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On December 3, 2024, President Salvador Illa approved a draft law to eradicate the asbestos hazard from Catalonia – which stipulated strict procedures and timelines for the removal of asbestos from the built environment. Once the law is implemented, fines of up to €100,000 (US$105,000) could be levied on property owners who fail to comply with asbestos removal orders. It will also become mandatory for asbestos certificates to be presented during all property transactions, including sales, purchases, and rentals. See: Government approves ‘pioneering’ bill to eradicate asbestos in Catalonia.

French officials in Saint Denis, a northern suburb of Paris, hailed a November 27th decision by the Paris Court of Appeal condemning the owners of a company, which for almost forty years operated an asbestos factory in the area. The defendant – Comptoir de minerals et matières premières [Minerals and raw materials company] – was ordered to pay the municipality ~ €14 million (US$14.8m) for damaging health and the environment. The money awarded was for work to decontaminate the derelict factory and surrounding area. See [subscription site]: Amiante à Aulnay-sous-Bois: la société mère de «l’usine-poison» devra verser près de 14 millions d’euros [Asbestos in Aulnay-sous-Bois: the parent company of the “poison factory” will have to pay nearly 14 million euros].

On December 1, 2024, the Civil Liability (Provisional Damages for Dust Diseases) Act 2024 came into force – under which, Western Australians diagnosed with diseases caused by the inhalation of asbestos or silica dust have “improved access to fair and just compensation” like victims in other Australian States. As a result of the new legislation, individuals in WA “who develop multiple separate illnesses because of inhalation of asbestos or silica dust” will be entitled to seek subsequent damages should they develop new conditions arising from the same exposure. See: Fair compensation outcomes for dust disease sufferers commence.

A unanimous November judgment of the Superior Court Judicial District of Bridgeport, Connecticut ordered that $7.5 million compensation in punitive damages be paid by R.T. Vanderbilt Holding Company to the surviving family of an engineer who died aged 81 in 2023 of mesothelioma. In May, 2024, a jury had also found the same defendant liable for $15 million after a four-week trial. The deceased, who had worked for General Electric Co. and Olin Corp., had routinely been exposed to asbestos between 1960 and 1979. See: Judge awards $7.5M in punitive damages to CT-based family of engineer who died of mesothelioma.

People in Belgium, which for decades had been at the center of Europe’s asbestos industry, have an in-depth knowledge of the consequences of asbestos exposures. The asbestos cancer deaths on November 27, 2024 of Erik Meersschaert (68) and Luc Heirbaut (67) were an unwanted reminder of the price this small country had paid for its deadly asbestos legacy. Both of the deceased were artists and had worked with asbestos, one at a factory and the other in a garage, decades ago. Luc’s father (2002) and brother-in-law (2022) had also died from the same asbestos cancer. See: Kunstenaars Erik (68) en Luc (67) op dezelfde dag gestorven aan dezelfde kanker: “Asbest is helaas overal” [Artists Erik (68) and Luc (67) died on the same day from the same cancer: “Asbestos is unfortunately everywhere”].

Local residents concerned about the deterioration of asbestos roofing on homes in Govan Mbeki Municipality, in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa are calling on the local government to eradicate the hazard by replacing the toxic roofing with safer material. According to Mxolisi Mlata (66), “municipal officials came to my house earlier this year and promised to replace the asbestos roof with corrugated iron, but this has still not happened.” Speaking on behalf of the municipality Donald Green said information collected by the authorities documenting the asbestos contamination had been sent to the Department of Human Settlements. See: Residents want Govan Mbeki Municipality to remove asbestos roofs.

The article cited below documented the increasing availability debate in China – one of the world’s biggest asbestos producers and users – of asbestos-free alternative products. In this case, the safer fireproofing products under discussion are based on fiberglass, silicone rubber and polymer materials. Included in the text is a section on asbestos fireproofing which stated that this type of fireproofing is being “gradually phased out” due to the health hazards posed by its use: asbestos use had, the author wrote “been banned in many countries” as it caused diseases and cancer. See: 防火套管的材料选择对其性能有何影响？ [How does the choice of material for a fireproof sleeve affect its performance?].

