Asbestos-related deaths are expected to hit a record high in the next few years as the legacy of decades of ignorance about the cancer- causing building material hits home.

The taxpayer will have to foot the near €0.5m bill for removing potentially-lethal asbestos from Naval Service ships, but the final cost could be far higher.

Tests of boxes of crayons and "crime scene fingerprint kits" has revealed asbestos as an ingredient. This substance has long been known to cause cancer and other deadly lung diseases.

The Naval Service has said the vast majority of 116 people who may have come in contact with potentially lethal asbestos have been medically screened and it will shortly award a contract to experts to carry out a fleet-wide survey for the substance.

A specialist company has started removing asbestos from two Naval Service ships which have been locked down for a number of weeks due to the discovery of the potentially lethal substance onboard.

A solicitor has demanded all Naval Service ships should be immediately grounded and checked for asbestos.

Workers at the naval dockyard in Haulbowline, Co Cork, have hit out at management for drip-feeding information on the potential exposure to asbestos.

Despite worrying claims that more than 150 Naval Service personnel and civilian workers were in contact with asbestos, a potentially lethal cancer causing substance, there has been an undue delay providing medical assessment for civilians working in the navy.

More than 150 Naval Service personnel and civilian workers could have potentially come in contact with asbestos as the crisis deepens over the extent of exposure to the life-threatening substance.

Concerns have been raised about the operational effectiveness of the Naval Service after it emerged that a third vessel has been discovered to have potentially fatal asbestos onboard.

The HSE has been accused of costing taxpayers’ needless money by ploughing ahead with asbestos removal at a psychiatric hospital in Co Cork.

Jim Halligan was diagnosed with asbestosis 19 years ago. “It’s like living with a death sentence hanging over you,” he says. “If you get it, you have it for the rest of your life.”

Civilian workers exposed to potentially deadly asbestos dust will be screened every two years for health defects.

It is now being claimed that 30 civilian workers could also have been exposed to potentially lethal asbestos while carrying out routine maintenance on a Naval Service ship.

Civilian staff exposed to potentially dangerous levels of asbestos told a senior navy officer during a heated meeting that their families may also be at risk of lung damage.

At least 18 navy personnel and civilian workers employed by the Department of Defence may have been exposed to potentially dangerous levels of asbestos.

The organisation representing naval ratings has demanded a thorough examination of all the Naval Service’s older ships to ensure they are asbestos-free.

Two naval service ships are in lockdown after workers were exposed to asbestos during routine maintenance at dockyards in Cork.

An independent investigation has been launched to find out who illegally disposed of asbestos pipes belonging to Clare County Council.