asbestos Conundrum
From the late 19th century until the tail end of the 20th, UK stakeholders profited from the commercial exploitation of asbestos, a mineral sometimes referred to as “white gold.” Engineers and entrepreneurs in Scotland and England were fascinated by the unique and amazing properties of various asbestos fibers and set to work to find industrial uses for them. They succeeded all too well.
To the detriment to all Britons, much of the 6+ million tonnes of asbestos imported into the country remains in place. The vast majority of schools are contaminated. Recent data from Edinburgh City Council revealed that chrysotile (white) and crocidolite (blue) material was present in 75% all the municipality’s educational infrastructure including 14 nurseries, five high schools, three special education schools and many primary schools.1 Two hundred and fifteen miles south, the situation was slightly worse with toxic material in 80% of Manchester’s schools. Figures from the National Education Union (NEU) confirm that 80% of all the country’s schools are affected.2
Since asbestos use was banned in the UK in 1999, all the asbestos-containing material in the built environment is at least 27 years old and, in most cases, considerably older. As buildings age so do the asbestos-containing materials making them increasingly likely to release fibers. The contamination of public and private buildings poses an ongoing health threat not only to workers but also to building users. Although the current Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament, was built between 1840 and 1870, asbestos material was extensively used during renovation and repair work during the 20th century. As well as being a UNESCO World Heritage Site it shares joint first place with Buckingham Palace as the country’s most high-profile contaminated landmark.
 |
In surveys carried out across the parliamentary estate between 2019 and 2022, the presence of asbestos-containing material was reported in 680 rooms.3 According to a Parliamentary website, in the last ten years there have been 12 asbestos incidents and those are just the ones that are acknowledged.4 Two MPs are known to have died from the asbestos cancer mesothelioma: John MacDougall (2008) and Alice Mahon (2022).5 Over 5,000 people work in Parliament and half a million visit every year; the number of deaths due to workplace and environmental asbestos exposures at the Palace of Westminster is unknown.
Some years ago, I remember taking a tour of Parliament with the MP John Battle and a US visitor. As we attempted to enter the House of Lords, we were stopped by a security officer who informed us the chamber was closed. When we inquired as to the reason, the guard said that there had been an asbestos incident. John replied as follows: “Of all the people in the UK that you should not have told that to, she is top of the list.” I was at that time the editor of the British Asbestos Newsletter, a quarterly publication that meticulously reported on topical asbestos developments and detailed the unraveling of decades of asbestos secrets.6
Meanwhile outside the Westminster bubble, other sources of asbestos exposure abound under our buildings and in our homes. According to a stunning 2024 exposé by Katharine Quarmby:
“Hundreds of thousands of miles of pipes made from asbestos cement deliver drinking water to people around the world, but are reaching the end of their lifespan and starting to degrade… By 1988, 23,000 miles (37,000km) of asbestos cement piping had been installed in the UK, delivering water to 12 million people. Depending on where you look in the country, they still account for up to 27% of water pipes in the UK (the BBC obtained figures from all water companies in the UK).”7
Toxic Talc
The use of personal hygiene products, now known to be toxic, was routine for generations of Britons. For over a century, Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) talc-based baby powder was “widely recognized as the standard talcum powder product” in the UK. Corporate documents used in tens of thousands of US cancer lawsuits revealed that the company had known about the presence of asbestos fibers in this product for decades.
