Armley asbestos disaster
The contamination was the result of the activities of a local asbestos factory, part of the Turner & Newall (T&N) group (often referred to by the name of its founders, J. W. Roberts Ltd.) and occurred between the end of the 19th century and 1959 when the factory eventually closed. At its peak the factory had 250 employees. At least 300 former employees are believed to have died from asbestos-related illnesses, and a number of cancer deaths in the Armley area were traced to the factory in 1988 as a result of an investigation by the "Yorkshire Evening Post". The estate was found to have the highest incidence in the country of mesothelioma. As the interval between exposure and diagnosis can be up to 50 years the number of further deaths which may occur due to the factory's emissions or residual dust since its closure cannot be predicted.
Alice – A Fight For Life
As a result West Yorkshire MP Max Madden lodged an official complaint alleging non-enforcement of the Asbestos Industry Regulations 1931, which led to a Parliamentary Ombudsman Report being submitted to the Ombudsman, Sir Alan Marre. The report, which was highly critical of the behaviour of the Factory Inspectors at Acre Mill, found that since the plant's closure in 1970 10% of the work force had developed asbestosis, a figure far in excess of the previously estimated exposure-risk relationship. The government responded by launching a major inquiry, the Advisory Committee on Asbestos, or "Simpson Committee", in 1976. The committee delivered two interim reports and published their final report in October 1979.