Laurie Kazan-Allen
February 15, 2012
Eternit Asbestos Executives Condemned!
No one slept the night before the February 13th verdict (see: lead-up to the verdict announcement).
The tension in the Turin courtroom had a physical presence even as people chatted amongst themselves in the minutes before the proceedings began.
The three judges entered the main court and silence fell. The initial minutes were taken up by some procedural aspects and then it was announced that the reading of the verdict would begin at 1:15 p.m.
So, we waited… and waited... and waited. Some people went in search of coffee machines, some people bit their nails and some people chatted. A delegation of miners who were part of a big contingent of asbestos victims from France seized the occasion to present Romana Blasotti Pavesi, the head of the Casale Monferrato victims’ association, with a miners’ lamp as a symbol of her leadership in the struggle for justice.
During the interval, I was taken to meet with Public Prosecutor Raffaele Guariniello, the man most people credit with pioneering this historic case, and present him with a copy of the new publication: Eternit and the Great Asbestos Trial (see this link, on IBAS website, for the online version: http://ibasecretariat.org/eternit-great-asbestos-trial-toc.htm).
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He seemed very calm in those hours before the verdict was given. I took that as a good sign.
Then as scheduled the judges returned. They stood as they read the three-hour verdict . As we heard the English translator say “In the name of the Italian people, the Turin criminal court declares the defendants Schmidheiny and De Cartier guilty,” the burden of expectation which had been pressing down on us all dissipated. The skies cleared and the sun shone brightly in the courtrooms where victims, their family members, supporters and consultants were gathered.
Listen to the verdict interpreted into English on: http://www.livestream.com/greenbox_/video?clipId=pla_0c7ba848-010d-4338-9afe-e6f75fa45c5d.
The 16 year sentences handed down for both defendants swiftly followed the guilty verdict. At that moment, I felt such pride in what the people of Casale Monferrato had achieved. Not only for their loved ones, their friends and their neighbours but for asbestos victims all over the world whose lives had counted for nothing in Eternit’s pursuit of profit.
With modern technology, the news spread worldwide in minutes. Coverage in Italy was massive and national newspapers ran front page stories of the verdict with TV coverage on all channels.
In Canada, speculation was rife about the implications of this trial for asbestos propagandists and executives in Quebec. In France, attempts to replicate the Turin process are being made but success has not yet to be achieved. Elsewhere, ban asbestos campaigners look on in awe at what has happened in Italy.
February 13 was a great day for the people of Casale Monferrato and the other Italian towns where Eternit’s operations contaminated workers and the community. It is a historic victory that will endure as a testament to the capacity of human beings to achieve justice in the face of overwhelming odds. A victory of enormous proportions; a victory which belongs to us all.
February 8, 2012
Parliamentary Asbestos Debate
For nearly half an hour last night, British MPs debated the issues of asbestos contamination in schools during an adjournment debate obtained by Labour MP Ian Lavery (see: Adjournment debate February 7, 2012: Columns 277 – 284).
During the debate, cross-party concern was expressed by Parliamentarians from England and Northern Ireland regarding the “serious situation facing the nation’s schools,” the risk posed by asbestos to the health of pupils, teachers, cleaners and administrators and the failure of successive governments to get to grips with the scale and nature of the problem.MPs called for the “phased removal of asbestos in a strategic manner” from schools.” MP Lavery asked:
“Does the minister agree that children should have the same rights as adults in an asbestos environment? Those rights could reasonably be exercised through parents, guardians and teachers... does the Minister accept that the details of asbestos incidents in schools need to be collated centrally and open to public and internal scrutiny, so that the effectiveness of the Health and Safety Executive, Department of Education and local authority asbestos management policies can be assessed?”
The answers provided by Nick Gibb, Minister of State, Department for Education, was a full ten minutes of political flim-flam. The priority for this Government, the Minister said, is to “ensure the safety of staff and pupils at school.” The best way to do that is… to do nothing. All will be well… everything is under control… or, in other words, carry on killing
The Minister’s carefully constructed defense of the current regime was a diversionary tactic intended to downplay the public condemnation of the scandal which has been stimulated by this week’s release of a parliamentary publication entitled Asbestos in Schools – the Need for Action.
A government prepared to shell out millions to puff up the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games is not prepared to take vital measures to protect future generations from the asbestos hazard. I bet if the children of cabinet members went to State schools, there would be a lot more concern about this problem but what do millionaire politicians know about life in these asbestos-riddled facilities? Don’t know and don’t care about sums it up.
