News Item Archive
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Displaying first 25 items in reverse date order (default)
Asbestos Alert in Auckland
Oct 17, 2025
On the evening of Friday, October 10, 2025, Auckland’s Pitt Street fire station was closed after firefighters had discovered asbestos contamination. Pending tests to quantify the problem, specialist vehicles and equipment at the station would be out of service said Martin Campbell, the Vice President of New Zealand’s Professional Firefighters’ Union, who was critical of the poor management and leadership which had led to toxic working conditions at the station. On Saturday, specialist operatives were brought in to the premises to begin air monitoring and swab testing. See: Union wants answers after discovery of asbestos at central Auckland fire station.
Asbestos & Lung Cancer Research: Update
Oct 17, 2025
Feedback from Canadian trade unionists informed the choice of research projects which succeeded in obtaining Workplace Cancer Research Grants from The Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) in 2025. Of the four grants, worth a total of C$800,000 (US$571,000) awarded earlier this month, two will support research into workplace asbestos exposures and lung cancer. The funded project led by Dr. Nathan DeBono of Ontario Health, will examine “the effectiveness of lung cancer screening among construction workers exposed to asbestos.” The one led by Dr. Paul Demers will quantify the total costs of all Canadian cases of occupational lung cancer in 2026. See: Canadian Cancer Society funds new research tackling workplace cancers.
Assessing the National Asbestos Hazard
Oct 17, 2025
According to the document cited below, the import, storage & use of asbestos-cement sheets and similar building material were banned in Togo by Decree no. 97-256/PR of December 3, 1997. Notwithstanding the prohibitions, the levels of public and professional awareness of the hazard are low according to the 47-page 2025 monograph entitled: Study Report on Asbestos in Togo by Kodjo Ambroise Troveh & Herman Amewu Dovi. Recommendations were made in the text for measures to: improve the management of in-situ asbestos, centralize knowledge and data collection, provide technical support to decision-makers, implement and monitor prevention and training programs for the construction sector, develop skills and build technical capacity. See: Study Report on Asbestos in Togo.
Post-Ban Asbestos Issues
Oct 17, 2025
The article cited below considered ongoing health challenges in Brazil despite the national asbestos ban (2017). Having highlighted the hazard posed by asbestos liberated by disasters such as the floods which affected 484 municipalities in 2024, the authors stressed the importance of developing a national asbestos management plan which “should include measures for prevention, safe identification, and removal of materials containing asbestos, as well as providing training and provision of protective equipment for workers and residents, with a focus on vulnerable areas such as urban hillside regions.” See: O perigo oculto do amianto em situações de desastres: reflexões para futuros enfrentament [The hidden danger of asbestos in disaster situations: reflections for future confrontation].
Posthumous Victory in Sicily!
Oct 17, 2025
Having rejected rejecting an appeal lodged by lawyers for the Villa Sofia-Cervello hospital, the Court of Palermo ordered the health authority to pay compensation of €30,000 (US$34,700) to the family of mesothelioma victim Giuseppe Canino who died in 2015. A miscommunication by the hospital resulted in Canino receiving an incorrect diagnosis of his disease; he was not told he had contracted sarcomatous mesothelioma. By the time the cancer was identified, the patient was unconscious and unable to make important decisions. See: Diagnosi di tumore in ritardo, confermata la condanna per Villa Sofia [Delayed cancer diagnosis, conviction for Villa Sofia confirmed].
Asbestos at Northern Ireland Bonfire
Oct 17, 2025
According to findings in a report commissioned by the Community Development Committee of Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council, Northern Ireland the sand base underlying a massive bonfire held last Summer to commemorate Eleventh Night at Randalstown, Co Antrim was contaminated with a “highly toxic and dangerous waste substance.” As the presence of asbestos constituted a “significant health and safety risk,” the council appointed an asbestos specialist to undertake testing of the suspect material. He found 80 tonnes of asbestos-contaminated sand under the pyre. It was removed using stringent safety measures. See: Eleventh Night bonfire’s entire sand base was contaminated with asbestos, council meeting hears.
