Global Asbestos Round-Up: June 2025
Around the world, mobilization over the asbestos hazard continued to accelerate in recent weeks. Amongst the issues tackled were: the rights of victims, the responsibility of governments, deadly national legacies, the eradication of contaminated infrastructures and the need to outlaw asbestos use in countries which have not yet done so. The initiatives rolled out by victims’ associations, grassroots’ groups, trade unions, governments, film-makers, historians and others to raise public awareness, support the injured and protect populations in Asia, Africa and Europe confirm that the global asbestos discourse is now an integral part of mainstream discussions on human rights, environmental justice and green technology.1
In an interview this month with Indian Journalist Puja Awasthi, Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary said that banning asbestos was not just a moral issue but also a health imperative. The Minister, who in April, 2025 announced that the use of asbestos would be banned in all India’s schools,2 called on the Government – the Commerce Ministry, Corporate Affairs Ministry and Finance Ministry – as well as commercial organizations to prioritize the health of India’s citizens over commercial gain.3
 Asbestos-cement building products, such as those shown above, are widely used in India. Photo from IBAS archives. |
It is noteworthy to point out that India has been the world’s largest asbestos-consuming country for a number of years, using an average of ~400,000 tonnes a year between 2019 and 2023.4
On June 5, 2025 Kenya’s Environment Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa issued a directive mandating the immediate removal of all asbestos roofing materials from buildings across the country “to safeguard public health and environmental integrity.” Under the Environmental Management and Co-ordination (Management of Toxic and Hazardous Chemicals and Materials) Regulations, 2024, it is obligatory for property owners to safely remove and dispose of all asbestos-containing roofing materials. Ideally, action should be taken in the near future but there is, as yet, no deadline.5 It is not known at this time whether Kenya has a unilateral asbestos ban; enquiries are being made with the Government. It is relevant, however, that recent asbestos trade data does not include any entries for Kenya.
After decades of lobbying by asbestos victims’ groups and civil society associations, last month the UK Government finally announced plans to tackle widespread asbestos contamination of public buildings such as schools and hospitals. The sum of £470,000,000 (US$638m) was allocated for upgrades on 656 schools with £750m (US$1.19bn) ring-fenced for work on hospitals, mental health units, and ambulance sites. These funds will be used for tackling a variety of structural problems, including asbestos removal.6
 Elizabeth Bradshaw demonstrating outside Parliament on Action Mesothelioma Day, February 2006. |
On Friday, July 4, 2025, campaigners in England, Scotland and Wales will be holding events to mark Action Mesothelioma Day (AMD). This will be the 20th time that AMD commemorations have taken place. In the years since AMD became an annual calendar fixture for campaigning groups, more than 100,000 Britons have died from asbestos-related diseases; Elizabeth Bradshaw was one of them.7 I met Ms. Bradshaw on a cold, blustery day in February 2006 when we were both taking part in the first AMD event in Westminster.8 I well remember thinking that the choice of date had been ill-advised given the British weather. I later learned that after the protest Elizabeth Bradshaw went straight to hospital.
Commenting on plans for this year’s AMD events, Lynne Squibb, the CEO & Founder of HASAG Asbestos Disease Support said:
“We are really excited to host 2 AMD events this year, the first on July 1st at Hyde Hall in Essex, the second on Friday July 4th in Portsmouth. At both events we will have speakers including consultants, nurse specialists and Kimberley Stubbs from the June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund. The planned activities include a sponsored Butterfly release, raffles, cream teas, and a buffet. We are looking forward to the participation of 200+ patients, carers and loved ones in these efforts to highlight mesothelioma, raise awareness of the dangers of asbestos and call on the government to remove asbestos from all public buildings.
We are incredibly proud that over the last 19 years we have donated more than £1.3M to mesothelioma research, building technical capacity amongst medical professionals and funding specialist mesothelioma nurses. These funds have been raised by our supporters and we couldn't be more grateful. We need more research for better treatments and outcomes. AMD helps us keep mesothelioma in the forefront of public discussions.”9
 HASAG AMD 2019 event: Standing room only! |
In Japan, asbestos victims are also approaching a landmark date with the 20th anniversary of the Kubota Shock on June 29, 2025. On that day in 2005, Japan’s lethal asbestos legacy exploded onto the public consciousness when the Kubota Corporation – a major Japanese conglomerate – disclosed that scores of workers at its former Kanzaki asbestos-cement plant had contracted the asbestos cancer, mesothelioma.10 In the days that followed, many other companies admitted that their workers had also suffered serious health consequences from occupational asbestos exposures.
Japan was a major importer of asbestos long after other industrialized countries had restricted or banned its use. Given the long latency period of asbestos-related diseases (ARDs) and the delayed adoption of asbestos technology in Japan, the wave of asbestos-related cancer mortality seen in the UK is now emerging in Japan.
 Data and graph sourced from Japan’s Occupational Safety and Health Center (JOSHRC). |
Currently 5,000 Britons die every year from the ARDs mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis. As cumulative asbestos usage in Japan was 1.6 times that of the UK and as asbestos mortality correlates with national consumption, it is being predicted that there will be ~3,000 mesothelioma deaths a year in Japan. When the number of asbestos-related lung cancers, asbestosis and other asbestos-caused cancers are added, the annual death toll could be colossal.
