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Despite the fact that the European Union (EU) banned asbestos in 2005, items containing asbestos continue to find their way into European markets. Some of these dangerous products have been identified by inspections in EU Member States as a result of which the authorities have ordered that they be withdrawn from sale. While a number of asbestos-contaminated products such as brake linings, brake pads, fireworks and garden torches have been found, the vast majority of this category of illegal items have been thermal flasks or vacuum jugs, many of which were produced in China. See: The Rapid Alert System for Non-Food Products.

It was reported today that "asbestos slate" will be banned in Azerbaijan by the State Committee on Standardization, Metrology and Patents (SCSMP). After enquiries with informed sources, it seems that this statement is incorrect. The Chair of this Azerbaijan Commission today told journalists about an Interministerial Commission, jointly to be formed by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and the SCSMP, which will develop new environmental standards which harmonise with EU standards. Although asbestos is not yet on the agenda it will probably be considered very soon as the asbestos threat has been under consideration in Azerbaijan for several years.

A conference attended by 250 people took place today in Bangkok, organized by the Thailand Ban Asbestos Network (T-Ban). In a declaration issued by delegates, immediate action to implement government proposals to ban asbestos was demanded to protect workers and citizens from the hazards of exposure to asbestos. The policies of international agencies such as the ILO and the WHO, both of which acknowledge the links between asbestos exposure and various cancers and respiratory diseases, were referenced by T-Ban to substantiate the global consensus supporting the worldwide banning of asbestos. See: T-Ban Declaration May 10, 2012.

An adjournment speech in the Australian Parliament on May 9, 2012 by Senator Lisa Singh (Tasmania) detailed current efforts to combat Australia's asbestos scandal, including the work of the Asbestos Diseases Society of Australia, its support for thousands of asbestos sufferers and the successful completion of its 600 km fund-raising Walk for Wittenoom Children. Senator Singh highlighted the global scale of the asbestos crisis and noted Australia's determination to lead diplomatic efforts to ban asbestos by holding a "Global Alliance against Asbestos Conference" in Australia; pertinent to this event, she noted her meeting with ban asbestos campaigner Laurie Kazan-Allen. See: May 9 Speech of Senator Lisa Singh.

The Coordinator of the Asian Ban Asbestos Network, Sugio Furuya, reports a legal victory in the Busan District Court, where the families of two mesothelioma victims who had lived near a Busan asbestos textile factory and three asbestosis victims who had worked at that plant succeeded in their civil case for damages against the company Jeil E&S. Jeil was ordered to pay 60% of the damages for the mesothelioma claimants and 90% of the damages for the asbestosis victims. Cases brought by the victims against the Korean Government and the Japanese asbestos company Nichias did not succeed.

The Praeger Handbook of Environmental Health published at the end of April 2012 includes a chapter on asbestos written by Dr. Joch McCulloch, an Australian historian. Dr. McCulloch details the history of asbestos use, the emergence of an occupational health crisis, the controversy over the status of chrysotile (white) asbestos as well as the suppression of emerging knowledge regarding the hazards of asbestos by industry stakeholders and vested interests. He highlights the role of social movements in combatting the asbestos scourge amongst which the work of the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat is singled out. See: Asbestos Chapter, Praeger Handbook.

Links between Brazil's asbestos lobby and criminal operations have been discovered during a major police investigation into corruption. The ongoing operation, titled "Monte Carlo," has been a huge story with coverage throughout the traditional media as well as online. Three political defenders of the asbestos industry caught up in the scandal are Senator Demóstenes Torres, Federal Deputy Carlos Alberto Leréia and Governor Marconi Perillo, all of whom represent the asbestos-mining state of Goiás. Links to personnel from asbestos companies are detailed as is the closure of the Canadain Chrysotile Institute. See: Operation Monte Carlo Reaches the Parliamentary Asbestos Lobby.

Environmental scientist and veteran EPA employee Dr Cate Jenkins was fired from her job in 2010 for publicizing concerns over the environmental contamination caused by the events on 9/11. Even as the head of the EPA, Christine Todd Whitman, reassured New Yorkers that the air in downtown Manhattan was safe to breathe, high levels of airborne toxins were being recorded. After repeating these accusations to Congress Dr Jenkins was harassed and then sacked. Earlier this week Ms. Jenkins was reinstated when a federal court ruled in her favour. See: Asbestos Spectre Haunts Manhattan September 2002 and EPA scientist who warned of caustic dust from Ground Zero wins job back.

