The Asbestos Lie
The Asbestos Lie is the title of a German book published in 2007;1 the title was chosen to reflect the many lies which people had been told about asbestos by the Swiss Eternit Group, a major international producer of asbestos-cement products throughout much of the 20th century. Eternit consistently denied that its German factories had been run on slave labor during the 2nd World War. In the research for this book, Nadja Ofsjannikova from Latvia was located; she had been a forced laborer in the Berlin Eternit factory in 1943. Despite the documents which the author Maria Roselli found in the German archives showing that Ms. Ofsjannikova had worked as a slave laborer for Eternit, a company spokesman continues to deny that such practices took place.
The author reveals the steps taken by Eternit to prevent asbestos being classified as a toxin at the highest level in Switzerland and the company's role in the asbestos cartel which controlled worldwide asbestos markets. As well as interviewing company directors, Roselli showcases the experience of Swiss and migrant asbestos victims and those who represent them in their quest for justice.
For more information see author's abstract.
March 4, 2008
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1 The book is now being translated into Italian.
