News Archive

Proposals by the Scottish Law Commission currently being considered by the Holyrood Government would improve the rights of asbestos victims. Provisions of the draft Damages (Scotland) Bill reflect a better understanding of the “realities of asbestos disease.” If implemented, the updated regulations would benefit victims of asbestos-related diseases and their families by removing technical barriers to compensation claims for diseases which have notoriously long latency periods. See: Asbestos victims may get more legal rights.

Toxic Toys!

Sep 11, 2026

The September 2, 2026 news alert broadcast on Italy's national public broadcasting company RAI which is cited below conveyed news of a Ministry of Health advisory about the hazards posed by the sale of an asbestos-contaminated toy in Italy. The toxic product was an elastic, carrot-shaped toy which had been recalled by the EU’s Safety Gate Alert scheme on July 9, 2026; it was made in China and contained tremolite asbestos-contaminated sand. See: Giocattoli contenenti amianto, ministero Salute: quali sono e cosa fare se li avete in casa [Toys containing asbestos – Ministry of Health: which ones they are and what to do if you have them at home].

Tribute to Professor David Rosner

Sep 11, 2026

The wonderful tribute cited below to the US historian and campaigner David Rosner, who died aged 79 on May 24, 2026, was written by his student and colleague Merlin Chowkwanyun. Professor Rosen’s scholarly output had a real-life impact; his ultimate goal was to hold to account individuals and corporations whose short-cuts and profit-driven decisions exposed others to undisclosed dangers. With better knowledge, people could make informed decisions prioritizing their own health and that of their families. He was a great man who will be much missed. See: Remembering David Rosner, Public Health Historian With A Purpose.

Breaking the Deadlock

Sep 11, 2026

Local people in Western Hungary have grown tired of waiting for central government to act on the human health hazard posed by the historic use of asbestos-contaminated imported aggregates on road surfaces, parking lots and other public areas. Earlier this month, municipal officials in Szombathely took unilateral action and commissioned a specialist contractor to begin work covering the toxic roads with bitumen. Discussions with the central authorities remain ongoing. See: Nem várnak a kormányra Szombathelyen, elkezdik lefedni az azbesztet [They're not waiting for the government in Szombathely, they're starting to cover up asbestos].

Asbestos Safety Alert!

Sep 11, 2026

On August 20, 2026, WORKSAFE – “New Zealand’s primary work health and safety regulator” – issued a public safety reminder regarding the use of high-pressure water spraying or compressed air on asbestos-containing materials (ACM), such as asbestos roofing often found on domestic properties, sheds and garages as well as on agricultural structures. According to the advisory: “Disturbing ACM can release asbestos fibres and contaminate surrounding areas, posing risks to workers, occupants, and others nearby.” See: Check for asbestos before undertaking high-pressure spraying on roofs.

Asbestos Remediation Failures

Sep 11, 2026

According to inspectors for the Central and West Brabant Environment Agency (OMWB) – a regional environmental authority and regulatory body in the Noord-Brabant Province of the Netherlands – asbestos contamination was found at several supposedly cleared sites. Unfortunately, these shocking reports were not unusual; authorities elsewhere in the Netherlands and in Belgium said that asbestos had been found at other remediated sites which had been signed off. These developments, said one expert, cast doubt on the safety of the country’s asbestos supervision system. See: Who oversees the final inspection in the asbestos chain?

Mesothelioma Trend: Update

Sep 9, 2026

The article cited below appeared in the September 1, 2026 issue of the Daily Mail. It was the latest asbestos feature in the newspaper’s “Asbestos: Britain's Hidden Killer” campaign. The text described the 2024 asbestos cancer death of 20-year-old Liam; it’s believed that he was exposed to asbestos whilst at nursery or primary school. Journalist Steve Boggan cited anecdotal as well as statistical evidence to support comments by medical professionals that younger people are increasingly being diagnosed with mesothelioma, previously thought of as an older person’s disease. See: Liam was aged just 20 when he died of a cancer linked to asbestos. Is he one of a growing number of former pupils and teachers exposed to it at crumbling schools?

Victims vs. Saint-Gobain

Sep 9, 2026

A high-profile August 30, 2026 column by the prominent Brazilian political and investigative journalist Lauro Jardim highlighted the launch of a new class action against Saint-Gobain, one of Brazil’s former asbestos giants, on behalf of injured Brazilian workers who are each claiming compensation of up to R$900,000 (~US$176,300). See [Subscription site]: Ação judicial apoiada pela ABREA (Associação dos Expostos ao Amianto) contra a Saint-Gobain, exigindo indenizações de até R$ 900 mil para funcionários expostos ao amianto [Lawsuit supported by ABREA (Association of Those Exposed to Asbestos) against Saint-Gobain, seeking compensation of up to R$900,000 for employees exposed to asbestos].

New Data on Environmental Exposures

Sep 9, 2026

The considerable societal burden of asbestos-related lung cancer on the Turkish population was documented in an August 2026 online publication on the Lung Cancer Journal homepage. A decades-long study of a cohort in rural Turkey showed that environmental asbestos exposures were “associated with a >4-fold increase in lung cancer mortality.” The co-authors of the paper recommended “incorporating environmental asbestos exposure into risk assessment, surveillance, and low-dose computed tomography screening strategies in endemic regions.” See: Environmental asbestos exposure and lung cancer burden compared with mesothelioma in rural Türkiye: A 33-Year population-based cohort study.