An investigation begun last year by the Ministry of Environment (MoE) has established that 42% of the soil around three derelict mines in Bibong, Yangsa and Sindoek contained asbestos fibers. Of the 2,512 hectares surveyed, 1,058 hectares were found to be contaminated. Acknowledging that this situation endangered the health of people in the surrounding areas, the MoE has promised to initiate health screening this year for 2,500 at-risk people. In 2013, health check-ups will be extended to include others who live in areas where asbestos contamination may also pose a risk to human health. See: Asbestos Contamination in Soil.

A half-day workshop entitled Asbestos and Compensation will take place in Barcelona on May 18, 2012 and will provide the opportunity for experts from the civil service, academia, trade unions and legal profession to explore the evolution and scale of compensation for asbestos-related diseases in Spain. On the program are eminent speakers including Pilar Collantes Ibanez, Director General of the Basque Institute of Social Security and Health, Pedro Mondelo, Director of the Catalan Polytechnic, Labor Inspector Lucia Pancho and trade unionist Ramon Ruiz Diaz. Issues including occupational and environmental exposures will be discussed. See: Asbestos and Compensation in Spain.

Tonight is the premiere of the "Comic" Opera against Mesothelioma, a new work based on the Puccini opera Gianni Schicchi. The Casale Monferrato Municipal Theater will be the site of performances tonight and tomorrow, organized by AfeVA, the Asbestos Victims Families of Casale Monferrato. The singers, musicians and staff are all donating their services to help raise money for mesothelioma research. Casale Monferrato is the town which spearheaded public outrage over the Italian epidemic caused by the operations of the Eternit asbestos factory. For music and clips from the new opera see: http://www.ilmonferrato.it/ Also see the Asbestos in the dock webpage for Opera Gianni Schicchi.

On May 3, 2012, Australia's highest court issued its judgment in the case brought by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) against seven former James Hardie directors who had, the Court decided, broken the law by releasing misleading information to the Australian Stock Exchange. The decision is regarded as a major victory for the ASIC as well as for Australia's asbestos victims, many of whom contracted deadly diseases as a result of exposure to James Hardie asbestos. This case began in the New South Wales (NSW) Supreme Court and was later heard by the NSW Court of Appeal. See: High Court of Australia Judgment.

Unionists called on the Chief Minister of Kerala to ban asbestos in the state at a rally to mark International Workers Memorial Day 2012. In a memorandum to Chief Minister Chandy, the unionists highlighted the global consensus backing the growing movement to ban asbestos. The keynote speech on April 27 was given by Sudharshan Rao Sarde, Director of the International Metalworkers Federation for South Asia who added his support for a state ban, recalling the 2009 decision of the Kerala Human Rights Commission that recognized asbestos health hazard and said asbestos should not be used in the construction of schools. See: Indian trade unionists urge Government of Kerala to ban asbestos.

On April 28, 2012, Latin American and Spanish NGOs exposed "supposedly philanthropic organizations," including Schmidheiney's AVINA for ill-founded support of dangerous practices such as the use of asbestos and the spread of genetic farming. The text which highlighted Schmidheiny's 2012 conviction by an Italian Court, pointed out that his family's fortune had been built on the commercial exploitation of deadly asbestos. Some of Schmidheiny's vast fortune has gone into the AVINA foundation, which is, along with similar groups, accused of promoting destructive neoliberal policies. See: Declaration by Latin American and Spanish Groups.

As coverage of the ground-breaking initiative being rolled out in Western Australia increases and donations flow in, Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard has joined the throng of those wishing the walkers well in their trek through the outback. Acknowledging the vital work undertaken by the Asbestos Diseases Society of Australia to ease the suffering of the injured and to help improve their lives, the Prime Minster commends those participating in the ADSA fund-raising walk and thanks the Society for its "valuable contribution to the lives of those affected by asbestos-related disease." See: Message from Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

Brazilian Federal Deputy Carlos Alberto Leréia Da Silva, defender of the asbestos mining industry, is under investigation in a high-profile corruption scandal - Monte Carlo - which is attracting massive press coverage. Leréia is from the city of Minaçu, home to the infamous chrysotile asbestos mine operated by SAMA/Eternit. He has publicly acknowledged receiving campaign contributions from asbestos vested interests and has defended the asbestos industry on TV and in the legislature. See: Brazilian Ministry of Justice Court Documentation.

