November 21st, 2006

Parents of children that are students at a Brighton school in the UK are planning to stage a public meeting over fears that their kids may be exposed to asbestos. Many of the parents are now keeping their children at home rather than sending them to school because they are worried about the risk of exposing the kids to asbestos.

The asbestos is from a demolition site that is very close to the school, and is being cleared to create a waste plant. The school is so close to the site that parents say the children can actually see the work being carried out there, and therefore are close enough to be affected should there be risk of airborne asbestos.

The parents have also expressed anger because the public meeting will not be attended by council officials or by officials from the waste firm, Veolia. However, representatives from the waste firm have stated that they have already informed residents that all asbestos had been cleared.

A spokesperson from the waste firm also added: "We did not receive an invitation until Wednesday and unfortunately previous commitments mean we cannot attend. Therefore another bulletin has been issued to residents to provide them with the latest information, and regular updates will follow."