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This week, the Lazio Regional Administrative Court in Italy ordered the Ministry of Defense to pay compensation of €200,000 (US$229,000) to the widow and son of a sailor who died from mesothelioma. The deceased, who was a non-commissioned officer in the Navy for 40 years, was exposed to asbestos at sea and on shore during his military service. See: “Esposto ad amianto per 40 anni”: Tar del Lazio condanna la Difesa per la morte di un marinaio [“Exposed to asbestos for 40 years”: Lazio Regional Administrative Court condemns Defense [Ministry] for death of sailor].

Asbestos products were discovered at buildings scheduled for demolition at the BBC Elstree Centre in Hertfordshire. The toxic material was found in 150 places in studios, a restaurant, the Central Technical Area, Hart House, a maintenance building and workshops, none of which were currently being used. After specialists have eradicated the hazard and the buildings are demolished, the site will be developed “to create a major new film and TV production complex with modern day requirements able to attract large-scale productions.” See: Former BBC studios where EastEnders was filmed riddled with asbestos.

On June 7, 2025, an Australian documentary entitled Yurlu/Country will have its first ever screening at the Sydney Film Festival. The film followed the work of Aboriginal elder Maitland Parker who fought to hold the Government of Western Australia to account for the contamination of Banjima land in the Pilbara region. Operations at the Wittenoom Blue Asbestos Mine turned the Banjima land into “the largest contaminated area in the southern hemisphere.” Mr. Parker died in March 2024 from the signature asbestos cancer, mesothelioma. See: Film follows fight to heal Country from poison legacy.

The upload last week of the damning Russian language article cited below was unusual. Asbestos stakeholders in Russia, the world’s largest asbestos-producing country, exert considerable control of the national asbestos dialogue. The industry lobby works hard to suppress adverse publicity and the disclosure of evidence linking asbestos exposures and cancer. It seems that Author Maria Koroleva did not get the memo. In her text, Koroleva reported that the substance once called a “miracle” had now become a “curse.” “About 80% of residential buildings [in Russia],” she wrote “have asbestos-cement materials in their construction.” See: Тихий убийца: этот строительный материал вызывает рак — он вокруг нас [The Silent Killer: This Building Material Causes Cancer - It's All Around Us].

This month, the council of Niigata, Japan is debating an additional allocation of 189.5 million yen (US$1.3m) to the 2025 budget to cover the unexpected costs of asbestos removal at the former city hall annex which is currently undergoing demolition work. Previous inspections had not identified asbestos on this site but a month ago, after the interior had been demolished, asbestos-containing material was been found in the ceiling. See: 解体工事中の旧新潟市役所分館、天井裏などにアスベスト　解体終了2026年春以降にずれ込む見通し[Demolition of former Niigata City Hall Annex building currently underway: Asbestos found in ceiling and other areas; demolition expected to be delayed until spring 2026 or later].

In mid-May, U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Marvin Isgur in the Southern District of Texas requested that a District Court “determine, by trial or otherwise, whether any of the talc sold by Barretts Minerals, Inc. (“BMI”) contained sufficient quantity and form of asbestos to cause mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases.” Judge Isgur also ruled that the current entity of the defunct talc supplier Barretts Minerals Inc, can continue its Chapter 11 bankruptcy case. Lawyers representing personal injury claimants objected to the decision arguing that the parent company Minerals Technologies Inc. remains solvent. See: Texas judge asks District Court to examine asbestos levels out of Dillon mine.

An article by Bernard Fontaine on the website of EPonline – a resource for environmental professionals – on June 2, 2025 detailed the legacy asbestos hazard which continued to expose workers and members of the public to preventable health risks long after asbestos use had been banned. Having discussed diseases caused by toxic exposures and evidence supporting calls to outlaw its use, the author wrote: “In summary, a comprehensive approach – legal bans, worker protections, product substitution, public health surveillance, and safe industrial practices – is needed to eliminate asbestos harm... ongoing vigilance is required to protect current workers and residents from legacy asbestos.” See: Global Asbestos Threat Persists Despite Widespread Bans and Mounting Evidence.

In a press release issued on May 30, 2025 by multiple departments and officials of the UK Government it was announced that the sum of £1.2 billion (US$1.6bn) had been allocated “to fix crumbling hospitals and schools across England.” Four hundred and seventy million pounds of this money will be used to address crumbling roofs and asbestos contamination at 656 schools; the vast majority of English schools still contain asbestos building material even though asbestos use was banned more than 20 years ago. See: Patients and pupils to benefit from school and hospital repairs.

