Exposed: Uni’s Toxic Secrets

Students are being kept in the dark over asbestos on campus and Uni bosses are breaking laws to stop them finding out.

A summer of secrecy saw the University refuse multiple requests to make its asbestos documents public. Meanwhile, unawareness of the lethal substance is making it unlikely for students to report hazards.

FAILURE
Persistent failure by University officials to provide information accompanies an asbestos policy is leaving students unaware of campus’ toxic dangers.

Coordinator of the FOIA Centre, Mark Watts, has slammed Uni secrecy. He told Vision: “They have no choice but to answer these requests. By not responding, the University has acted improperly.”

He added: “Clearly it’s a student issue and they have the right to know. In the end, students want an answer.”

But when asked to provide students with more information on asbestos, Uni top dogs have continually suppressed statistics. Countless requests to see documents have been ignored and denied, even though students legally have the right to know details on asbestos. In total, 3 out of 4 separate inquiries have been turned down since the summer.

In August, the University turned down a Freedom of Information request. A blunt email response stated: “the University does not feel that it is appropriate (to report asbestos statistics)… Asbestos is an extremely emotive subject.”

UNINFORMED
Widespread unawareness of asbestos is making it unlikely for students to report potentially toxic hazards.

Resistance by the University to release information may be damaging to its asbestos management. This is because the substance only becomes lethal when broken, meaning that on campus it is vital for all damage to be reported.

Investigations by Vision began after finding a broken ceiling tile that was speculated to contain asbestos. Although it later turned out to be safe, dozens of students and staff have gone months without reporting the potential threat because they were completely unaware about asbestos risks at the University.

DENIAL
Director of Facilities Management Keith Lilley has since admitted that everyone should be entitled to the information. However, no explanation or apology has been given for the apparent secrecy or neglect of Freedom of Information laws.

The University denied accusations of secrecy, claiming: “We have always been open that there is asbestos on campus. Indeed, the University has a website dedicated to the issue.”

But Government rules in the Freedom of Information Act state: “public authorities must comply with your request promptly, and should provide the information to you within 20 working days.”

CLUELESS
Uni secrecy is leaving students with no idea about the York’s hidden dangers. According to a poll by Vision, 67% admitted they had no idea about where asbestos might be and how it can become a threat.

A further 82% said they would not report any damage unless they were certain it contained asbestos. Given the apparent lack of transparency within the University, very few hazards are likely to be reported by students quickly.

One 1st-year student told Vision: “I would feel a lot safer on campus if I knew where the asbestos was.”
She added: “I’m sure the Uni have it under control, but it’s really bad that students are never told much about it. They really shouldn’t keep so quiet about it.”

SILENCED
Before Vision’s Freshers’ Week edition, Uni bosses pressurised the paper to drop an asbestos article in a last-ditch attempt to prevent damning reports reaching York’s new students. Without any backing, the newspaper was forced to withdraw articles from the publication.

York’s silence over asbestos is particularly worrying for students given the levels of the substance on campus.
A statement from the University claimed: “The health of students and staff at the University is not at risk from asbestos.”

LEGACY
Asbestos use in the construction industry peaked in the late 1960s when much of the University was built. Uni bosses have since admitted that campus has been left with a “legacy of asbestos installations to manage.”

Data obtained by Vision in 2003 showed that areas worst plagued by the substance include the main blocks of Langwith, James, Vanbrugh and Derwent colleges.

Buildings including the infamous ‘Cell Block C’ in James College, Fairfax and Hes Hall are largely free from asbestos.