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On Thursday, September 5, 2024 at 7 p.m., in Kapelle-op-den-Bos, Belgium – formerly the location of one of Europe’s largest asbestos-cement factories and the epicenter of a devastating cancer epidemic which has taken the lives of family members and local people as well as workers – a statue was unveiled in remembrance of the asbestos victims. Although this municipal recognition of the asbestos disaster was long overdue, the Association of Asbestos Victims was neither consulted to contribute its input to the project nor invited to speak at the ceremony. See: Inhuldiging beeld 'Ademloos' tijdens het feestweekend [Breathless. Inauguration of the statue 'Breathless' during the festive weekend].

Researchers at Perm National Research Polytechnic working at a facility in Alapaevsk, Sverdlovsk Region to devise new uses for home-grown Russian asbestos announced this week that a pilot project for improving the quality and durability of road surfaces by using chrysotile asbestos had succeeded. According to their news release: “The technology has already received a patent and can be applied to concrete and asphalt plants throughout the country.” See: Ученые Пермского Политеха улучшили качество асфальта [Perm Polytechnic University Scientists Improve Asphalt Quality].

The announcement that Liu Qian – a famous magician in China – contracted lung cancer generated a lot of media coverage last week. Having been diagnosed early, Liu Qian had an operation and gave up smoking. Many of the articles about his diagnosis highlighted famous people who also died of lung cancer. The article cited below included a description of the types and stages of lung cancer, available treatments as well as main risk factors including: smoking, air pollution, secondhand smoke, and exposure to chemicals such as chromium and asbestos. See: 48岁刘谦自曝罹患肺腺癌引热议，如何预防中国第一大癌? [48-year-old Liu Qian's self-exposure of lung adenocarcinoma has caused heated discussions, how to prevent China's first major cancer?].

The beginning of the new school year was disrupted for 1,400 Canadian students by the discovery of asbestos at the Horizon Jeunesse high school in Laval, Quebec. The school will be shut until the middle of October with students either being asked to work remotely or being relocated to other premises. Students had been scheduled to return to school on August 28. Decontamination and clean-up work by specialist contractors is proceeding. It is likely that the asbestos found at the school was supplied by one of Quebec’s asbestos mines. See: Asbestos leak disrupts return to class at Laval, Que., high school.

Mayor Lee Jae-joon of Suwon City, South Korea is urging local people to apply for civic grants to remove asbestos roofing and other asbestos material from privately-owned buildings. Available funding will cover the entire refurbishment cost for “'priority support households” and other vulnerable groups with smaller sums being allocated to other households. Building owners must apply in person at the Saebit Civil Complaint Office which is on the first floor of Suwon City Hall. See: 슬레이트 철거 지붕개량 지원.. 수원시, 신청 접수 [Slate demolition roof improvement support.. Suwon, application reception].

New data documenting the ongoing mesothelioma epidemic in Australia was uploaded on August 28, 2024 to the website of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australia's national agency for information and statistics on Australia's health and welfare. In 2022, there were 685 deaths from mesothelioma; in 2023, 617 mesothelioma patients were diagnosed at a median age of 77. Ninety percent of sufferers reported known or suspected incidents of asbestos exposure. See: Mesothelioma in Australia 2023.

A warning from thoracic surgeon Chen Jinxing alerted women in China to the health hazard posed by the use of asbestos-containing talc-based cosmetic products. Dr Jinxing, who is the director of the Department of Surgery of National Taiwan University Hospital, explained that exposure to asbestos can cause lung cancer, ovarian cancer and malignant endometrial cancer and suggested that consumers do not choose “cheap powdered cosmetics, and remove makeup as soon as possible.” See: 女性不抽菸仍罹肺癌 台大医示警：化妆品也有风险 [Women who don't smoke still suffer from lung cancer National Taiwan University doctor warns: cosmetics also have risks].

Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare issued a warning on August 29 regarding the availability of asbestos-containing products from online retail outlets. Although products containing 0.1% or more of asbestos are prohibited from being manufactured, imported, or sold under the Industrial Safety and Health Act, items – such as ZHANGXINWEN's Ceramic Wire Mesh, HanaHaul's Ceramic Wire Mesh, Asbestos Wire Mesh (8 pieces) – can be purchased online. See: 厚労省、ECモールへ出品のアスベスト使用製品に注意喚起…主要ECモールに確認を要請 [The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare warns of asbestos-using products listed in EC malls ... Requests confirmation from major e-commerce malls].