An agreement which was expected to be signed last week between the Philadelphia school board and the U.S. Department of Justice did not materialize. The Philadelphia school district is being investigated by federal authorities over asbestos management practices in Philadelphia schools. The vast majority of district buildings contain asbestos. Under the federal Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response law “if asbestos is present in any school building, that building must be inspected every six months; every building must be checked.” Asbestos audits either did not take place or were not in compliance with the regulations. See: DOJ ‘not ready to proceed’ with agreement over a federal investigation of Philly schools’ asbestos management processes.

On June 1, 2025, the Provincial Office of Education in Gyeonggi, South Korea announced plans to implement the ‘2025 School Asbestos Building Safety Management Service Project’ to address concerns over asbestos material which is still present in 423 schools. The implementation of this project comes under the supervision of the Ministry of Employment and Labor. As per mandatory regulations of the Asbestos Safety Control Act, school officials with asbestos in their buildings must carry out a risk assessment every six months and take steps to protect school users from toxic exposures. See: 경기도교육청, 학교석면 위해성평가 및 유지보수 용역사업 [Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, School Asbestos Hazard Assessment and Maintenance Service Project].

A new program which offers subsidies for the removal of asbestos material from residential buildings was announced last week by Sicily’s Regional Department of Energy, through the Water and Waste Department. Under the scheme, a maximum amount of €5,000 (US$5,700) can be claimed per home, €2,500 (US$2,900) per real estate unit and €30,000 (US$34,000) per apartment building. Applications can be submitted online until September 5, 2025. See: Sicilia, fino a 5.000 euro per la rimozione dell’amianto in casa [Sicily, up to 5,000 euros for the removal of asbestos at home].

A coming-of-age book by Sébastien Dulude about growing up in a Canadian asbestos mining town won the Quebec Librarians’ Prize on May 29, 2025. Along with the publicity this literary award generated, the recipient also received $10,000. The author grew up in Canada’s asbestos heartland in Thetford Mines, Quebec. His first novel, entitled Amiante (Asbestos), which was set in 1986-1991, was warmly received by the public and critics, and was nominated for a dozen awards. See: Sébastien Dulude remporte le Prix des libraires du Québec [Sébastien Dulude wins the Québec Librarians' Prize].

According to information released on May 28, 2025, US federal authorities had launched an investigation into the Philadelphia School District’s management of asbestos in school buildings. Two years ago, district officials had admitted that their practices were not in compliance with federal requirements. Hundreds of Philadelphia’s schools, garages, pools, farms, and other structures contain deteriorating asbestos-containing material which is supposed to be periodically monitored. A lack of capacity and resources were blamed for failures to comply with mandatory regulations. See: Philly schools under federal investigation for asbestos management practices.

The extensive use of asbestos on trains belonging to the Swiss Federal Railways (German: Schweizerische Bundesbahnen, SBB) left a deadly and costly legacy. As of 2000, there had been 80 asbestos-related casualties among staff, 58 of which were fatal. In 2017, SBB set up an asbestos compensation scheme for injured workers. Despite previous investigations, asbestos-containing products remain on SBB trains. A new program to identify and eradicate this toxic material is now ongoing. See: Des trains CFF encore en service pourraient contenir une dangereuse substance toxique [SBB trains still in service may contain a dangerous toxic substance].

Overturning a verdict of a lower court, the Trieste Court of Appeal ordered Italy’s Ministry of Education to pay compensation of around €600,000 (US$680,000) to the family of a technical assistant from the A. Volta Institute in Trieste who died in 2016 of pleural mesothelioma as a result of workplace exposures to asbestos. The deceased had worked for 15 years in the Institute’s laboratories and mechanical workshops handling materials containing asbestos as well as removing and disposing of asbestos material, often without adequate protection. See: Tecnico scolastico morì per amianto, ministero risarcirà [School technician died of asbestos, ministry will compensate].

Initial plans to redevelop the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) 22-storey Sydney headquarters at 65 Martin Place in 2021 had to be significantly revised after the discovery of “‘significant’ quantities of bonded and friable asbestos embedded in the fabric and structure of the building.” The first development application (DA) has now been filed with Sydney officials. It has been predicted that eradicating the asbestos hazard in the 60-year old building could cost tens of millions of dollars. See: RBA Files First DA to Fix $1bn Sydney Asbestos Money Pit.

