Abstract Archive

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]

Brazilian Efforts to Ban Asbestos 2012

May 11, 2012

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]

Walk for Wittenoom Children - Summary

May 7, 2012

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]

Walk for Wittenoom Children - Day 5

May 5, 2012

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]

Walk for Wittenoom Children - Day 4

May 4, 2012

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]

Thailand's Asbestos Liars

May 1, 2012

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 Rise and Fall of the Chrysotile Institute

May 1, 2012

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]

International Workers Memorial Day 2012

Apr 25, 2012

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]

Italian Government takes Asbestos Safety and Care Concerns to EU - International Research Network Ahead?

Apr 25, 2012

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]

Walk for Wittenoom Children - Day 3

May 3, 2012

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]

Walk for Wittenoom Children - Day 2

May 2, 2012

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]

Walk for Wittenoom Children - Day 1

May 1, 2012

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]

Charity Walk for Wittenoom's Children

Apr 19, 2012

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]

Confronting Australia's Asbestos Catastrophe

Apr 10, 2012

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]

Confirmation of Asbestos Hazard

Apr 8, 2012

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]

Australian Award for British Activist

April 4, 2012

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]

Quebec Condemns Killer Industry

Mar 7, 2012

The unprecedented coverage of Canada's asbestos scandal which has taken place in La Presse, Quebec's most popular newspaper, over recent weeks is a good reflection of the sea change that has occurred in Canada's asbestos debate. Whereas criticism of the national asbestos industry was previously not infrequent in the English-speaking media, similar articles were subject to de facto censorship throughout Quebec's French language newspapers and TV stations. That this is no longer the case indicates that the asbestos industry has indeed lost the public relations war in Quebec, leaving asbestos vested interests exposed and isolated. [Read full article]

Ban Asbestos Mobilization in Thailand

Feb 29, 2012

On February 17, 2012, a conference was held in Bangkok under the banner of the National Programme for the Elimination of Asbestos Diseases which brought together a hundred representatives of civil society groups determined to press the government to ban asbestos. The day's activities culminated with the adoption of a Declaration to Make Thailand Asbestos-Free which asserted that the fundamental right to work and live in a healthy environment was denied to people living in countries where asbestos use was legal. To coordinate ban asbestos pressure, the Thailand Ban Asbestos Network (T-BAN) was established. [Read full article]

Clarification of Turin Judgment

Feb 22, 2012

In the aftermath of the Turin verdict of February 13, 2012 condemning asbestos defendants Stephen Schmidheiny and Jean-Louis de Cartier de Marchienne for their part in the asbestos deaths of thousands of Italians, many questions are being asked about the details of the 128-page ruling. Lawyer Sergio Bonetto, who represented some of the Italian asbestos victims in this case, provides clarification regarding several issues of immediate concern including the timetable for payment of damages, the options open to recover those damages and the likely progression of the case through the Italian judicial system. [Read full article]

Landmark Victory for Italian Asbestos Victims!

Feb 20, 2012

On February 13, 2012, Eternit defendants Stephan Schmidheiny and Jean-Louis de Cartier de Marchienne, were convicted by a criminal court in Turin of causing permanent environmental disaster and failing to comply with safety rules as a result of which thousands of Italians died from asbestos-related diseases. The European industrialists were sentenced to 16 years in prison and financial penalties of €90 million were imposed by the Court "jointly and severally" on them and the companies named in the lawsuit. The verdict was warmly received by Italian campaigners who had battled for over three decades for justice for Eternit's asbestos victims. [Read full article]

IBAS Eternit Monograph Released as Verdict in the Great Asbestos Trial is Announced

Feb 11, 2012

On February 13, 2012, a Turin Court will announce the verdict in a criminal case brought by Italian prosecutors against former asbestos executives who are charged with causing permanent environmental disaster and failing to comply with safety rules for their part in the running of asbestos-cement factories in Casale Monferrato and other Italian cities. The Public Prosecutor is asking for 20-year jail sentences. The courtroom will be packed with Italian victims, family members and ban asbestos campaigners from all over the world, all of whom will be waiting with baited breath for the verdict to be pronounced. [Read full article]

Ban Asbestos Mobilization in Hong Kong

Jan 27, 2012

On January 19, 2012, local activists met with representatives of the (Hong Kong) Legislative Council Panel on Environmental Affairs to progress calls for a ban on the import, use and transshipment of asbestos in Hong Kong. During the discussions, the activists called for the government to introduce measures to raise occupational awareness of the asbestos hazard, identify asbestos-containing materials in all public buildings and quantify levels of environmental contamination. The Government is also being urged to introduce a mandatory scheme to protect workers which would involve the registration and supervision of proposed plans to demolish asbestos-contaminated properties. [Read full article]

Sri Lanka's Asbestos Challenge

Jan 27, 2012

Sri Lanka is a country facing many challenges, not least of which is the reconstruction of the national infrastructure after so many years of war. It is regrettable that in the rush to build commercial and domestic properties, the usage of asbestos is increasing. In 2010, consumption was nearly treble that of the previous year. Over the period from 2000 to 2010, total asbestos consumption was nearly a quarter of a million tonnes, an average of 22,207 tonnes/year. While other countries have banned or seriously restricted asbestos use, Sri Lanka seems bent on expanding this deadly industry. [Read full article]

Global Asbestos Scandal: Some Answers

Jan 17, 2012

The publication of papers in recent months about various aspects of the global asbestos scandal provides further details of the human consequences of hazardous exposures, the politics behind the deadly asbestos trade, the efforts by civil society to ban asbestos and grassroots projects to spread awareness of the asbestos hazard. Specific issues relating to asbestos agendas in Spain, Mexico, Canada and Indonesia are discussed in the four articles referenced in this text whose authors include epidemiologists, occupational and public health experts, ban asbestos and community activists. [Read full article]

A New Year in Casale Monferrato

Jan 4, 2012

The furore set off in 2011 by asbestos defendant Stephan Schmidheiny's attempt to make a deal with the town of Casale Monferrato showed no sign of abating as the year drew to a close. Into the breach stepped Italy's Minister of Health, Renato Balduzzi, who himself phoned the Mayor on December 21 to set up meetings for January 1. Discussions on New Year's Day with key stakeholders has led to plans for a coordinated plan by national agencies, local authorities and federal bodies to tackle the country's asbestos emergency. In the meantime, the deadline set by Schmidheiny for signing the deal has expired. [Read full article]