February 2, 2012
Two Women, Two Positions on Asbestos
Roshi Chadha and Silvano Mossano have very different takes on the asbestos reality of the 21st century. Chadha, a Canadian asbestos promoter, is linked to an aggressive campaign to pour millions of tax dollars into the development of new asbestos mining resources in Quebec. Italian journalist Mossano, the wife of a man dying from asbestos cancer, is otherwise engaged; her professional career has been dominated by efforts to expose her country’s asbestos scandal.
On January 29, Chadha issued a public statement announcing her intention to suspend her good works for Canadian charities; her affiliation with the Canadian Red Cross, McGill University and St. Mary’s Hospital has been widely condemned by asbestos victims’ and civil society groups in Canada and abroad (see: article by Gazette Environment Reporter Michelle Lalonde, February 1). As she was doing so, thousands of miles away, Mossano was putting the finishing touches on her play, Malapolvere (bad dust) which opened in Turin to a full house at the Gobetti Theatre two nights later. The play, a monologue, was performed by Luciana Curino, a well-known Italian actress; the substance of the drama is the 1,800 missing people, asbestos dead, from Casale Monferrato, the town which was home to the Eternit asbestos-cement factory. The Casale deaths are just the tip of the iceberg; throughout the world so many lives have been sacrificed to asbestos. It is unconscionable that people like Chadha are willing to see this humanitarian disaster continue so long as there are profits to be made.
January 26, 2011
Tories Bully, Victims Die
Even as the Tory-led UK Government continues its condemnation of the negative impact of the country’s “monster” health and safety regime on the economy (See: PM David Cameron attacks health and safety 'monster'; January 5, 2012), its own epidemiological data has revealed the consequences of lax regulation of workplace hazards.
A report released by the Health and Safety Executive weeks before Prime Minister David Cameron declared war on occupational safeguards documented the inexorable national rise of asbestos cancer; according to the latest available data, in 2009 there were 2,321 deaths from mesothelioma, of which 1,933 (83%) were male and 388 (17%) were female (Mesothelioma mortality in Great Britain 1968-2009).
To understand the human consequences of the government’s desire to revert to the “good old days” of laissez-faire capitalism, it is informative to look at how mesothelioma mortality has risen over recent decades: in 1969, 1979, 1989, 1999 and 2009 there were respectively 159, 434, 909, 1615 and 2321 British mesothelioma deaths.
In other words, in the last forty years the national incidence of just one type of asbestos-related disease has increased by almost 15 times. Despite the fact that asbestos has been banned in the UK, millions of tonnes remain within the infrastructure. In 2011, the UK Government was indicted by EU authorities for non-compliance with occupational asbestos guidelines, resources for the body tasked with protecting occupational safety were slashed and measures were progressed through Parliament which might shut-down asbestos victims’ support groups throughout the country. The current economic crisis certainly has a silver lining for the Tories, a party known for its anti-union and anti-labor bias.
January 17, 2012
Illogical and deadly: Canada’s asbestos mind-set
When it comes to asbestos, don’t look to Canada for any logical or cohesive policy. Even as the Canadian Red Cross was whitewashing the credentials of its “valued member,” asbestos trader Roshi Chadha, McGill University, another organization she is associated with, remains “schtum” on its relationship with the Montrealer.
Unlike the WHO, the ILO and other independent organizations, McGill seems unconcerned about the asbestos hazard. Indeed, one might even say the university is embracing it – why else would it be boasting of its plans to use asbestos-cement drainage pipes, containing up to 13% asbestos, at the new $2.5 billion McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) (See: Asbestos-free hospital no pipe dream by A. Derfel [accessed January 13, 2012]). In a statement released last month, MUHC officials claimed that “There will be no asbestos fibres circulating in the air at the MUHC.” As if this were ever going to be a realistic proposition; like everywhere else in the world, pipes in Montreal break, age and leak. According to an MUHC spokesperson “The (asbestos) fibres are not brittle, and therefore pose no risk of emission of particles in the air.” As if!
A different decision has been taken by the consortium building Montreal University’s superhosptial which has publicly stated that “there will be no asbestos anywhere in the research centre.” Two hospitals, two decisions – guess which one has the long-term commercial association with the Canadian asbestos industry?