A study published in the August 2024 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications concluded that the ability of the immune system of a mesothelioma patient to fight mesothelioma can be affected by the presence of certain gut bacteria. This being so, changes in a patient’s diet could improve the benefits of medical treatment. According to researcher Professor Dean Fennell, the presence of specific gut bacteria – Provetella, eubacterium ventriosum group and biophilia – increased the likelihood of a positive patient response to immunotherapy treatment. See: Gut bacteria influence responses to immunotherapy in patients with asbestos related cancer, Leicester study finds.

The article cited below was uploaded to a news portal in the Chechen Republic of Russia during Lung Cancer Prevention Week. The fairly lengthy text focused on the increasing incidence of lung cancer in Russia, the factors which cause it as well as the treatments available. Having explained that most lung cancers were caused by smoking, other key risk factors were highlighted such as exposures to asbestos: “People who work with asbestos have an increased risk of developing lung cancer. If they also smoke, the risk increases significantly,” the author said. See: С 19 – 25 августа неделя профилактики рака легких [From August 19 to 25, Lung Cancer Prevention Week].

On the afternoon of September 1, 2024, members of the Hokuriku Branch of the Mesothelioma and Asbestos Disease Patients and Families Association held a consultation and information session in Kanazawa City to examine the ongoing consequences of the 7.5 magnitude January 1, 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake. Mesothelioma sufferer Akira Oshima, from Kahoku City, Ishikawa Prefecture, gave a presentation during which he shared his experience. See: 「石綿に理解深めて」震災がれきで被害懸念 支援団体が相談・交流会 [“Deepen your understanding of asbestos” Concerned about damage caused by earthquake rubble support groups hold consultations and exchange meetings].

The curious article cited below underscored the hazard posed by handling asbestos-containing automotive products. The author failed to mention the availability of asbestos-free alternatives. Highlighting the recommended training, procedures and equipment, “including but not limited to protective masks, protective clothing, protective gloves and goggles,” for handling these products, the author concluded that: “strict adherence to safety measures is not only a protection for the health of personnel, but also a responsibility for the environment.” See: 处理石棉材料时应采取哪些安全措施？这些措施有哪些环保意义? [What safety measures should be taken when handling asbestos materials? What are the environmental implications of these measures?].

During September 2-21, 2024, 450 asbestos-exposed workers and members of the public in Bom Jesus da Serra and Poções, cities in the Brazilian State of Bahia, will be invited to take part in a medical screening program to detect symptoms of asbestos-related diseases. The pioneering outreach project is jointly coordinated by personnel from the: Brazilian Association of the Asbestos-Exposed, the Heart Institute of São Paulo and the Labor Public Ministry. Participants will be offered clinical examinations including spirometry tests and computed tomography scans (CTs). See: Ex-funcionários e familiares da SAMA passarão por rastreamento de saúde em Bom Jesus da Serra [Former SAMA employees and their families will undergo health screening in Bom Jesus da Serra].

In an article uploaded to a Russian news portal on August 21, 2024, the Omsk Ministry of Health warned Russians about the lung cancer risk posed by exposures to carcinogenic substances experienced by workers in some occupations. The first named carcinogen in the text was asbestos. The synergistic effect of asbestos exposure and tobacco use was highlighted by the author who explained that at-risk workers who had occupational exposures to asbestos included those in the shipyards, printing companies and the textile industry as well as carpenters and electricians. See: В омском Минздраве назвали список профессий, которые могут вызвать рак лёгких [The Omsk Ministry of Health names a list of professions that can cause lung cancer].

The results of a study using data from a cohort of 25,000 workers confirmed that asbestos-exposed male offshore workers in the petroleum industry were at an elevated risk of developing pleural cancer. The research was undertaken by academics from the University of Oslo working in collaboration with colleagues from the Cancer Registry of Norway; it was funded by the Research Council of Norway. The scientists speculated that “the risk of pleural cancer may also be linked to their potential exposure to asbestos before they began work in the offshore industry.” See: Asbestos Tied to Pleural Cancer in Offshore Workers.

On August 22, 2024, an article about the national lung cancer epidemic appeared on a news portal run by Pravda.ru, which before privatization was an instrument of the Russian government. Nowadays, this news service is not connected to the government, which might explain how the author of the text cited below was able to issue a health warning about exposures to asbestos, a natural resource highly prized and well protected in Russia. For decades Russia, the world's biggest asbestos producer, has continued to maintain that asbestos use is safe. See: На ранних стадиях симптомов нет: как вовремя распознать рак легкого [There are no symptoms in the early stages: how to recognize lung cancer in time].