I always knew there was something Quixotic about the confrontation of British mining conglomerate Cape Asbestos by thousands of South Africans from poor mining communities in the late 1990s; just how epic the battle was has taken me 30 years to fully appreciate. The publication of a new book – In A Rain of Dust, Death, Deceit and the Lawyer who Busted Big Asbestos – was a revelation with its tale of corporate crime, apartheid capitalism, boardroom clashes, vulture funds and a huge cast of characters. Summing up the importance of this publication, one UK campaigner said: “This new book has a relevance not just to those of us fighting for the rights of the asbestos-injured but to everyone concerned about human rights, environmental justice and corporate responsibility.” [Read full article]

In a press release issued today, asbestos victims’ groups from around the world came together to welcome a new book: In a Rain of Dust – Death, Deceit and the Lawyer Who Busted Big Asbestos which was published in London on May 13, 2025. The text written by David Kinley joins the pantheon of other English-language classics which stripped away carefully crafted corporate façades to show the ugly reality which lies behind asbestos industry profits. The gripping story of how a London-based human rights solicitor with little prior knowledge about asbestos called to account one of the UK’s biggest asbestos conglomerates is not only a riveting read but also a timely reminder of the consequences of an industrial legacy that continues to cause death and destruction on a global scale. [Read full article]

Around the world, International Workers Memorial Day (IWMD) was celebrated on April 28, 2025 by trade unions, labor federations and groups representing victims of workplace illnesses and accidents. Although the theme of this year’s activities was the threat of artificial intelligence to workers, many of the events held highlighted the imminent hazard posed by asbestos to workers both in countries where its use remains legal and those where it is banned. With millions of tonnes of asbestos material still contaminating national infrastructures and over a million tonnes of asbestos fiber being used every year, neither workers nor the public are safe from deadly exposures. The IWMD slogan: “remember the dead, fight for the living” is as apt now as it’s ever been. [Read full article]

For decades, the existence of a regional asbestos epidemic has been a fact of life for people living in towns near a former asbestos mine in Bahia, a state in the northeast of Brazil. A pionnering pulmonary screening program has now confirmed what local people already knew: there is, indeed, a high incidence of occupationally and environmentally caused asbestos cancers, asbestosis, pleural plaques and other respiratory diseases in the Bahia towns of Bom Jesus da Serra, Poções, Caetanos and Planalto. Recommendations made by the specialists who implemented the surveillance program included: continuous monitoring of at-risk individuals, better recording of disease levels and data and the creation of a local center of excellence for the treatment of lung diseases. [Read full article]

People continue to die from asbestos-related cancers and diseases more than thirty years after asbestos was banned in Italy. For decades, victims’ associations, trade unions, community groups and public prosecutors have sought to hold negligent parties to account for the damage done. One defendant who has been indicted and convicted in multiple jurisdictions is Swiss billionaire Stephan Schmidheiny, former owner and a director of the Swiss Eternit company and the main shareholder of the defunct cement production company Eternit Italia. On April 17, the Turin Court of Appeal confirmed a lower court’s verdict which held him responsible for scores of asbestos deaths even though it reduced the length of the prison sentence. [Read full article]

It is remarkable to witness the heightened engagement of national authorities with asbestos legacies in key global hotspots. The imposition of new restrictions, progression of medical projects, upscaling of impact assessments and implementation of eradication programs are indicative of an ever-growing awareness of the urgent need for action to prevent future deaths. Work is also on-going in scores of other countries in screening at-risk populations, securing compensation for victims of asbestos-related diseases, documenting the crimes of asbestos defendants, highlighting long-standing injustices of compensation schemes, and exposing hazardous workplaces and practices. Scrupulous monitoring of developments is essential to preserve progress made in the battle for global asbestos justice. [Read full article]

A catalog of recent developments are suggestive of major problems at Russia’s second largest asbestos conglomerate: Uralasbest. On March 10, the company announced that the workforce would be put on a three-day week to save money on labor costs. Reacting to this news, panicked Uralasbest employees, already on minimum wage, told reporters that their income could decrease by a further 30%. Many were “seriously considering quitting.” Just a few days after the Uralasbest bombshell had exploded, the company announced that it was abandoning the three-day week in the face of employee “dissatisfaction.” The press service of Uralasbest declined to comment further. [Read full article]

After an eight-year wait, Brazilian and international asbestos watchers were optimistic that the Supreme Court’s (STF’s) definitive ruling on the illegality of asbestos exports would be handed down by March 14. As has happened so many times before, the delivery of an STF asbestos decision was upended. This time, the impasse was caused by Judge Kassio Nunes Marques, an appointee of the disgraced former President Jair Bolsonaro. Marques said he needed more time to consider the arguments of case ADI 6200. As he has been a STF Judge since November 5, 2020, one wonders why he had not found time to study the case files? There might be 103,000,000 reasons for this. [Read full article]

Two initiatives have come to the fore recently highlighting the human, environmental and ecological tragedy which has befallen Slovenia's picturesque Soča Valley. From 1921, this area was the heartland of the country's asbestos-cement industry with a sucession of companies routinely exposing thousands of workers and residents to carcinogenic asbestos fibers. A great debt is owed to author/researcher Jasmina Jerant and documentary photographer and filmmaker Manca Juvan who cast fresh eyes over an old scandal. Using their unique talents, they succeded in thrusting vital questions onto local, national and international agendas and once again forced us to question the compromises ordinary people are forced to make to provide for their families. [Read full article]