Upgrade in Government Benefit Scheme

Sep 9, 2026

A September 1, 2026 press release by the UK’s Department for Work and Pensions announced that following new legislation adopted by Parliament, dependants would now receive the same amount of compensation as sufferers of asbestos-related diseases and dust-related diseases like mesothelioma and pneumoconiosis. This change ended years of “unfair discrepancy,” during which the injured received a one-off government payment of £17,700, while dependents received £10,700 if the victim had not received compensation before death. See: Loved ones of asbestos and dust-disease victims to receive fairer compensation.

Commemoration of Asbestos Victims

Sep 9, 2026

To mark the 10th anniversary of the opening of the EterNOT Park, a public amenity built on the redmediated site of the infamous Eternit asbestos-cement factory in Casale Monferrato (CM), a series of events will be held on September 10. People from CM and asbestos victims and their families from Genoa are invited to attend the screening of the documentary “Asbestos. Genoa: history of a workers’ struggle” and hear presentations from civic dignitaries, victims’ campaigners and union officials. See: Due Città una Storia – Amianto a Genova e Casale [Two Cities, one Story – Asbestos in Genoa and Casale].

Asbestos Legacy of Chungnam Province

Sep 9, 2026

It was reported on September 1, 2026 that Assembly Member Jang Jae-seok of Chungnam Provincial Council, South Korea had proposed the establishment of an “integrated management support system for asbestos damage” to provide better care for asbestos victims in the Province. National data showed that 31% of South Korea’s asbestos victims (2,753) lived in Chungnam Province which was the location of Asia’s largest asbestos-producing mine. Even though the mine long ceased functioning, environmental contamination remains a serious health hazard to local communities. See: 전국 석면 피해 31%가 충남에…통합관리체계 구축 시급 [31% of Asbestos Damage Nationwide Concentrated in South Chungcheong Province… Urgent Need for Integrated Management System].

National Asbestos “Crisis”

Sep 7, 2026

According to industrial hygienist Roy Denish: “The Sri Lanka asbestos crisis remains one of the country’s most complex public health, occupational safety and regulatory challenges.” In 2018, the Sri Lanka Government reversed plans to ban asbestos after economic blackmail by the Russian government. As a result, toxic exposures remain a daily occurrence at work and in residential properties. The danger is exacerbated by “informal labour and unsafe waste practices.” Workers in the emergency response, construction, maintenance and demolition sectors are among those at elevated risk of contracting asbestos-related diseases. See: Sri Lanka Asbestos Crisis Exposes a Silent Health Risk.

Frustration over Asbestos Scandal

Sep 7, 2026

After months of toxic exposures and emotional turmoil, people in western Hungary have tired of the empty promises mouthed by government officials. A recap of the scandal caused by the use of asbestos-contaminated Austrian aggregates on road surfaces in and around the Szombathely area put into context news from Brussels where EU officials engaged with an Open Letter by global campaigners concerned about the human health consequences of environmental exposures to a known carcinogen. See: Már Brüsszel is aggódik a súlyos magyarországi azbesztbotrány miatt, miközben Magyar Péterék lapítanak [Brussels is already worried about the serious asbestos scandal in Hungary, while Péter Magyar and his team are covering up].

Asbestos in Schools

Sep 7, 2026

According to data provided at the request of Flemish MP Gianna Werbrouck, in 2026 173 schools in Flanders applied for subsidies for asbestos removal costs. This is nearly twice as many as last year. Asbestos audits remain outstanding for 6,000 Flemish schools. In 2025, the Flemish government announced plans to cover all the costs of asbestos removal from schools. The deadline for eradicating the asbestos hazard from the educational infrastructure of Flanders is 2030. See: Le nombre d'écoles en Flandre qui sollicitent des subventions pour un désamiantage a presque double [The number of schools in Flanders that apply for subsidies for asbestos removal has almost doubled].

Update from Eternit, S.A.

Sep 7, 2026

The latest figures released on August 27, 2026 by Eternit, S.A. – Brazil’s only remaining asbestos producer – for the first and second quarters (Q) of 2026 revealed that the chrysotile mining sector of the company (SAMA) is facing “intense pressure and compressing profit margins.” SAMA’s annual chrysotile production estimates for 2026 were 172,000-176,000 tonnes. In Q1, lower chrysotile export volumes contributed to a 6.5% decrease in net revenue while in Q2 a 30.2% fall in chrysotile revenue contributed to a ~77% decline in gross profit. See:

Eternit, S.A. Q1 2026 Summary;
Eternit, S.A. Q2 2026 Summary.

Asbestos Hazard in Capital?