September 3, 2024 marked a turning point in the 30-year French battle for asbestos justice. A struggle to hold to account some of the people responsible for the country’s deadly asbestos epidemic collapsed when the Court of Cassation (Supreme Court) issued a ruling upholding a 2023 dismissal by the Paris Court of Appeals of criminal charges against executives of the country’s biggest asbestos group: Eternit. This was the latest in a series of defeats faced by asbestos victims and their legal representatives. More than a hundred years after Labor Inspector Denis Auribault reported excess mortality of asbestos workers in a textile factory in Condé-sur-Noireau, Calvados, French courts continue to fail the victims. Shame on them! [Read full article]

Until the 1970s, Canada was the world’s largest asbestos producer with mines in Quebec, British Columbia and Newfoundland. Although it was soon to be overtaken by output from mines in Soviet Russia, Canada remained the global asbestos cheerleader for decades to come. The price paid for Canada’s asbestos profits included lives shortened and families shattered. A national epidemic of asbestos-related diseases, discoveries of asbestos material contained within the national infrastructure and the perennial problem of what to do with huge mountains of asbestos mining waste continue long after the asbestos cash flow evaporated. [Read full article]

An insightful podcast broadcast on the BBC this summer raised the profile of the hazard posed by the presence of talc in make-up, cosmetics and personal hygiene products in the UK. The first 14-minute episode of “Talc Tales” – part of the How They Made Us Doubt Everything series – featured the case of British woman Hannah Fletcher, who was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma at the age of 41. Ms. Fletcher believed that she contracted the signature asbestos cancer as a result of exposures to toxic talcum powder. Spurred by this allegation, podcaster Phoebe Keane submitted the contents of her make-up bag for analysis. The results, which were delivered in the last of the five episodes, validated the ongoing hazard posed by the use of talc in cosmetics. [Read full article]

In a joint press release issued on August 20, 2024, representatives of asbestos victims and trade unionists from Asia, Europe, Latin America and Australia expressed concern over recent developments at Brazil’s Supreme Court (STF), an esteemed and venerable institution. According to the official court schedule, the verdict on the unconstitutionality of a state law allowing asbestos mining and exporting to continue despite a national ban was expected on August 14. Without a word of warning or explanation, the case disappeared from the court docket. An appeal was made to the STF to “take the right course of action and reschedule the delivery of this ruling for the earliest opportunity” (Clique aqui para ler a versão em português). [Read full article]

Even though it is winter now in Brazil, Christmas has come early for Eternit SA, the country’s sole remaining asbestos producer. The week beginning August 12, 2024 was a bumper one for the company with plaudits a-plenty and gifts raining down. As Eternit emerged from more than six years of a court-supervised judicial reorganization process, it was lauded as an inspiration to Brazilian corporations “as a valuable example of how companies in crisis can reinvent themselves and thrive.” Contemporaneous developments at the Supreme Court and Goiás State Legislature made it abundantly clear that Eternit, whose asbestos exports are worth US $4,750,000+ per month, still had plenty of influential friends left. [Read full article]

As global demand collapses and competitors crowd into remaining markets, the Russian asbestos behemoth is weakening. At the same time as Russia’s traditional customer base is disintegrating, competitors in Kazakhstan and China are developing new trade routes and streamlining logistics to capitalize on the woes of Russian suppliers. As demand continues to decline, market forces may succeed where the Russian government has failed. With dwindling sales, Russia’s once mighty asbestos industry may no longer be financially viable. Time will tell. [Read full article]

In the compilation of the July 25, 2024 asbestos news items for IBAS, I noticed a pattern in the content available. The developments reported on that day from Asia, Europe and North America illustrated the evolution of the global asbestos agenda from the early days of promotion to the end stage of eradication with a stop en route to address claims by the injured. With so much political uncertainty and social instability on the horizon, it is reassuring to see that progress is being made to end the global epidemic of asbestos-related diseases and provide justice for the injured. The sooner humankind transitions to asbestos-free technology, the safer the world will be. [Read full article]

If asbestos producers have their way, the global epidemic of asbestos-related deaths could well continue into the 25th century. And yet asbestos, in all its forms, is categorized as a Group 1 carcinogen (“carcinogenic to humans”) by the International Agency on Research for Cancer. According to data published on July 22, 2024 in The Lancet, Asia bears the highest disease burden of lung cancer, with 63.1% of newly diagnosed lung cancers and 62.9% of lung cancer deaths occurring in the region…” It is no coincidence that the region with “the highest disease burden of lung cancer” is also the region with the highest consumption of asbestos. [Read full article]

At an art exhibition held in Dundee, Scotland on May 9, 2024 by the Scottish asbestos charity Asbestos Action, ten original portraits of asbestos victims by artist Craig Semple were displayed. The objective of the event was to show that people are “much more than their diagnoses.” Commenting on the day, the Charity’s General Manager Dianne Foster said: “Every single person who is diagnosed with an asbestos-related condition has a life, has a family, has friends, and it is a very unfair situation that people have been exposed to asbestos.” Positive feedback was received from many of the hundred or so people who attended the showing. [Read full article]