Brazilian asbestos, banned at home, continues to poison millions of people in India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe etc. whilst simultaneously enriching Brazilian stakeholders. In 2023, international sales of Brazilian asbestos were worth $103,000,000, making Brazil the world’s 2nd largest exporter. Deadlines published by the Supreme Court (STF) for ending the legal limbo in which exports of this prohibited substance continued were inexplicably postponed in August and October 2024. On the eve of STF proceedings which could end the constitutional impasse, global campaigners issued a press release urging the Court to end this “immoral and unjustifiable double standard.” [Read full article]

There is a special place in hell reserved for the panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit which on November 27, 1991 derailed an incipient US ban on asbestos. The knock-on effect of the verdict was that asbestos use remained legal for another 33 years, creating yet more asbestos victims. It was with a pronounced sense of déjà vu that on Friday, February 21, 2025 I learned that the same court had acceded to demands from the Trump administration to pause implementation of a 2024 national asbestos ban. Under the administration of Republican President George W. Bush the asbestos cancer risk to Americans was ignored in 1991; knowing what we do about Donald Trump, is it likely that the outcome will be different this time around? [Read full article]

A statement issued on February 13th conveyed news of yet another win by Indonesian campaigners against asbestos vested interests. After six months of hearings, motions and deliberations, Chief Judge of the Central Jakarta District Court Marper Pandiangan threw out legal arguments by the asbestos manufacturers association (FICMA) which had sought huge damages from civil society groups following a March 2024 Supreme Court ruling mandating warning labels for asbestos roofing products. FICMA has until the middle of March to file an appeal. [Read full article]

News that the Republic of Moldova banned asbestos late last year must have sent a seismic shock to asbestos producers in Russia and Kazakhstan. Although Moldova had in recent years consumed little or no asbestos – in 2022 Moldova imported a mere $16,400 worth of asbestos, 80% of which came from Russia – the elimination of yet another national market will almost certainly intensify the high level of anxiety being experienced by asbestos stakeholders. Throughout the region, asbestos markets are looking increasingly unstable with mounting challenges of pro-asbestos rhetoric and growing awareness among national governments of the high costs being incurred by society for industry profits. [Read full article]

In the run-up to the glitzy 2025 awards season which sees recognition for stars of stage and screen, the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS) is acknowledging impactful work of a different kind. Winners of the Screen Actors Guild, the Academy Awards, the Golden Globe and Critics Choice receive imposing and tasteful statuettes to mark their successes. Not so the “winners” of the IBAS Devil’s Dust Awards 2025 whose ruthless promotion of an acknowledged carcinogen and/or suppression of victims’ rights have earned them a rather revolting accolade: a virtual avatar appropriately nicknamed the Lucifer. With so many potential candidates, it was hard to chose this year’s “winners.” The entities named in this years Dishonors List come from Brazil, France & Indonesia. Want to know more? Read on. [Read full article]

As recently as 2020, Russia was the world’s leading supplier of asbestos, accounting for 65% of global output. A mere three years later this figure had fallen to 48% with Russian producers facing falling demand and increasing competition. In the December 2024 newsletter produced by Uralasbest, Russia’s second biggest asbestos conglomerate, its General Director explained that among the challenges the company faced in 2024 were bureaucratic hurdles and logistical obstructions – i.e. persistent and continuing disruptions to asbestos cargo rail shipments. What he failed to mention, however, was the progress being achieved by global campaigners which has “significantly reduced the possibility of exporting chrysotile asbestos… [and created] the crisis faced by asbestos-producing businesses.” [Read full article]

Against the backdrop of a continuing decrease in global asbestos consumption, work to quantify and address toxic industrial legacies was continued this year by grassroots campaigners, civil society stakeholders, national, regional and international authorities. Amongst high-profile topics debated in multiple jurisdictions were the asbestos contamination of schools, water delivery systems and the built environment; the risks posed by asbestos in personal hygiene products and cosmetics; and the unregulated and unsafe dumping of asbestos waste. Technological developments and the building of infrastructure by asbestos stakeholders made manifest their intention to continue profiting from asbestos sales despite the health hazards. It is clear that despite our many successes, much work remains to be done. [Read full article]

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Demonstration in Woluwe Park, Brussels, 2006

Under cloudy skies, members of Belgian and French Asbestos Victims' Associations from Dunkirk and Bourgogne marched side-by-side in the third annual demonstration organized by ABEVA, the Belgian Association of Asbestos Victims. Erik Jonckheere, ABEVA's Co-chairman, condemned the government which still refuses to recognize the plight of the asbestos injured.

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