Peter Browne lost his wife after she was exposed to asbestos during school building work in the 1970s. He said Julia was told to “carry on as normal” with her PE lessons in the school hall, despite being able to “taste the dust”. Decades later, Julia fell ill - one of 5,000 asbestos-related deaths in the UK each year. Meanwhile, a schoolteacher, who wanted to remain anonymous, is growing “paranoid” and even “scans the floor” every day before children come in for lessons. “It’s always going to be there” he said, lamenting that “it’s too expensive to deal with”. New installation of the cancer-causing material was banned years ago in the UK but it is still present in more than a million buildings, including three-quarters of schools. Teachers and campaigners want a UK wide programme to remove it from their buildings, which are deteriorating over time. The Health and Safety Executive government agency told 5 News: “There is no data to support claims of a higher risk profile in schools compared to other settings. “Great Britain does not require routine air sampling as little or no airborne asbestos fibres would be detected under normal circumstances. “Asbestos must be removed if it cannot be safely managed in place”.