According to the Russian website to which it was uploaded the article cited below, about the asbestos contamination of cosmetics, was written by journalist Nikolai Grinko. If so, he should be congratulated for producing an informative piece explaining a number of matters of historical and scientific interest. The last paragraph, however, was totally out of keeping with what came before and can only be explained by the author experiencing a memory lapse or by someone else writing the contradictory conclusion saying it was “completely pointless to urge women to use less cosmetics.” See: Ученые предупреждают об опасности талька в косметике [Scientists warn about the dangers of talc in cosmetics].

Judge José Luiz Xavier of the 2nd Chamber of the Regional Labor Court of Brazil’s 1st Region (Rio de Janeiro) confirmed a lower court verdict ordering the São Paulo manufacturer of construction materials Teadit to pay compensation of ~R$1.1 million (US$181,200) to the family of an employee who died, aged 72, from the asbestos cancer mesothelioma in 2018. According to the Judge: “the employer contributed to the illness that killed the employee, since it did not provide him with the necessary safety to perform his duties…” See: Justiça manda indenizar família de homem morto por exposição a amianto [Court orders compensation for family of man killed by asbestos exposure].

India’s National Green Tribunal (NGT) condemned the failure of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) to take action on serious concerns about the hazard posed to human health by asbestos contamination of schools, despite a directive ordering that a scientific study be undertaken to learn “whether the health risks for students differed from those faced by industrial workers exposed to asbestos.” The Ministry was ordered to send a senior MoEFCC officer to court on December 17 to explain why it had not complied with the NGT’s directive. See: NGT slams MoEF for ‘stalling action’ over asbestos sheets in educational institutions.

On November 27, 2024, Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the final Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2: Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos conducted under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Following extensive research, the EPA concluded that “legacy uses of asbestos that result in asbestos exposure significantly contribute to the unreasonable risk presented by asbestos.” Among those at highest risk from exposures asbestos within the built environment are construction workers and first responders, as well as their family members. See: EPA Finalizes Part 2 TSCA Risk Evaluation for Asbestos.

A compensation payout of €1,500,000+ (US$1.6m+) was awarded to the family of a refinery worker from Naples, Italy who died from the signature asbestos cancer, mesothelioma. The deceased, referred to as V.T., had worked for 20 years in several capacities throughout the thermoelectric plant which had been owned by Mobil Oil Italiana. Based on the court’s investigation, the Labor Judge ruled that the company had used asbestos without occupational protections being implemented; as a result of the company’s negligence, V.T. contracted cancer. See: Amianto killer: raffineria Kuwait condannata a risarcire la famiglia dell’operaio morto per mesothelioma [Killer asbestos: Kuwait refinery ordered to compensate the family of worker who died of mesothelioma].

A five-page policy paper called the Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) recently disseminated by the Asian Development Ban (ADB) – “a regional development bank … [working] to promote social and economic development in Asia” – contained new provisions prohibiting the use of asbestos in ADB-funded projects. Included now on the Prohibited Investment Activities List is “financing the production, trade or use of asbestos fibers… This change is premised on a precautionary approach to avoid exposure risks to project workers and community members to all forms of asbestos and asbestos-containing materials given the significant health risk.” See: Asian Development Bank Environmental and Social Framework Policy Paper.

A press statement issued by South African politician Bronwynn Engelbrecht, a Member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (MPL) and a member of Gauteng’s Education Committee, on November 26, 2024 called for urgent eradication of the asbestos hazard from public schools. Despite a commitment made in 2013 by the Gauteng Department of Education to address the deadly contamination, the MPL claimed that “29 schools in Gauteng are built entirely or predominantly from asbestos…” See: Gauteng’s 29 asbestos schools a disgrace, demanding action from uncaring Gauteng government.

