Asbestos Awareness Week is a global initiative designed to educate the public about the dangers of asbestos exposure and how to prevent it. It takes place every year between April 1st and April 7th and is supported by organisations, safety bodies and industry professionals worldwide.
The goal is simple:
- Raise awareness of where asbestos is found
- Highlight the long-term health risks
- Encourage safe identification and removal
- Prevent unnecessary exposure
The Reality: Asbestos Is Still Killing Thousands
Many people assume asbestos is a problem of the past. It isn’t.
Around 5,000 people die every year in the UK from asbestos-related diseases
In 2023 alone, 2,218 deaths were caused by mesothelioma, a cancer directly linked to asbestos exposure
The UK has one of the highest asbestos-related death rates in the world
To put that into perspective — asbestos causes significantly more deaths annually than workplace accidents.
The reason?
Latency.
Asbestos-related diseases can take 20–50 years to develop after exposure. That means people are still being affected today from materials installed decades ago.