January 7, 2012
New Year’s Thoughts
As 2012 dawned, developments on three continents indicate that progress is being made in the campaign to tackle the global asbestos scandal. The intervention of the Italian Minister of Health in the debacle over a potential deal between asbestos defendant Stephan Schmidheiny and the town of Casale Monferrato has proved pivotal. Impending ministerial level discussions will hopefully resolve the difficulties caused by the multimillion euro offer made by Schmidheiny’s lawyers. At this very moment, asbestos victims’ campaigners in Casale Monferrato and their supporters are preparing for a day of action which will culminate with a concert tonight (January 7) to reaffirm civic solidarity with the victims’ cause.
In Brazil, Estado de São Paulo, a daily Brazilian broadsheet, and Época magazine have this week predicted that a Brazilian ban on asbestos will be implemented in 2012. Journalists writing for these publications reported that the Attorney General has asked the Supreme Court to declare as unconstitutional the law (n.º 9.055/95) which allows the “controlled use of asbestos.”
News that Belgian asbestos victim Eric Jonckheere had written to Canada’s Prime Minister and Quebec’s Premier urging them to ban asbestos was confirmed in a January 4 interview with Radio Canada. There is “no safe use of asbestos,” Mr. Jonckheere told the Canadian interviewer. When asked to respond to asbestos propaganda spouted by lobbyist Guy Versailles, from Balcorp Ltd., Jonckheere said all types of asbestos can kill. The asbestos which killed four members of his family came from Canada; it is time, he said, for the killing to stop.
Like mushrooms, the asbestos industry can only flourish in the dark. Once exposed to the light of day, the propaganda and ruthless machinations of the asbestos industrialists are revealed for all to see. Society cannot condone or allow this trade to continue.
December 22, 2011
Redemption in Quebec?
The Quebec Government is expected to issue its decision regarding support for a new asbestos mine within days. The fact that negotiations are on-going between Canada and India for a deal to end import duty on Canadian asbestos presupposes that Canada will have asbestos to export to India. At the moment it has none as the last two mines have run out of asbestos. So, the trade negotiations are a clear indication that the funds needed for the mining project have already been approved.
A year ago the Asia–Quebec Solidarity delegation went to Quebec to appeal directly to the population, government officials, trade unionists and others to stop the export of asbestos to Asian countries. Amongst the 7 members of this delegation was asbestos cancer sufferer Rachel Lee. Mrs. Lee died yesterday in a Korean hospital surrounded by her family.
Today, a letter has been sent to Minister Gignac reminding him of his meeting on December 9, 2010 with Mrs. Lee and the attack made on her by Jacques Dunnigan, someone who has had a long association with the Canadian asbestos industry. Dunnigan accused Mrs. Lee and the Asian delegation of trickery, “falsely saying that she was not really suffering from mesothelioma.” The letter sent to the Minister requests that he “restore the honour of Quebec…(and) honour the appeal made to you by Rachel Lee on behalf of asbestos victims around the world and not fund the Jeffrey mine.”
In the run-up to Christmas such a decision, would be very welcome. It is the honorable thing to do.
See: Letter to Minister Gignac.
December 19, 2011
Infamous Decision by Town Council
Representatives of the Italian town of Casale Monferrato cowered into the early hours of December 17 in the town hall to avoid angry protesters surrounding the building. The demonstrators had brought their banners and anger with them to express outrage at the betrayal by Mayor Demezzi and the Council who voted on Friday night (December 16) to accept a deal worth €18.3 million to settle town’s lawsuit against former asbestos executive Stephan Schmidheiny. See: Link to Update from Casale Monferrato.
This act of treachery dishonours a town which had become a beacon of hope for so many asbestos victims around the world. It has, as one Italian journalist written, shattered the social contract forged between the town’s asbestos-injured and their elected representatives – a contract which had progressed the quest to obtain justice for the thousands who had been injured by exposure to Eternit asbestos.
The honorable men and women who have devoted their lives to the campaign for justice need to know that our thoughts are with them at this dark hour. Please take a few minutes to send expressions of solidarity to the leaders of the asbestos victims in Casale Monferrato. Please send your messages by email to:
Bruno Pesce; email: vertenzamianto@gmail.com
Nicolo Pondrano; email: n.pondrano@inca.it
Victoria Franzinetti (translator); email: vicky@alma.it
The verdict in the case against Schmidheiny and his co-defendant is expected on February 13, 2011. It is unclear at this time how this deal will impact on the legal proceedings.