Mesothelioma Research Update
Oct 13, 2025
The text referenced below by a team of nine researchers from Australia and Sweden was uploaded on October 8, 2025 to the Regional Health website of The Lancet Western Pacific. Updated findings were reported from an initial 2015 cohort study which examined the cancer risk posed by living in houses in the Australian capital (ACT) insulated with loose fill asbestos sold under the brand name Mr Fluffy. The paper’s authors confirmed “that living in a house with loose fill asbestos insulation may be sufficient to cause cancer, in particular mesothelioma.” See: Risk of cancer associated with residential exposure to asbestos insulation: updated evidence.
Johnson & Johnson Lose “Bigly”
Oct 13, 2025
In world-shattering news – reported in Japan, Russia, Brazil, South Africa and elsewhere – a stunning jury verdict of almost a billion dollars was handed down by a California jury last week in a case brought over the 2021 mesothelioma death of 88-year old Mae Moore. Johnson & Johnson (J&J) was founded guilty of causing her death by selling asbestos-contaminated talc-based baby powder. The jurors were so incensed by the evidence that they ordered the company to pay $950 million in punitive damages. The company said it will appeal. See: Jury orders Johnson & Johnson to pay $966m in talc cancer case.
One Nation’s Tragic Legacy
Oct 13, 2025
In an article for Tribune, Tom White, author of the newly published book “Bad Dust. A History of the Asbestos Disaster,” describes how successive UK governments of various persuasions failed to address the asbestos hazard. Examining the behaviour of Cape PLC, one of the UK’s largest asbestos conglomerates, the author highlighted how time after time the profits of industry stakeholders were prioritized over occupational and public health. The massive corporate cover-up which enabled the industry to flourish for so long could not have succeeded without a high level of government complacency or, even worse, cooperation. See: Asbestos: The Neoliberal Poison.
Asbestos Public Health Crisis
Oct 13, 2025
Complexities involved in obtaining accurate diagnoses of asbestos-related diseases (ARDs) in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) were examined in the research paper cited below which explored the potential of newer technologies including low-dose CT (LDCT), ultra-low-dose CT (ULDCT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and other innovative diagnostic techniques. The authors concluded that: “Addressing the diagnostic gap in ARDs in LMICs requires systemic strengthening of occupational health surveillance, better regulatory enforcement, expanded access to advanced diagnostic tools, and targeted clinician training.” See: Challenges in Identifying and Diagnosing Asbestos-Related Diseases in Emerging Economies: A Global Health Perspective.
Asbestos in Schools
Oct 13, 2025
Research reported in the article cited below confirmed that most schools were not in compliance with regulations requiring “schools, colleges and high schools… to have a technical diagnosis gathering all the documents relating to the monitoring of materials that may contain asbestos.” Commenting on discouraging feedback from the Ministry of National Education regarding its asbestos survey of schools, the teachers’ unions claimed that municipal officials, which owned schools, were as negligent as employers who managed them in failing to address the asbestos hazard. See [subscription site]: Amiante dans les écoles: plus de la moitié des établissements concernés ne seraient pas en règle [Asbestos in schools: more than half of schools concerned are not in compliance].
New AC Data!
Oct 9, 2025
On September 30, 2025 Prevent Cancer Now – a “Canada-wide movement to eliminate preventable contributors to cancer…” – uploaded the results of Statistics Canada’s first national inventory of asbestos cement (AC) drinking water supply pipes. Based on data from 64% of jurisdictions, it was suggested that there are ~13,700 kilometers (~8,500 miles) of AC drinking water pipes still in use throughout Canada. The worst affected Provinces were: British Columbia (4,261 km AC pipes), Alberta (3,286 km), Saskatchewan (2,757 km), Ontario (1,259 km), Manitoba (1,006 km) and Quebec (864 km). See: Where are Canada’s asbestos cement drinking water pipes? Check the data for where you live.
