A teacher has died from brain cancer which she believed was caused by blue water and toxic chemicals at her school. Jeana Watt taught maths at the Skills Academy in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, which was built on an old industrial waste site.
The mum-of-three, 48, was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a fast-growing brain tumour, and given 18 months to live in June 2021, but passed away in December, her husband has revealed. The school shares a campus with Buchanan and St Ambrose high schools, where blue water was previously discovered running from taps and staff and pupils claimed to have contracted serious illnesses as a result.
An independent review commissioned by the Scottish Government in 2019 found no link to ill health and the complex was reopened to staff and pupils that August. However, Jeana believed her condition is a result of ground contamination and chemicals from water she drank and washed her hands with during the three years she worked at the Skills Academy.
Last August, Jeana spoke exclusively to the Sunday Mail to call for a second independent probe. Now her husband Stephen has vowed to carry on her fight and wants a second independent probe to assess the safety of the campus.
Stephen, 44, 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.”
In October a CT scan revealed that Jeana’s tumour had grown and was advancing. Jeana then passed away at home surrounded by her family and friends two months later.Stephen also said Jeana, who was receiving sick pay as she battled cancer, then retired and her contract was terminated by her employers North Lanarkshire Council just weeks before her death.
Stephen 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.”
Jeana worked through her illness including spells working at 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 campus was built on the former landfill site used by Gartsherrie Ironworks for industrial waste, including lead and arsenic, 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 concluding the site was safe, the 2019 report highlighted an elevated level of banned chemical polychlorinated biphenyls on the campus periphery.
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