In France, a country whose national asbestos dialogue was manipulated by asbestos industry lobbyists for decades, the fight for asbestos justice continues almost 30 years after asbestos was banned. On June 23 & 24, 2025 an international asbestos conference entitled: Residues and Remembrances. The making of toxic legacies. Discussions of the cautionary case of asbestos will take place at the Université Grenoble Alpes (Grenoble Alps University) in Grenoble, a picturesque city in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France.11 Speakers from Europe, Asia, North and Latin America will consider a multiplicity of subjects arising from the widespread industrial asbestos legacy and examine technical, social and medical strategies being pioneered to address the global epidemic claiming hundreds of thousands of lives every year.
The asbestos behemoths of yesteryear may be long gone but some still exist albeit under different names – Johns Manville (US) is JM and Hyderabad Asbestos Cement Prod. Ltd. is now Hyderabad Industries (India) – or under different ownership – Turner & Newall PLC (UK) is part of Federal-Mogul (US), Cape PLC (UK) was acquired by the Altrad Group (France) and Eternit (the Netherlands) is part of Etex (Belgium). All of these companies will have been affected by claims from asbestos victims; some have been more successful in off-loading their liabilities than others. What is important to remember, however, is that the tide is turning with new routes to compensation being pursued in previously “safe” jurisdictions and new demands being made such as one by the Asbestos Victims Support Groups Forum UK which is calling for a one-off £10 million donation for medical research from Cape. During a debate in the British Parliament on June 18, 2025, Ian Lavery MP – chair of the Parliamentary Asbestos Sub-Group – asked Minister Sir Stephen Timms:
“I wonder whether the Minister is aware of the Asbestos Victims Support Group’s case against Cape plc, the producer of asbestos, and the claim for £10 million for research and development. If so, does the Minister support the claim?”
The Minister replied:
“I am aware of that claim, and think there is a strong case. The HSE is working through the suggestions from the research summit to develop a broader programme and will publish the areas of focus for research later in the year. The aim is that that prospectus will shape work in this field for decades to come.”12
Asbestos victims, their families and communities have long memories. In countries where governments and courts are too feeble to issue fines commensurate with the crimes committed by guilty corporations, one can but hope to see grassroots’ initiatives filling the void. Time will tell.
June 21, 2025
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1 IBAS News Digest.
https://www.ibasecretariat.org/abs_archive_news.php?sel=all&val=all
2 Dubroy, G. Exclusive | Education Ministry Issues Ban On Using Asbestos In KVs And JNV. April 3, 2025.
https://www.etvbharat.com/en/!bharat/education-ministry-issues-ban-on-using-asbestos-in-kvs-and-jnv-enn25040304301
3 Awasthi, P. ‘Asbestos ban is a health imperative, not just a moral issue’: Jayant Chaudhary. June 22, 2025.
https://www.theweek.in/theweek/specials/2025/06/14/asbestos-ban-is-a-health-imperative-not-just-a-moral-issue-jayant-chaudhary.html
4 These figures were sourced from asbestos trade data collected by the United States Geological Survey.
Asbestos Statistics and Information.
https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/asbestos-statistics-and-information
5 Olando, V. Environment CS Barasa Orders Nationwide Asbestos Roof Ban. June 8, 2025.
https://www.kdrtv.co.ke/health/environment-cs-barasa-orders-nationwide-asbestos-roof-ban/
6 UK Government. Press Release. Patients and pupils to benefit from school and hospital repairs. May 30, 2025.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/patients-and-pupils-to-benefit-from-school-and-hospital-repairs#:~:text=Government%20investing%20%C2%A31.2%20billion,hospitals%20and%20schools%20across%20England.
&text=Patients%20and%20pupils%20across%20England,out%20at%20hospitals%20and%20schools.
7 According to HSE mortality data and estimates based on that data, between 2006 and 2025 there were 47,589 deaths from mesothelioma, ~7,552 from asbestosis and an estimated 52,347 from asbestos-related lung cancer. Although not exact, the figure of 107,488 is both informative and scary.
8 Parliamentary Early Day Motion 1696. Action Mesothelioma Day. February 27, 2006.
https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/30143/action-mesothelioma-day
9 Email from Lynne Squib. June 16, 2025.
10 Kazan-Allen, L. Killing the Future – Asbestos Use in Asia. 2007.
https://ibasecretariat.org/ktf_web_fin.pdf
11 RÉSIDU& OUBLI La fabrique des héritages toxiques. Réflexions croisées à partir du cas exemplaire de l’amiante [RESIDUES & REMEMBRANCES The making of toxic legacies. Discussions of the cautionary case of asbestos].
https://asbestos.sciencesconf.org/
12 Hansard. Asbestos Removal: Non-domestic Buildings. June 18, 2025.
https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2025-06-18/debates/64452B48-07E1-4ACF-83B4-21BC1AE7A412/AsbestosRemovalNon-DomesticBuildings