As Asbestos Awareness Week commenced in Australia, a lot of articles and resources were uploaded highlighting the country’s deadly legacy created by decades of asbestos production and use. One in three Australian domestic properties still contain asbestos. The article cited below focused on the ongoing health hazard posed by DIY work in asbestos-containing homes; anecdotal evidence suggests that an increase in asbestos disease levels is due to non-occupational asbestos exposures such as those which occur during unsafe home renovations. See: Asbestos is still found in one in three Australian homes and DIY renovations are leading to exposure among women and children.

Ecological restoration work to restore abandoned asbestos mines in the Giant Panda National Park in Shimian County, Sichuan Province, China has been completed. After decades of asbestos mining, 245 hectares of land covering the areas of Banchanggou, Guangyuanbao and Xinkang have been neutralized using a “five-step construction method” of mine ecological restoration to address “the geological disasters, soil erosion and leakage problems caused by large-scale slag accumulation, and improve the survival rate and construction efficiency of the restored vegetation.” See: 石棉县废弃矿山生态修复完成 助力大熊猫国家公园建设 [The ecological restoration of abandoned mines in Shimian County was completed to help the construction of the Giant Panda National Park].

Last week, global ban asbestos groups issued a joint press release in defence of Indonesian activists at the Independent Consumer Protection Institute (LPKSM), the Yasa Nata Budi Foundation and the Indonesian Ban Asbestos Network (INABAN) working to protect the population from deadly exposures to asbestos. In a blatant disregard for occupational and public health, the Fiber Cement Manufacturing Association – a powerful and well-resourced trade association representing the interests of the asbestos industry – is suing the campaigners for “massive damages” after a Supreme Court ruling upheld their petition to mandate labelling on asbestos products. [Read full article]

Mobilization on the asbestos hazard has been ongoing in Pacific Islands Countries and Territories for a number of years with work by personnel from the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme and partnering organizations bringing positive results, such as the 2024 ban on asbestos imports and use in the Republic of Nauru (gazetted on October 10 and 30, respectively). Significant developments in protecting populations from deadly asbestos exposures have also been achieved in Niue, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. In the shadow of the UN’s 29th Climate Change Conference, it is clearer than ever that asbestos technology is neither sustainable nor acceptable and must be banned. [Read full article]

The International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS) was founded in November 1999 by Laurie Kazan-Allen in collaboration with colleagues in North and Latin America, Asia, Europe and Australia to achieve justice for the injured and coalesce the global fight to ban asbestos. Over the next 25 years, this virtual consortium of activists organized, sponsored or participated in events and initiated or supported projects to achieve these objectives on six continents. The article marking IBAS’ 25th anniversary recalled the challenges faced, the memories amassed, the victories achieved and the setbacks faced. Input from global ban asbestos campaigners included in this review delineated the “IBAS Effect” as they experienced it. [Read full article]

On November 19 & 20, 2024, delegates from Southeast Asia, Australia and Japan convened in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for a meeting organized by the Asian Ban Asbestos Network (ABAN), its international and local partners. At the completion of the event, a joint press release was issued calling on the Malaysian Government “to urgently impose an outright ban on all types of asbestos products being manufactured in the country and halt any further imports of chrysotile asbestos fibre.” According to Malaysian trade union official David Arul, asbestos use “persists in several Malaysian industries, exposing countless workers to preventable harm.” [Read full article]

Some might think that the holding last month (October 2024) of a meeting in Russia to progress peace and stability amongst nations belonging to the BRICS coalition might be deemed inappropriate given Russia’s continuing attacks on Ukraine. Nevertheless, representatives of 35 countries and 6 international organizations turned up in droves to the 16th annual BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia. The participants were addressed by President Putin who spoke of “mutual respect,” “open dialogue,” and “sovereign policies.” A mysterious article, which appeared and disappeared after a few hours, however, revealed that Russia’s motivation for the creation and support of BRICS was totally self-serving, citing its importance in expanding foreign markets for home-grown asbestos. [Read full article]