Even as asbestos use increases in Indonesia, efforts are being made by civil society groups to generate public, occupational and institutional awareness of the risks posed by the consumption of this acknowledged carcinogen. The formation of the Indonesian Ban Asbestos Network (Ina-Ban) marks a new beginning in the national asbestos debate which, for the first time, includes the voices of those prepared to challenge the status quo. At home and abroad Ina-Ban has engaged in political missions, outreach projects and information initiatives as it campaigns for an end to asbestos use. [Read full article]

A well-attended event was held in São Paulo last week, organized by the Central Única dos Trabalhadores (Central Union of Workers), the largest trade union in Brazil. The agenda of the one-day meeting entitled, National Conference on Occupational Asbestos Disease and Death and a Brazilian Asbestos Ban, revealed the broad-based support which now exists in Brazil for a national ban, as it included eminent experts from the trade union movement, the labor inspectorate, members of federal and state parliaments, the medical and legal professions and social movements including ABREA, the national association representing asbestos victims. [Read full article]

The series of articles on the background, genesis and completion of the ground-breaking Walk for Wittenoom Children can now be referenced from this summary, which will be supplemented when we receive feedback on the aftermath of the project. The articles cited explain the motivation of the walkers as well as the personal experiences of those who donated a week of their lives to fulfil this mission. Daily IBAS interviews conducted during the walk provided a unique perspective on the logistical and practical challenge faced by the project's planners and participants including Den Carnaby, Bev Bertocchi, ADSA officials Robert and Rose Marie Vojakovic, and demon walker, Siri Siriwardene. [Read full article]

And so it ended: after 600 km and 5 days, the ADSA walkers negotiated the final 15 km leg of their journey from Guildford to the ADSA headquarters in Osborne Park. The epic trek, begun in bright sunshine in the West Australian desert, came to its successful conclusion under wet autumn skies in metropolitan Perth. For the triumphal final leg, the walkers, dressed in their iconic ADSA tee shirts, marched as a group. As they approached their destination they were joined by well-wishers and more ADSA members. Arriving just before noon they were greeted by Gary Gray, a representative of Prime Minister Julia Gillard. [Read full article]

Speaking by phone from Western Australia today (May 4), the ADSA's Rose Marie Vojakovic sounded almost disappointed that tomorrow the 600+ km walk will be over. Adjectives she used throughout this morning's interview included "overwhelming," "inspirational," and "moving." As the ADSA team approaches the home straight, the pride of their achievement seems to mingle with the sadness which accompanies the end of something monumental. Tomorrow the final leg of the walk from Kalgoorlie to Perth will be accomplished as the walkers and support staff make their way to the ADSA's Osborne Park offices en masse. [Read full article]

To a seasoned observer of the global asbestos scene it comes as no surprise that asbestos vested interests in Thailand are represented by liars. While it is well known that the asbestos business is based on lies, steps taken by Thai lobbyists have put these individuals in a class of their own. Tee shirts produced by Oranit, a Thai company which manufactures asbestos-cement roofing tiles, proclaiming the WHO's endorsement of chrysotile asbestos has led WHO officials to issue a clear-cut statement calling for an end to the use of all types of asbestos. [Read full article]

The Chrysotile Institute (CI) surrendered its charter to the Ministry of Industry on April 5, 2012. This took place days after its suite of offices at 1200 McGill College had been vacated. The doors at Suite 1640 are now closed and the CI has ceased operations. Although the CI's President claims the closure could be temporary, I believe that this bastion of the asbestos industry is gone for good. Waiting in the wings to pick up where the Canadian lobbyists left off however are ruthless asbestos lobbyists in Russia, Brazil and elsewhere. The CI's battle is over but the asbestos war continues. [Read full article]

As in previous years, asbestos is an issue which will be highlighted around the world on International Workers' Memorial Day (IWMD), April 28. In asbestos-producing and using countries like Albania, Brazil, Canada, China, Nigeria, Togo and the U.S. and in asbestos ban countries like Italy, Australia and the UK, events are being held to expose the risks posed by asbestos and commemorate those whose lives have been sacrificed so that asbestos profits could continue to flow. Through their efforts on April 28, asbestos victims, trade unionists, and occupational health campaigners will add momentum to the global campaign to ban asbestos. [Read full article]