MPT Victory over Eternit in Bahia
Oct 9, 2025
Under Brazilian legislation, when a worker is injured or becomes ill due to working conditions, companies are obliged to communicate this fact – with the use of a form referred to as a CAT – to the Social Security Administration (INSS). For decades Brazil’s largest asbestos conglomerate: Eternit S/A failed to do this for workers at its factories in Bahia. The Labor Prosecutor's Office (MPT) in 2017 filed a lawsuit against the company for non-compliance. In the latest development in this case, Judge Viviane Maria Leite de Faria ordered Eternit to issue the required documentation to eligible employees. If the company fails to do so, it will be fined. See: Fernanda Giannasi: A Eternit é mais uma vez derrotada na Justiça [Fernanda Giannasi: Eternit is once again defeated in court].
Ministries Differ on Asbestos Policy
Oct 9, 2025
An opinion piece on the website of Nikkei Asia – an online provider of financial news covering developments in Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia – on October 2, 2025 documented the raging controversy forestalling action on asbestos by the Vietnam Government, with the the Ministry of Construction downplaying the asbestos hazard and the Ministry of Health calling for a “complete asbestos ban due to public health concerns.” Domestic and foreign asbestos industry stakeholders continue to do everything they can to preserve the status quo. See: OPINION. Asbestos in Vietnam is the unseen Danger.
Deadline for Asbestos Removal!
Oct 9, 2025
A Committee of the Kenyan Parliament set a one-year deadline for the eradication of asbestos roofing from all public buildings. The National Assembly Committee on Petitions also stipulated that the Ministry of Health had six months to conduct an asbestos health audit to identify at-risk populations. In the report the Committee submitted to Parliament, the deadly hazard posed by the liberation of carcinogenic asbestos fibers from deteriorating asbestos-cement products was highlighted. From the 1960s on, asbestos building products were used widely in the construction of the built environment. See: MPs give public institutions one year to remove asbestos roofing.
Asbestos on the Farm
Oct 9, 2025
A new outreach initiative by the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) launched last month highlighted the danger posed by the continued presence of asbestos on farms. According to Bryan Monson, HSENI’s deputy chief executive: “Asbestos in buildings may not be clearly visible and can be hidden within the building structure, for example, in cavity walls, so it is very important that farmers and those managing farm businesses inspect their buildings for asbestos-containing materials before doing any maintenance or refurbishment work.” See: The hidden danger of asbestos on farms.
Honeywell Off-loading Asbestos Claims
Oct 9, 2025
In a press release issued last week by Honeywell, an American multinational conglomerate which operates in multiple industrial sectors including aerospace, building automation, industrial automation, and energy and sustainability solutions, plans to off-load Honeywell’s asbestos liabilities to “Delticus, a leading institutionally capitalized corporate liability acquisition platform” were announced. This is a corporate strategy that has been adopted by other US asbestos defendant corporations with varying degrees of success. After this divestment has been accomplished, Honeywell said, it will separate in late 2026 “into three independent, industry-leading companies.” See: Honeywell Announces Transaction to Divest Legacy Asbestos Liabilities.
Asbestos at Oxford University
Oct 6, 2025
Another searing asbestos exposé has been uploaded by Confront Power, a British investigative news portal. The focus of this piece was the emerging asbestos scandal at Oxford University. The institution was ordered by the Information Commissioner’s Office to release relevant internal documents from 2019 and 2020. They showed dramatic failings in the management of asbestos contained within the university infrastructure: “Out of the estimated 235 university buildings with asbestos-containing materials, just four buildings had developed and implemented sufficient asbestos management plans.” See: Serious asbestos management failings at Oxford University, documents reveal.