Last week, millions of readers of major UK newspapers were reminded of the country’s tragic asbestos legacy in stories about asbestos-related deaths from occupational, second-hand and environmental exposures. Almost simultaneously, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) released figures confirming the continuation of the epidemic which has been killing Britons for over a century. According to new HSE data, 5,000 people+ die annually from asbestos-related diseases including mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, cancers of the larynx and stomach; there is no data for the number of asbestos-related deaths caused by cancers of the ovary and pharynx. Calls are being made for the new Labour Government to take action on this national scandal. [Read full article]

The death of Robert Vojakovic was announced on June 27, 2024. Robert was a star in the galaxy of asbestos campaigners: he was indefatigable, incontrovertible and irrepressible. Coming from thousands of miles away, Robert Vojakovic grew to represent the very best of Australian values in his fight for a “Fair Go” for workers in his new country. Over the span of fifty years, he devoted his time and energy initially as a volunteer, latterly as the President of the Australian Diseases Society of Australia, to making manifest the devastating impact asbestos exposures had had on miners, millers, transport workers and family members from the infamous asbestos mining town of Wittenoom, where he himself once worked. [Read full article]

The news released last week that Russia’s Ministry of Health (MoH) was considering plans to recognize occupational cancers, including those caused by exposures to asbestos, as industrial diseases was as huge a surprise to ban asbestos campaigners as it was a shock to Russian vested interests. The consultation period was due to close yesterday (June 17, 2024). No doubt the MoH received angry complaints from Orenburg Minerals, Uralasbest and other asbestos stakeholders over the implicit threat to the substance at the heart of their enterprises. After all, if asbestos is hazardous enough to be on the authorized list of diseases caused by occupational exposures in Russia, then the industry propaganda which affirms that asbestos use is safe is patently untrue, as we all know it to be. [Read full article]

Late on June 11, 2024, Italy’s Supreme Court (the Court of Cassation) announced that it had overturned a decision by the Palermo Court of Appeal which had nullified a first-instance guilty verdict for the asbestos deaths of 39 shipyard workers and the serious injuries sustained by 11 other employees. The lower court had ruled that the negligence of executives Giuseppe Cortesi and Antonio Cipponeri had resulted in dangerous workplace asbestos exposures at the Fincantieri S.p.A. shipyard in Palermo in the 1980s. The Court of Appeal rejected this decision saying that exposure to asbestos at the company’s shipyard in Palermo had ceased in the early 1980s. The Supreme Court found the decision of the Appeal Court “erroneous” and ordered a new hearing. [Read full article]

I’d seen it with my own eyes but hadn’t believed it. However, in the aftermath of an explosive article on the news portal of Deutsche Welle, a German state-owned international broadcaster, I’m convinced. Last year, Brazil solidified its position as the number one supplier of asbestos to India, toppling Russia into second place. Russia’s reversal of fortunes was first observed in 2022 when Indian import data recorded 169,134 tonnes (t) from Brazil and 145,398t from Russia. The slide continued in 2023, with shipments of 160,720t of Brazilian asbestos to India. This news has repercussions that far transcend mere reals, rupees and rubles: let me explain. [Read full article]

“Sportswashing” is the latest weapon in the arsenal of tricks wielded by asbestos conglomerates to decontaminate corporate names sullied by decades of wanton behaviour, workforce deaths and environmental crimes. Around the world, former and current asbestos companies are attempting to restore their brands by a public relations sleight of hand, attaching their name to that of a popular team or sporting event. The contentious nature of this technique was confirmed last week by the reaction of sports fans in Parramatta, New South Wales who vociferously condemned a renewal of links between the local rugby team and James Hardie, formerly Australia’s largest asbestos conglomerate. [Read full article]

The leadership role of Australian campaigners in the struggle to eradicate the asbestos hazard in the Asia-Pacific region has not gone unnoticed. The latest newsletter (April 2024) issued by Uralasbest – Russia’s second biggest asbestos conglomerate – condemned Australia for its “sophisticated” efforts to “destroy the chrysotile (white) asbestos industry” via the UN’s Rotterdam Convention and its attempt “to add two negative paragraphs on chrysotile asbestos to the text of the Resolution on Chemicals” at the latest meeting of the UN Environment Assembly. This month’s Australian outreach project – a training initiative to build local medical capacity for the diagnosis and treatment of asbestos-related diseases in Laos and Vietnam – will almost certainly offend the Russians even more. [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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