December 15, 2011
The Mother of all Betrayals
If things proceed as expected, tomorrow night the town council of Casale Monferrato will rubber-stamp an offer worth up to €20 million. The money will be handed over to buy the town’s silence. The deal will bring to an end Casale’s support for the grass-roots campaign mounted by victims poisoned by Eternit asbestos. See: Justice for Sale? and Surprise Moves by Schmidheiny’s Lawyers
The criminal trial in Turin of two former Eternit executives is a landmark in the global fight against asbestos; the significance of the proceedings has resulted in massive media coverage and huge international attention. The 11th hour offer by Stephan Schmidheiny, termed a “transparent ploy” by one observer, could impact on the court’s verdict; the deal with Casale could not only ensure that the victims no longer have the support of the civic authorities but also that the Judges find extenuating circumstances to reduce Stephan Schmidheiny’s punishment should he be found guilty as charged.
AFeVA, the group representing the Italian victims, is understandably outraged by this betrayal. For years the town of Casale has stood shoulder to shoulder with the injured, their families, trade union activists, medical advisors and environmental campaigners. Holding to account the parties responsible for the operations of the Eternit Casale factory was always the top priority in their struggle for justice.
Individuals and victims’ groups from around the world have contacted Mayor Demezzi to express solidarity with the victims and beg the town to reconsider its decision.
The Mayor can be contacted by email at:
sindaco@comune.casale-monferrato.al.it
Please cc: the message to: AFEVA Casale asbestos victims association:
vertenzamianto@gmail.com
Please do it today as tomorrow will be too late.
December 14, 2011
Roshi Chadha and the Red Cross
There are certain things you just know. One of them is that wherever a disaster strikes, the Red Cross (RC) is on hand to ease human suffering. In less dramatic situations, the Red Cross also strives to safeguard human life. One recent example is the RC’s work in Indonesia to help raise public awareness of the asbestos hazard (see December 7th entry: The Red Cross Rocks!) To criticize the Red Cross is like slagging off Santa Claus or saying the Easter Bunny promotes tooth decay on account of the chocolate treats he distributes.
What then are we to make of the news that a board member of the Canadian Red Cross has proven links with the global asbestos trade? Roshi Chadha, wife of Canada’s asbestos cheerleader Baljit Chadha, is simultaneously a Member of the Board of the Canadian Red Cross and an executive of a company that sells Canadian asbestos to India.
Mrs. Chadha seems reluctant to respond to enquiries over the possible conflict of interest posed by profiting from the sale of asbestos in her professional life and undertaking good works in her private life. On her behalf, a Balcorp spokesman said the furore over her RC affiliation is all stuff and nonsense: “a lot of noise and a lot of fuss.” Leah Nielson, whose dad died of asbestos cancer, does not agree. She has asked the RC to remove Roshi Chadha from its Board.
Mrs. Chadha’s position is untenable. To save this esteemed organization any more bad publicity, she should do the decent thing and resign. She should also resign her membership of the Board of Governors at McGill University and the Board of Directors at St. Mary’s Hospital.
There is another way: Mrs. Chadha could always turn her back on the asbestos industry. She might even convince her husband that his attempt to revive the Canadian asbestos industry is ill-conceived and immoral, as it most surely is.
The choice is hers.
See: Baljit Chadha: Asbestos Straw Man?.
December 10, 2011
Heroes of the Ban Asbestos Movement
One year ago today, the members of the Asian Solidarity Mission to Canada embarked on the last day of their quest to convince ordinary Canadians of the deadly price paid in Asia for the use of Quebec asbestos. To commemorate the success of their trip, a series of articles has been commissioned by IBAS which includes pieces by two of the Asian participants, Anup Srivastava and M. Darisman, and Canadian Kathleen Ruff, the delegation’s liaison officer.
Today, all of the members of the Asian delegation to Canada continue their efforts to combat the asbestos scourge nationally, regionally and internationally. Their presence at the 2011 meeting of the Asian Ban Asbestos Network in Rajasthan last month, reaffirmed their commitment to work towards a universal ban on asbestos. As in Canada, the emotional impact made by asbestos cancer sufferer Rachel (whose Korean name is Jeong-rim Lee) was immense. At a press conference on November 14 in Jaipur, Rachel told journalists that her cancer had now progressed and that she was in great pain. Nevertheless, she had made the trip to India to plead with the media and the government to ban asbestos. “I do not want there to be any more asbestos victims,” she said.
