Asbestos: Once a Magic Mineral but always a killer dust

Rochdale Councillors and council officers have been thanked for their work in ensuring the International Asbestos Memorial can be unveiled at a ceremony on Friday April 28 at 3.30pm. A reception will be held afterwards at Rochdale Town Hall.

Save Spodden Valley co-ordinator Jason Addy praised Rochdale Council officers and Councillors from all parties who are helping to ensure correct procedures have been followed for the memorial in a Conservation Area in the centre of Rochdale.

Jason explains:

“We have received help and advice on many aspects of the memorial. A simple stone of polished granite with a brushed stainless steel plaque has been chosen. It is to be placed on land opposite Rochdale Town Hall, between the Police Station and the Cenotaph Memorial Garden”.

“We are grateful for the assistance given by Council Officers from several departments.” 

“The event and memorial stone are to be paid for by monies collected by the Save Spodden Valley campaign, Rochdale’s MP Paul Rowen and Rochdale Councillors from all parties. It is so important that the issues relating to asbestos have always retained cross-party support: the cancers and misery that can be caused by asbestos exposure are no respecters of a party-political rosette. Asbestos has killed, regardless of class, gender or race.” 

Many throughout the world consider the Spodden Valley of Rochdale to be the birthplace of the modern asbestos industry. Production began in 1879. Turner and Newall (T&N) had its international headquarters in Rochdale until 1948. The industry-supported Asbestosis Research Council was also based in the Spodden Valley. Historians suggest that decisions made in Rochdale have affected the lives of hundreds of thousands of people worldwide.

In addition to the tens of thousands of tonnes of asbestos that may be dumped in Rochdale and the cavalier manner in which property speculators have handled the 72 acre T&N site in the past 2 years, the Spodden Valley may have worldwide significance in the sad saga of asbestos disease. 

SSV have started to receive messages of support for the memorial from around the world: T&N operated mines and factories in a number of countries including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Nigeria, Ireland, Italy, India, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the USA. SSV point out that this is not an ‘Anti-T&N’ memorial, many other asbestos corporations have also contributed to the worldwide death toll. However, it may be fitting that Rochdale is home to an international asbestos memorial.

The first recorded asbestosis death was a Rochdale asbestos worker called Nellie Kershaw.  T&N acknowledged their first mesothelioma cancer death was a Rochdale asbestos worker in 1936. Studies of Rochdale asbestos workers in 1955 confirmed the link between lung cancer and asbestos exposure.

Although banned in the European Union and many other countries, Asbestos is still used, mainly in the Developing World. In addition to the health controversy regarding asbestos-containing construction materials, there is a concerted campaign to protect workers from asbestos exposure from ship-breaking especially in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. The BBC and Greenpeace have reported on the use of child labour for such dangerous activity.

A committee of the United Nations World Health Organisation has estimated that 5,000,000 people may eventually die as a result of exposure to asbestos dust and fibre.

The plaque on the memorial stone in Rochdale will read:

“Asbestos: Once a Magic Mineral but always a killer dust.”