 J&J talc-based baby powder on sale in the UK via Amazon. Picture taken on August 18, 2024. IBAS archive. |
In 2020 J&J announced the withdrawal of this product from markets in North America; it was another four years before sales were stopped in the UK and the rest of the world.8 J&J was not the only company poisoning babies, their mothers and consumers. On September 30, 2022, the Office of Product Safety & Standards (OPSS) – “the UK’s national product regulator… [whose] primary purpose is to protect people and places from product-related harm…” – reported that multiple items sold by Tiger Brands, the South African manufacturer of Purity Essentials Baby Powder, had been recalled from end users because of “trace levels of asbestos.”9
Toxic Make-Up
Following US reports that asbestos had been found in products sold by Claire’s – “a makeup and accessories brand marketed to kids and teens”10 – the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS) and the Forum of Asbestos Victims Groups UK (Forum) commissioned a report on Claire’s products sold in the UK. An independent analyst confirmed the presence of tremolite asbestos in: Claire's Blusher, Claire's “Unicorn Powder” eyeshadow and Claire’s Eyeshadows.
 |
 |  |
| Analysis of the UNICORN PWR Glittery Eyeshadow Compact’s mineral and possible asbestos content by TEM revealed 8,750,000 tremolite asbestos structures per gram. | |
Unbeknownst to us, just a few weeks earlier an EU safety alert had been sent out after asbestos contamination had been found in samples taken from Claire’s Accessories’ Shadow & Highlight Finishing Kit, a plastic box featuring eight different colors of make-up.11
 Image of product recalled by EU Alert number: A12/0511/18. March 29, 2018. |
Toxic Toys
Late last year, news began circulating about asbestos contamination of imported children’s playsets in Australia and New Zealand.12 As concurrent recalls were issued by Canberra and Wellington, in Britain and elsewhere the sale of the toxic products continued. In the aftermath of an article in the January 24, 2026 edition of The Guardian newspaper, the British Government’s usual policy of wait-and-see was no longer tenable. Between January 27 and March 9, 2026, the OPSS reported that 15 sand craft and play sets had been recalled due to asbestos contamination as had stretchy rubber toys sold under the Stretcherz brand.13
 March 9, 2026 screenshot showing some of the children’s products which had been recalled in the UK due to asbestos contamination. |
In 2018, when IBAS and the Forum alerted various Trading and Standards personnel of the damning results of tests done on Claire’s cosmetics, there were no product recalls, public health warnings or official UK investigations of Claire’s talc-based products. Roll on eight years and there seems to have been something of a quiet revolution. As previously mentioned, over recent weeks the OPSS issued safety alerts for multiple asbestos-contaminated children’s products.14 When questioned about the background to these alerts, an OPSS official explained:
“OPSS was alerted to a specific Hobbycraft product with sand containing asbestos, which had been tested by a member of the public and the results shared with both the company and the media. We immediately engaged with the business and have worked with local authorities to ensure Hobbycraft removes all affected products from the market and carries out full recalls. Following this initial engagement, the business notified OPSS of product testing where this showed a presence of asbestos. OPSS was also notified of the HTI Toys Stretcherz Toys by the business directly.
We are carrying out investigations to understand the supply chain and determine the routes to the UK market for Hobbycraft and other branded products. The latest information on product recalls is kept up to date on our product recalls page [Product Recalls and Alerts - GOV.UK].
Businesses are responsible for notifying OPSS or local authority regulators when they become aware of products placed on the market that pose a risk.”15
Pending further clarification of OPSS operations, one cannot know for sure whether the contamination of the Hobbycraft product would ever have come to light had a concerned parent not submitted it for testing and an astute Guardian journalist reported it. We will continue our investigations. In the meantime, please share the attached list of recalled products with people you know at home and abroad. My attempt to raise the alarm has, to date, had some success in Sweden, Malaysia and Slovenia. Please report back on the results of your efforts.
March 17, 2026
_______
1 Fergusson, R. Exclusive: Edinburgh schools: Asbestos found in 90 schools and nurseries in Edinburgh - full list revealed. February 26, 2026.
https://www.scotsman.com/news/scottish-news/asbestos-found-in-90-schools-and-nurseries-in-edinburgh-full-list-revealed-5611307
Adriani, F. SPECIAL REPORT: Asbestos is present in hundreds of Greater Manchester schools. March 1, 2026.