CARD & its Mission
Oct 6, 2025
A report on discussions which took place on June 19 & 20, 2025 on the industrial legacy of Libby, Montana and the vital work of the Center for Asbestos-Related Disease (CARD) wwas uploaded on September 29, 2025. Libby, Montana is an EPA superfund site due to extensive asbestos contamination caused by the vermiculite mining operations of the W. R. Grace company. Despite contested legal rulings and media misrepresentation, CARD remained open for business so that it could continue to support asbestos victims and their families. See: Proceedings of the Libby, Montana asbestos education & outreach retreat.
Public Concern over Asbestos Waste
Oct 6, 2025
Domenico Rossi, a regional councilor from Italy’s Piedmont region, expressed the concern of many local people, when he sought confirmation from the Department of the Environment about the transfer of asbestos waste from a building site in Turin to the Savoini waste facility in Maggiora, a city in the Province of Novara, Piedmont. The official response from the Department was less than reassuring as it referred to “non-hazardous waste containing asbestos” and failed to say how long the materials would remain in the Novara area. See: Sono arrivati a Maggiora i rifiuti contenenti amianto del cantiere di Torino [Asbestos-containing waste from Turin construction site has arrived in Maggiora].
Identifying Asbestos Products
Oct 6, 2025
A new resource – The Asbestos Product Guide – by Australia’s Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency (ASSEA) was recently uploaded. The guide provided pictures showing typical asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) used in Australia during the 20th century, with useful information including brand names and descriptions. Photos are grouped under subject headings including: building structures & Components, machinery & fixed plant, electrical infrastructure, insulation, adhesives, sealants & coatings and other. See: The Asbestos Product Guide.
Asbestos: A Political Challenge
Oct 6, 2025
An asbestos roundtable discussion took place at the annual Labor Party Conference which was held in Birmingham on September 29, 2025. A number of leading experts recapped the ongoing hazard posed by asbestos within the national infrastructure and bemoaned the failure of the Labour Government to take effective action. Minister Sir Stephen Timms detailed some positive developments: the 2025-26 rollout of an asbestos census of the public estate, beginning with schools and hospitals; HSE's plans for regulatory reform to tighten up the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012; HSE's increased awareness campaigns and proposed research on epidemiological studies, high-risk areas and stakeholders’ behaviour. See: Labour's Asbestos Strategy: Progress or Procrastination?
Asbestos Anxiety in Quebec!
Oct 3, 2025
Last week, Canadian Superior Court Judge Florence Lucas gave the green light for an asbestos class action to be heard by the Court. The one hundred claimants are alleging to have been psychologically harmed as a result of experiencing exposures to asbestos. Many of the plaintiffs lived in buildings where asbestos-containing materials had been present. According to a lawyer representing the injured, this case could set a legal precedent by allowing compensation for asbestos anxiety. See: L’impact de l’amiante sur la santé mentale pourrait être reconnu par la cour [The impact of asbestos on mental health could be recognized by court].
Toxic Vessel En Route to Denmark
Oct 3, 2025
It was reported last month that the Australian decommissioned offshore oil facility The Northern Endeavour was now on its way via Singapore to Denmark where it will be dismantled. On board the toxic vessel is a hazardous cocktail of asbestos, radioactive scale, contaminated sludge and heavy metals. The fact that it was being exported without a hazardous waste permit was flagged up by the Maritime Union of Australia which said that this exposed “foreign workers and communities in receiving countries to risks.” See: Australian oil facility sent to Denmark via Singapore for dismantling.
Asbestos in Ammunition
Oct 3, 2025
An unusual asbestos personal injury case is proceeding in an Illinois court brought by the surviving family of 84-year-old farmer Eugene Schoepke. In 2022, within weeks of being diagnosed with mesothelioma, the signature cancer associated with exposure to asbestos, Mr. Schoepke was dead. According to his lawyer, the cause of his death was his use of Remington asbestos-containing shotgun shells when he was hunting pheasants, doves, etc. or engaging in recreational shooting. The lawsuit was filed against Sporting Goods Properties Inc., formerly Remington Arms, and Remington’s one-time parent company DuPont, formerly E.I. DuPont de Nemours. See: A new kind of asbestos case gets its first day in court with nationwide implications.