Sep 7, 2026

In the run-up to the new school year, the Public Defender of Georgia called upon officials at Tbilisi City Hall –located in close proximity to Tbilisi First Classical Gymnasium and Public School No. 47 – to undertake an environmental assessment regarding the impact of local roadworks. The Public Defender said that it was essential to determine “whether materials uncovered in the rehabilitation zone contain asbestos.” Asbestos was widely used during the 20th century for water and sewage pipes. See: Public Defender Warns Tbilisi City Hall Over Possible Asbestos Discovery During Rustaveli Avenue Works.

Asbestos in Schools

Sep 7, 2026

An article on the news portal of AetnaNet – “a long-running online community and information network dedicated to the school system and education in Sicily and Italy” – reported that the sum of €114.4 million (US$82m) was allocated for asbestos remediation, structural rehabilitation and safety improvements of Italian schools. The funding was intended to prioritize the improvement of conditions experienced by all those within school communities. See: Edilizia scolastica, 114,4 milioni per sicurezza e bonifica dell’amianto: nuove risorse per gli edifici scolastici [School buildings, 114.4 million for safety and asbestos remediation: new resources for school buildings].

Road Aggregate Concerns Acknowledged

Sep 3, 2026

The August 28, 2026 article cited below revealed that an Open Letter by international health and safety campaigners which had been ignored by the media in Hungary had been acknowledged by the European Commission on behalf of its President Ursula von der Leyen. The global activists had expressed concerns regarding widespread asbestos contamination in western Hungary caused by the use of toxic aggregates from Austrian mines for the construction of road surfaces in Szombathely and surrounding towns. See: EU Acknowledges Concerns Over Asbestos Contamination.

Precedent Set in Tokyo Court

Sep 3, 2026

On August 27, 2026, Presiding Judge Sonoe Taniguchi of the Tokyo High Court rejected an appeal from the Japanese Government and ruled that “the statute of limitations should be calculated from the time of death, not from the onset of symptoms.” The government was ordered to pay 13 million yen (US$81,200) compensation to the family of an insulation worker who died in 2004 from mesothelioma. See: アスベスト被害で高裁が初判断時効の起算点は中皮腫での「死亡時 [High Court Issues First Ruling on Asbestos-Related Harm: Statute of Limitations Starts from “Time of Death” in mesothelioma cases].

Asbestos Town Pivot to Rare Earths

Sep 3, 2026

The economic life of the mining town of Minaçu, in the Brazilian State of Goiás has been linked to asbestos mining for decades. With the 2017 decision of the Supreme Court banning the commercial exploitation of asbestos, the town and industry were living on borrowed time. For now, the industry survives by mining, under a State exemption, for export purposes only. Exploration and development work on the mining of rare earth minerals in Minaçu could portend the cessation of asbestos mining, once and for all. See: Terras raras: saiba como cidade goiana saiu da exploração de amianto para o centro da disputa internacional de minérios [Rare earths: learn how a city in Goiás went from asbestos mining to the center of the international mineral dispute].

New Asbestos Recall for Toxic Toy

Sept 3, 2026

On August 27, 2026, the European Commission’s Safety Gate Alert scheme issued a notification recalling a Brainboom Stretchmonster stretchy sand-filled plastic wolf figure. The turquoise toy was made in China and has been recalled because: “The toy can easily rupture and the filling of the inside could come out. The sand inside contains asbestos (measured value up to 5% by weight). Asbestos could cause cancer.” So far this year, this scheme has issued dozens of alerts for asbestos-contaminated toys and play sand products. See: Alert number: SR/02368/26 – Brainboom Stretchmonster, stretchy toy.

Mesothelioma Data: Update

Sep 3, 2026

Figures released on August 26, 2026 by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) noted that in 2025, 627 cases of mesothelioma had been reported to the Australian Mesothelioma Registry (AMR); likely asbestos exposures were assessed in 90% of those diagnosed and the median age at diagnosis was 78 years. The estimated health system expenditure for mesothelioma cases in 2023–2024 was A$48.6 million / US$35m (total cancers A$19.7 billion / US$14bn). In recent years, Australia’s relative survival rate for mesothelioma has been improving. See: Mesothelioma in Australia 2025.

Asbestos Pollution in Niagara

Sep 3, 2026

Asbestos contamination was recently discovered in soil samples sourced from a former industrial site owned by General Motors in St. Catharines, Southern Ontario, Canada. Local people as well as regional councillors voiced strong criticism of the failure by Niagara Region Public Health and local officials to address the contamination issue. Attempts by members of the public to access information about the extent of the contamination at the 55-acre site next to downtown St. Catharines were continually thwarted. See: Niagara Public Health won’t investigate threats from asbestos, other contaminants on GM site.

Toxic Talc Investigation

Sep 1, 2026

On August 24, 2026, Brazil’s Public Prosecutor’s Office (PPO) began an investigation into possible asbestos contamination of cosmetics following numerous successful court cases in the US against Johnson & Johnson (J&J) over sales of talc-based baby powder. Brazilian producers of talc-based consumer products as well as importers will be contacted by staff from the PPO. Depending on the responses received to their enquiries, the PPO could hold a public or technical hearing pursuant to opening a civil inquiry. See: Ministério Público investiga presença de amianto em cosméticos com talco [The Public Prosecutor's Office is investigating the presence of asbestos in talc-based cosmetics].