Top award for academic (From Penarth Times)

Top award for academic

AN ACADEMIC from Dinas Powys has received an honorary Professorship from the Russian Academy of Science in Moscow for his work with asbestos.

The Academy in Moscow is the world's leading university in asbestos sciences.

Prof John Bridle has been running the UK's Asbestos Watchdog, helping property owners from being overcharged in confusion caused by new asbestos regulations.

Prof Bridle is credited with saving property owners over 8 million in the last two years.

According to Sunday Telegraph columnist Christopher Booker, due to a scientific blunder, the law has confused those types of asbestos (blue and brown) which cause serious damage to human health - with much the commoner products containing white asbestos, a wholly different mineral posing no medical risk.

One such product, found in millions of homes, is artex, containing amounts of white asbestos so small that they pose no danger.

However, when the HSE drew up its 2002 Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations, it was persuaded by the Asbestos Removal Contractors Association (ARCA) to include artex as a high-risk material.

John Bridle said: "I set up the watchdog following the huge response to an article on me in the Sunday Telegraph.

"People get caught in a loop and are unable to sell their homes if asbestos is detected. They are charged a huge amount of money to remove it when there is absolutely no need and no danger."