Many of the texts issued, events conducted and photographs taken during the delegation’s frantic days in Quebec City, Montreal and Ottawa are documented on this website; see:
Asian Solidarity Delegation to Quebec, Canada: Events in Canada
Asian Solidarity Delegation to Quebec, Canada: Briefings-Statements-Letters
Asian Solidarity Delegation to Quebec, Canada: Media
Asian Solidarity Delegation to Quebec, Canada: Global Demonstrations
Asian Solidarity Delegation to Quebec, Canada: Mission Aftermath
December 8 2011
Belgian Family vs. Asbestos Goliath
A French language TV documentary broadcast in Belgium on the RTL channel [http://www.rtl.be/rtltvi/video/373239.aspx] exploded the culture of silence which had long dominated the national dialogue on asbestos. The once invincible multinational Eternit has been brought to account by a family determined to obtain justice for their father, mother and two brothers, all of whom have died from exposure to Eternit asbestos [see: Justice for Francoise?].
The thirty-minute program provides interviews with Eric, Xavier and Benoit Jonckheere, the surviving sons of Pierre and Francois Jonckheere. Footage of medical tests undertaken by Eric and Benoit underline the continuing health risks the men face from the asbestos they inhaled as children living in Kapelle-op-den-Bos. Commenting on the wonderful childhood they had had roaming the countryside, playing in the woods and by the nearby canal, Xavier said that for children this town had been a paradise. Now, he added, it had become a hell. Walking through the area, Eric pointed out pieces of asbestos-contaminated cement pipes littering the ground.
Eternit’s culpability for the deadly diseases suffered by the Jonckheeres was confirmed last month by the trial judges in Brussels whose language, said the RTL reporter, left no doubt as to the company’s active participation in the asbestos scandal.
It is particularly relevant to view this film in the context of a press release issued today by the Alliance for Cancer Prevention (the Alliance) which highlights the fact that a huge proportion of cancers now occurring are not caused by lifestyle choices such as drinking, smoking and overeating but by hazardous exposures which take place at the workplace and environmentally. The text of the Alliance press release shows the relevance of the Jonckheeres’ experience not just for Belgians but for people all over the world whose lives have been sacrificed by greedy industrialists.
December 7, 2011
The Red Cross Rocks!
It is terrific to see tangible results from the work undertaken by Red Cross Indonesia (Palang Merah) and the International Federation of the Red Cross, in conjunction with grassroots groups and technical experts, to raise awareness of the hazard posed by the consumption of asbestos in Indonesia, the world’s 4th most populous country.
Two colourful Red Cross leaflets produced in Bahasa, the language of Indonesia, explain in words and images some of what people need to know about asbestos.
 Apakah asbes ITU? (What is asbestos?) – click here for enlarged image |
 Pembuangan Limbah Asbes (Disposal of asbestos material) – click here for enlarged image |
The text explains what asbestos is, where it is used, the dangers to human health, including links of asbestos exposure to three killer diseases, and suggests basic techniques to minimize hazardous exposures.
Considering the fact that Indonesia is the world’s fifth biggest market for asbestos, with annual consumption nearly tripling between 2006 and 2010, tackling the country’s asbestos challenge is no easy task. Nevertheless efforts are being made by groups such as the Indonesian Ban Asbestos Network (Ina-Ban) and others to quantify the problem and provide practical solutions to protect human health and the environment from deadly contamination.
See:
Community Activism in Indonesia
Raising Asbestos Awareness in Indonesia
Asbestos Action in Indonesia
December 6, 2011
Mesothelioma in the UK
It is not unknown but it is rare for an academic piece of work to have a direct impact on the lives of ordinary individuals. A UK doctoral dissertation entitled: The experience of mesothelioma in Northern England by Dr Helen Clayson is that rare bird. Dr Clayson’s work has dramatically impacted on the UK’s dialogue about the needs of mesothelioma sufferers and questions surrounding radical surgical procedures. Having researched the experience of pleural mesothelioma for patients, their families and the medical professionals who treat them, Dr Clayson pinpoints key oversights – in particular the lack of palliative care treatment. This thesis – which is now available online – is a MUST read for people who find themselves through misfortune or professional happenstance to be involved in this subject area. See: http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/1775/
 Dr Clayson speaking about the role of palliative care in the treatment of asbestos patients at the November 2011 meeting of the Asian Ban Asbestos Network |
December 5, 2011
What happens to those who Asbestos leaves behind?
The landscape of the mining towns in Quebec are dominated by huge mountains of asbestos waste. These tailings can contain up to 10% or more of raw asbestos fiber and constitute a potent threat to the health of townspeople. When the asbestos industry was flourishing, no one took responsibility for the waste; now that the industry is in dire straits it looks even less likely that the public health hazard represented by the waste will be addressed.
