A teacher from Lanarkshire who lost her battle with brain cancer believed her illness was caused by blue water and toxic chemicals at her school.
Jeana Watt taught maths at Coatbridge's Skills Academy which was built on a former industrial waste site.
The 43-year-old was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a fast-growing brain tumour, and was given just 18 months to live in June 2021, but passed away in December, her husband has revealed reports the Daily Record .
READ MORE: Man credits Clydebank hospital heart transplant for allowing him to care for late wife
The school shares the campus with Buchanan and St Ambrose high schools, where blue water was previously found running from taps which both pupils and staff claimed to have contracted serious illnesses as a result.
The Scottish Government commissioned an independent review in 2019 which found no link to ill health and the complex was reopened to staff and pupils that August.
However mum-of-three Jeana believed ground contamination and the chemicals in the water she used to drink and wash during her three years at the school resulted in her condition.
Last August she called for another independent investigation.
Now her husband, Stephen, will carry on his late wife's fight for a second independent probe to assess the safety of the campus.
The 44-year-old from Newarthill near Motherwell said: “Jeana died never having changed her mind that the water could have triggered the growth of her cancer.
"She wanted another completely independent review into the school’s grounds and water to be carried out.
“She died before she ever saw that happen but now she’s gone I still back that completely and want this to be done for the safety of the school pupils and staff. Jeana used to say she didn’t believe in coincidences and in that tiny building where she worked, she along with two others were diagnosed with different cancer within two years. Two of them are now dead.
“In the school on the main campus, there were three or four teachers diansgoed with a rare form of cancer that only two per cent of the population gets and they all worked in the same corridor. There are still questions that need to be answered. They say it’s safe, so prove it with another independent investigation.
"There needs to be more testing done over a longer period of time. If I’m wrong then I’m fine with that. It just means all we’ve done is prove beyond a doubt that the building is safe because as it stands there are still doubts and questions.”
Sign up to Glasgow Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox
Jeana passed away surrounded by her family and friends two months after a CT scan showed that the tumour was growing and advancing.
Stephen also claimed that Jeana, who was receiving sick pay. had her contract torn up by North Lanarkshire Council just weeks before her death.
He said: “Jeana was everything to me and to our family. But to others who knew her she was inspiring and had unlimited energy and a real drive to do good in people’s lives. The CT scan showed that the tumour had advanced and was getting bigger. We brought her home and just under seven weeks later she was gone.
“She died at home surrounded by everyone she loved. The last thing I said to her was that I loved her and that she didn’t need to worry anymore. While Jeana was dying she was on sick pay from North Lanarkshire Council and then we received a letter to say she hadn’t been at work so they were dismissing her.
“It was an incredibly cold letter basically saying you’ve not been at work so we’re terminating your contract. There was nothing thanking her for all the hard work and effort she put into her job or taking into consideration what a fantastic and dedicated teacher she was. The very reason she was off sick was because she had cancer which she believed was caused by water at the school she worked at.”
Despite suffering with brain cancer Jeana continued to work including periods working from home.
A spokeswoman for North Lanarkshire Council said: “We were saddened to hear of the passing of Jeana last year after a period of ill health and our thoughts remain with her family. Her colleagues were in regular contact and she was regarded as an inspirational teacher who touched the lives of many young people.
“The ill-health retirement process was explained to Jeana when she submitted her application and she specifically requested that the official process to terminate her employment was done in writing after she declined the offer to meet with the Depute Chief Executive to discuss her ill-health retirement application. A standard letter as outlined through the council’s Managing Attendance Policy was sent to her home at her request.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Our deepest sympathies are with the Watt family for their loss. An independent review into the health and safety concerns at St Ambrose and Buchanan High Schools was carried out in summer 2019.
“It concluded that the school and site were safe and that there were no links between ill-health and the campus. The review made a number of recommendations, including the establishment of a Site Recovery Group involving all key stakeholders to support future confidence in the site.”
The school campus was buil on an old industrial landfill site which was used by Gartsherrie Ironworks, with ead and arsenic being disposed there between 1945 and 1972. Steps were taken to make the grounds safe before the campus opened in 2012, including bringing in fresh top soil.
Despite making the conclusion that the site was safe, the 2019 report did reveal that there was a high level of banned chemical polychlorinated biphenyls on the campus periphery.
READ NEXT:
Tributes paid to Glasgow dad with 'heart of gold' who died in flat 'disturbance'
Glasgow nursery worker 'lost self-control' during outburst with distressed child
Heroic Glasgow police officers who stopped knife-wielding man awarded for bravery
All the Glasgow council cuts agreed in budget as opposition walk out