In recent weeks there has been a flurry of media coverage in newspapers and online about various aspects of the UK’s asbestos epidemic. Simultaneously, the Daily Mail launched a campaign – Asbestos: Britain's Hidden Killer – to establish a digital national asbestos database to prevent avoidable exposures as part of “a long-term strategic plan to eradicate asbestos risk from British infrastructure.” It’s pretty damning that more than a century after the asbestos hazard was first acknowledged by the British Government, so little has been done. One can but hope that the new 335 MPs, who constitute a majority of the House of Commons, will be more proactive on this deadly workplace hazard than their predecessors. [Read full article]

Proposals to ban asbestos are currently under consideration by the Mexican Congress with a discussion of the latest draft of the Asbestos Eradication Law scheduled for October 24, 2024 in the Legislative Palace. For years medical experts and civil society groups in Mexico have been calling for action on the asbestos hazard. Now that asbestos use has dwindled to 40 tonnes/year, these calls are being acted on. The loss of the Mexican asbestos market will have less of an impact than the loss of support from Mexican asbestos stakeholders who have vigorously participated in initiatives by industry lobbyists to influence national, regional and global asbestos dialogues. [Read full article]

As the 21st century dawned, China was both the world’s second biggest asbestos-consuming (382,315 tonnes/t) and producing (315,000t) country. By 2022, however, annual usage had fallen to 261,000t (a decrease of 32%) and production to 130,000t (a 59% fall). Figures for the last few years corroborated the continued decline. The reason for this U-turn was explained in a paper published last month which stated that China’s official policy on asbestos had undergone a major shift in 2013-14; intriguingly, the co-authors gave no more information and declined to provide footnotes to substantiate this statement. This being the case, the content of another September article was in direct contrast to observed trends. Want to know more…. [Read full article]

Just when you thought you had seen it all, you realize you were wrong. The lengths to which asbestos pushers will go to continue to ride the asbestos gravy train truly knows no bounds. This year, an asbestos trade association – Indonesia’s Fibre Cement Manufacturers’ Association (FICMA) – is trialing a new legal stratagem designed to: counteract a Supreme Court ruling unfavorable to the asbestos sector and cower campaigners brave enough to challenge the industry’s dominance. The audacity of this legal manoeuvre is breathtaking and, to my knowledge, totally unprecedented. The FICMA lawsuit, which targeted the consumers’ protection organization that had petitioned the Supreme Court to mandate Government action on the asbestos hazard, is claiming substantial damages from the NGO for loss of future profits. [Read full article]

Romana Blasotti Pavesi was a member of a club that no one wanted to join; she lost her husband Mario, daughter Maria Rosa, son Ottavio, sister Libera, nephew Enrico and cousin Anna to the asbestos cancer mesothelioma. Only Mario had worked with asbestos. All the others had been exposed to carcinogenic fibers in the built environment and in the air of their home town Casale Monferrato, the municipality at the center of Italy’s asbestos epidemic. In the face of her own losses and those of so many others, Romana dedicated her life to “the fight against asbestos.” The news of Romana’s death, at the age of 95 on September 11, 2024, sparked off intensive media coverage at home and a global outpouring of appreciation from fellow campaigners. [Read full article]

In a place long forgotten by the industrial enterprises which abused its people and polluted their land, a human-made miracle is taking place. From September 2 until September 20, 2024 an asbestos taskforce is providing free health screening for 450 individuals from the towns of Bom Jesus da Serra, Poçes, Caetanos and Planalto in the Brazilian State of Bahia. The bulk of the funding for this program was allocated from money impounded by the Labor Public Ministry from penalties paid by defendants which had been convicted of failing to provide mandatory occupational protections for their workers. [Read full article]

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]

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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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