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/silent-killer-hidden-schools-33497666
2 Lyons, S. Asbestos in schools: we urgently need a properly funded removal programme to reduce the risk to pupils and staff. September 3, 2025.
According to Sarah Lyons: “Between 2003 and 2023, the mortality statistics show that 12 school secretaries, 16 nursery nurses, 44 teaching assistants and 38 school midday assistants died of mesothelioma [the signature cancer associated with asbestos exposure]. We do not know how many school caretakers, cleaners and cooks have died from mesothelioma as their deaths are not recorded under school occupations.”
https://www.britsafe.org/safety-management/2025/asbestos-in-schools-we-urgently-need-a-properly-funded-removal-programme-to-reduce-the-risk-to-pupils-and-staff
Also see: British Occupational Hygiene Society. Asbestos still present in 83% of state schools in England, experts warn. February 12, 2026.
https://www.bohs.org/media-resources/press-releases/detail/asbestos-schools-england-oversight-failure/
3 Warraich, E. Alice Mahon: Ex-MP’s death must prompt asbestos action, says son. June 3, 2023.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65540230
4 UK Parliament. Why is R&R needed? Accessed March 10, 2026.
https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/restoration-and-renewal-programme/about-rr/why-is-rr-needed/
Nevett, J. Parliament revamp could cost £40bn and take 61 years. February 5,2 026.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgp2pzqr84o
5 MP MacDougall dies after illness. August 13, 2008.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7557933.stm
Halifax MP Alice Mahon blamed asbestos in Parliament for disease that killed her, inquest hears. April 14, 2023.https://www.itv.com/news/calendar/2023-04-14/mp-blamed-asbestos-in-parliament-for-disease-that-killed-her-inquest-hears
6 One hundred and nine issues of the British Asbestos Newsletter were published from 1990 to 2019. Many of the archived issues are available online:
http://www.britishasbestosnewsletter.org
7 Quarmby, K. Asbestos in drinking water: What does it mean for human health? January 24, 2024.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20240124-asbestos-in-drinking-water-an-overlooked-health-risk
8 J&J said they would withdraw this product from global markets at the end of 2023 but sales of remaining stock were still reported in the UK and elsewhere in 2024.
Kazan-Allen, L. Double Standards: Toxic Talc Banned at Home, On Sale Abroad. May 28, 2020.
https://ibasecretariat.org/lka-double-standards-toxic-talc-banned-at-home-on-sale-abroad.php
Joint Press Release. Death, Duplicity and Double Standards. May 25, 2020.
https://ibasecretariat.org/press_rel_may_25_2020.pdf
9 OPSS. Product Recall: Purity Essentials Baby Powder (2209-0121). September 20, 2022.
https://www.gov.uk/product-safety-alerts-reports-recalls/product-recall-purity-essentials-baby-powder-2209-0121
10 This investigation was prompted by discoveries made of asbestos contamination by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group.
Study finds asbestos in Claire’s makeup products marketed to teens. March 13, 2018.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/study-asbestos-claires-makeup-products-marketed-to-teens/
IBAS and the Forum. Press Release: Asbestos in Children’s Products Sold in UK. May 21, 2018.
https://ibasecretariat.org/forum-ibas-asbestos-in-childrens-products-sold-in-uk.pdf
11 European Commission. Safety Gate: the EU rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products. Claire’s “Shadow & Highlight Finishing Kit;” Alert number: A12/0511/18. March 29, 2018.
https://ec.europa.eu/safety-gate-alerts/screen/webReport/alertDetail/309269?lang=en
12 Kazan-Allen, L. Global Challenges, National Responses. March 5, 2026.
https://ibasecretariat.org/lka-global-challenges-national-responses.php
13 OPSS. UK Asbestos Product Recalls between January 27, 2026 and March 9, 2026.
https://ibasecretariat.org/list-of-recalls-from-office-for-product-safety-and-standards.pdf
14 Ibid.
15 Email received on March 13, 2026 from OPSS official.
