UK Ministry of Defence Reveals Scale of Asbestos Use in Tanks and Aircraft
The UK’s Ministry of Defence have revealed that a large amount of British military equipment could contain asbestos. Ministers shared their fears that Challenger 2 tanks, Warriors armored fighting vehicles and Bulldog armored personnel carriers are among the vehicles thought to contain the substance. The discovery of the substance in British military equipment was disclosed in a response to an inquiry from the opposition Labour Party. The letter from James Cartlidge, the procurement minister, detailed that in total 2,699 pieces contain ACMs (Asbestos Containing Material).
Over 2,000 pieces of equipment are thought to have been effected, asbestos was widely used as a fireproofing and building material since the mid-19th century and was found to be dangerous to humans in the 1970s. In some cases prolonged exposure to it can cause asbestosis and mesothelioma a form of cancer.
Shadow defense minister John Healey described the scale of ACMs present in UK military equipment a ‘serious concern’ and posted on social media that “Labour will ensure they have the kit they need to fight with confidence and fulfil our NATO obligations.”
765 Bulldogs, 540 Warriors and 324 Challenger 2s are among a long list of vehicles thought to contain asbestos including; Challenger recovery and armoured repair vehicles, Gazelle reconnaissance helicopters, Pinzgauer 4x4s, Wildcat helicopters and both Fuchs and Bulldog armoured personnel carriers.
Warriors came into British service in the late 1980s and the Gazelle and Fuchs originally entered military service in the late 70s. The Fuchs has been in British use since 1990, being utilised in the Gulf War. An updated variant has been used since 2014. The older military equipment was manufactured when asbestos was still a common manufacturing material, before many nations began to phase out the use of ACMs.
The United Kingdom banned the use of blue and brown asbestos in 1985, with a 2012 Control of Asbestos being put into effect to control the usage and effects of the cancer causing substance. The MoD has said that they plan to work to eliminate the ACMs within effected equipment with a spokesperson telling Overt Defense that:
“The safety of our Service Personnel is our highest priority and plans are underway to eliminate asbestos in our equipment as soon as possible, with risk assessments undertaken to keep our people safe.
These figures represent only a worst-case scenario and much of the equipment referenced will already be out of service, unaffected by asbestos, or has had Asbestos Containing Materials removed.”
In 2019, the UK MoD published a report into the presence of asbestos in buildings, infrastructure and equipment, describing it as “a complex and evolving issue”. The MoD recognise ACMs as an ongoing safety concern, however, the 2019 report noted that the “majority of asbestos materials in defence equipment are bonded with other materials and embedded within equipment” and that this would “not routinely be disturbed outside of a maintenance facility.”