The plight of a once-thriving town in Swaziland provides little hope for Quebeckers from Thetford Mines and Asbestos. For decades, the Havelock chrysotile asbestos mine in Bulembu shipped asbestos fiber around the world. Heavy losses were followed by bankruptcy and the mine owners slunk off, as they traditionally do, leaving behind a landscape dominated by asbestos mountains, polluted water and contaminated air. Nowadays Bulembu is a ghost town – will Thetford Mines and Asbestos fare any better?
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 Views of Bulembu – courtesy of Jock McCulloch |
December 1, 2011
Australia & Asbestos Aussies are known for taking a practical and hands-on approach to life. Having acknowledged the fact that their country was in the grip of an epidemic of asbestos-related diseases, in 2006 the federal government adopted a coordinated medical strategy to tackle the diseases caused by exposure to asbestos by setting up the National Centre for Asbestos-related Diseases.
Current developments in Australia indicate that asbestos-related issues remain a high priority on the country’s political agenda. In early November a parliamentary motion calling for the Australian Government “to use strong diplomatic efforts to convince the Canadian Government to cease both production of and trade in asbestos," was adopted by the Australian Senate. A short while later, Asbestos Awareness Week (November 21-27) was chosen as the time to launch a new federal body – the Parliamentary Group on Asbestos Related Disease (PGARD) – to address the multi-faceted challenges posed by massive asbestos consumption prior to the imposition of a national asbestos ban in 2003. And this weekend (December 2-4, 2011), Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd MP, from 2007-2010 Australia’s Prime Minister, will call on the Australian Government to take a leadership role in the global campaign to ban asbestos. “Australia must,” he wrote be at the forefront of global efforts to eliminate the scourge of asbestos.”
So far so good.
And yet, when Australia had the chance to showcase the global asbestos tragedy in front of the world’s media, it blew it. Despite attempts by ban asbestos campaigners to get asbestos timetabled on the agenda of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (October 28-30, 2011) in Perth, asbestos remained the elephant in the room (or, in this case, the conference hall). No one wanted to acknowledge the unsavoury fact that Canada, a Commonwealth Member and a major force in the global asbestos lobby, has for decades been dumping asbestos on Commonwealth Member States such as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Malaysia, Nigeria and Kenya. It seems a gross betrayal of the Commonwealth principles for one member to dump an acknowledged carcinogen on another.
Canada has also been the one country which has consistently blocked the listing of chrysotile asbestos on the prior informed consent list of the Rotterdam Convention. Indeed, we are currently waiting to hear whether the Government of Quebec will approve a $58 million loan guarantee so that work on a new asbestos underground mining facility can be completed. If the loan guarantee goes through and work on this project is completed, Canada hopes to ship millions of tonnes of asbestos to developing countries in the coming 25 years.
If Australian politicians are looking for a place to start their lobbying efforts, it seems that the Canadian High Commission in Canberra and the Consulate General of Canada in Sydney might be suitable targets.
November 30, 2011
Asbestos House Online: At the June 30, 2011 seminar Asbestos – Still a Killer, which was held at the European Parliament, I was introduced to an innovative online project – the Asbestos House – which aims to raise awareness of the presence of asbestos within residential properties.
Unfortunately, while this resource was available in French, German and Italian, there was no English language version. Having drawn the attention of the administrators of the SUVA website to this omission during the Summer, I am now delighted to inform you that they have now made an English version of the Asbestos House available.
November 29, 2011
The situation regarding asbestos contamination of UK schools is a mess. Every year more teachers die from asbestos-related diseases contracted from workplace exposures. Adults, whose childhood exposures to asbestos took place at school, are also dying from avoidable asbestos cancers. And yet, a long awaited and very successful campaign to raise awareness of occupational asbestos hazards has been derailed by government cutbacks. In its place is an "e-campaign" and a promise of some free training by commercial organizations; hardly, a strategic approach to a serious problem.
This month, the Philippines Department of Education (DoE) announced plans to removal asbestos wire gauzes, used in laboratory work, from state schools; DoE officials are soon to issue a memo on the proper handling and disposal of these items. Furthermore, the DoE requires each school to annually report the status of it's asbestos management plan, including any planned asbestos removal work, to the parent-teacher organization. Such transparency and openness is not encouraged by the UK's Health and Safety Executive, local authorities or school administrators where secrecy seems to rule the day.
See: http://www.mb.com.ph/print/342985 and http://www.asbestosexposureschools.co.uk.
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