The Italian government is calling for the creation of an EU-wide network of asbestos-related disease (ARD) centres of excellence. The idea was discussed privately between Italian health minister Renato Balduzzi and the EU commissioner for health John Dalli on 24 April, during this week's summit of EU health ministers in Horsens, Denmark. But the conversation is now set to result in a formal proposal at European Commission and EU member state level, according to the Italian health ministry. EU commissioner Dalli is said to have pledged his full support for Professor Balduzzi's ideas. [Read full article]

You truly begin to fathom the huge undertaking of the Asbestos Diseases Society of Australia's (ADSA) charity walk for Wittenoom Children when a day spent walking 180 km is classed as "easy." The walkers, who have now covered hundreds of km on their trek, remain in high spirits albeit with the occasional blister. Today's reception by children and staff at four local schools, the terrific media coverage and news that Australia's top court has convicted asbestos directors of deception have kept spirits high. Tonight the walkers are bedding down at Northam Race Course, having completed day 3 of their epic adventure. [Read full article]

Five kilometres from the West Australian town of Kellerberrin, President Robert Vojakovic of the Asbestos Diseases Society of Australia told IBAS that the walkers were on course to complete the second leg of their journey having covered 230 km since they set off this morning from Yellowdine. The day had gone well and spirits were high, he added. Earlier that afternoon, a truckie had pulled his rig off the road to make a donation. Back in Perth, office manager Antonella Conte confirmed the phones had been ringing non-stop after supporters had seen the extensive media coverage of the event. [Read full article]

After months of discussion, planning and training, the time had finally come to set off. As local politicians and well-wishers waved them off from the center of Kalgoorlie at 8:30 a.m. today, the walkers for Wittenoom Children took the first of the many steps needed to cover the 600+ kilometers awaiting them on this innovative fund-raising walk to raise asbestos awareness as well as funds for vital research into asbestos killer diseases. Strong feelings accompanied the walkers as they remembered their loved ones: fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters killed by Australian asbestos. [Read full article]

The deadly legacy of the Wittenoom crocidolite (blue) asbestos mine has been Australia's greatest industrial catastrophe. From the early 1940s until the mine shut in 1966, more than 20,000 people have lived in Wittenoom, amongst whom were 4000+ children. It is believed that 10% of Wittenoom's residents have died of asbestos-related diseases. The Asbestos Diseases Society of Australia, which has been raising money to find a cure for these diseases for 30 years, is mounting a fund-raising "Walk for Wittenoom's Children," to support the work of medical researchers in Western Australia. [Read full article]

There is every reason for the people of Western Australia (WA) to be sensitive to the asbestos issue: the incidence of asbestos-related disease in the state is amongst the highest in the world. A heightened public awareness of the WA asbestos tragedy is the result of 30+ years of community mobilization which has been spearheaded by a unique institution: the Asbestos Diseases Society of Australia (ADSA). The Society, which was begun in 1978 by former asbestos miners from Wittenoom and their family members, has today become one of the world's leading support and advocacy groups for asbestos victims. [Read full article]

Recent publications not only confirm the health hazard posed by asbestos exposure but also widen the range of diseases known to be caused by all the commercial types of asbestos. The Review of Human Carcinogens: Arsenic, Metals, Fibres, and Dusts concluded that: "Asbestos causes mesothelioma and cancer of the lung, larynx, and ovary," while the paper: Cardiovascular disease mortality among British asbestos workers (1971-2005) proved that workers exposed to asbestos are at an increased risk of death from cardiovascular conditions such as heart disease and strokes; amongst the female cohort, there was a 100% increase in the risk of a stroke-related death. [Read full article]

The Asbestos Diseases Society of Australia Incorporated (ADSA) Management, Staff, Members and Friends were delighted to recognize the outstanding work of British ban asbestos campaigner Laurie Kazan-Allen at a ceremony which took place on March 25, 2012 in Perth, Western Australia. At this year's Annual General Meeting of the ADSA, she became the first non-Australian to receive the prestigious Emeritus Professor Eric G. Saint Memorial Award. The Honourable John Kobelke, a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, presented the award and congratulated Ms. Kazan-Allen on her never ending commitment and extraordinary contribution to the global ban asbestos campaign. [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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