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On June 29, 2026 the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission of Ireland recalled: Glitter and Glow Magical Sand Art Kit and Various Squishy Toys because of asbestos contamination.
 
According to the notification: “The products present a risk to health as the sand may contain asbestos. Asbestos is a banned substance across the EU because it poses a risk to health.”

Two days before Action Mesothelioma Day (July 3), the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) released new data on annual work-related fatalities including mesothelioma (see: Mesothelioma statistics for Great Britain, 2026). In 2024, there were 2,146 deaths from mesothelioma in Great Britain, 83% of which (1,771) were male and 17% female (375). According to the data: “Over 70% of annual deaths for both males and females now occur in those aged over 75 years. Annual deaths in this age group continue to increase while deaths below age 65 are decreasing.” See: HSE Press Release.

Last week, the Flemish government announced that it had broken off negotiations with Eternit/Etex over plans for the former asbestos conglomerate to pay for the eradication of contamination caused by its operations. The Flanders Government will now restart proceedings against the former asbestos cement producer. The Government had reached a deal with Eternit in 2014 over asbestos cement waste in the gardens and driveways of residents in Kapelle op den Bos and surrounding municipalities, under which the company agreed to pay 4.8 million euros by 2030. According to former Flemish Environment Minister Zuhal Demir, that sum was insufficient. See: Vlaanderen stopt onderhandelingen met Eternit en stapt opnieuw naar de rechter [Flanders stops negotiations with Eternit and goes to court again].

On June 29 2026, an article was uploaded which featured news about the Shaanxi South Asbestos Mine in Ningqiang County, Hanzhong; it is the only large-scale chrysotile asbestos mine in Shaanxi Province. It is one of China’s 8th largest asbestos production facilities. According to the text: “the mining conditions are excellent.” However, a picture illustrating the article of an unprotected miner in an incredibly dusty landscape suggested that this statement was not true. See: 汉中石棉矿全国八大核心基地之一?宁强独家产地 成矿干货全揭秘 [Is Hanzhong one of the eight core bases of asbestos mining nationwide? Ningqiang's exclusive production area: the full secrets of mineral development].

The article cited below detailed the legislation in Catalonia providing for the recognition of and compensation available for people suffering from asbestos-related diseases including: mesothelioma, lung cancer, laryngeal cancer and asbestosis. The bodies responsible for the certification process, the approval of benefits and the distribution of funds are the Department of Health, the Secretariat of Public Health and the National Social Security Institute. See: Salut tramita a Catalunya el certificat de patologies derivades de l'exposició a l'amiant [Health processes the certificate of pathologies derived from asbestos exposure in Catalonia].

Research, coordinated by the Netherlands Cancer Institute, by scientists in six countries, which was published in The Lancet on June 17, 2026, reported the results of work “to develop and validate artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted volumetric response criteria (ARTIMES) based on automated tumour segmentation and biologically derived thresholds.” Based on almost 11,000 scans of 2,080 patients from 14 cohorts, there was evidence showing that the use of the new AI technique was beneficial: “ARTIMES could potentially facilitate a more reliable response evaluation in pleural mesothelioma.” See: Development and validation of artificial intelligence-assisted volumetric response criteria in pleural mesothelioma (ARTIMES): a retrospective, multicohort, multicentre study.

Draft legislation under consideration by the Scottish Government will set a three-year time limit for the resolution of personal injury claims by mesothelioma patients. This initiative is in response to calls from campaigners and recommendations from the Scottish Law Commission. According to Community care minister Alison Thewliss: “The current law on time limits can create real difficulties for people diagnosed with mesothelioma – potentially leaving them unable to seek a legal remedy through no fault of their own.” See: Scottish Government aims for clear time limits for asbestos patients.

A settlement was reached at the Tokyo District Court on June 26, 2026 in a class-action lawsuit brought on behalf of former construction workers injured by occupational asbestos exposures. Three former asbestos building products’ manufacturers apologized for injuries sustained by 12 claimants and agreed to pay ~189 million yen ($US 1.16m). According to the article cited below, this is the first class-action asbestos settlement by a first instance court for construction workers. See: 建設アスベスト訴訟、一審で初の集団和解 「早期救済に一歩前進 [First-ever collective settlement reached in first-instance construction asbestos lawsuit: “A step forward towards early relief”].

The risk posed by the continuing use of asbestos-cement water tanks in Brazilian homes was analyzed in the commentary cited below. As the commercialization of asbestos was banned by the Supreme Court in 2017, the new use of asbestos is outlawed in Brazil. “Replacing an asbestos water tank,” wrote the author “is no longer just a matter of aesthetics or preventative maintenance. Today, it's a matter of complying with a consolidated national ban, protecting the health of those living in the house and those working on the construction.” See: Adeus, caixa d’água de amianto: a troca virou obrigação legal em todo o Brasil [Goodbye, asbestos water tanks: replacement has become a legal obligation throughout Brazil].

Regional authorities in Tuscany allocated the sum of €1.5 million (US$1.7m) for grants earmarked to eradicate the asbestos hazard from public buildings in Florence and other municipalities in the Region. Subsidies of up to 100% – with a maximum of €300,000 per project – are available for asbestos removal work, transport of toxic building rubble and safe disposal of all materials containing asbestos as per provincial and national regulations. See: Dalla Regione 1,5 milioni di euro per eliminare l’amianto dagli edifici pubblici [1.5 million euros from the Region to eliminate asbestos from public buildings].

A paper by four South African researchers based in Cape Town was uploaded last month to the American Journal of Industrial Medicine. Using a database from the Asbestos and Kgalagadi Relief Trusts, the scientists assessed all-cause mortality among this cohort of former asbestos miners. The excess all-cause mortality found was confined to female cohort members. Concluding the paper, the authors wrote: “These findings support risk stratification and targeted interventions, particularly early management of respiratory complications and smoking cessation, to reduce mortality.” See: An Evaluation of Mortality Rates and Their Determinants in a Cohort of Former Asbestos Miners in South Africa.

An open letter by Greenpeace to Dr. Zsolt Hegedus – Hungary’s Minister of Health – and László Gajdos – the Minister for the Living Environment – regarding the management of asbestos contamination in Western Hungary was uploaded on June 3, 2026. The text highlighted the need for accurate and timely information and urged the authorities to consult with local governments and specialist organizations on the steps which would be taken to protect public health. See: A Greenpeace nyílt levele dr. Hegedus Zsoltnak és Gajdos Lászlónak a nyugat-magyarországi azbesztszennyezés kezelésével kapcsola [Greenpeace's open letter to Dr. Zsolt Hegedus and László Gajdos regarding the management of asbestos contamination in Western Hungary].

Last week, the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) committed to “phasing out asbestos accommodation and offices at its camps and relocating personnel to safer facilities.” On June 23, BDF Commander General Mpho Mophuting told members of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that the BDF’s bases at Paje and Pandamatenga were contaminated with asbestos. It would take three years to dismantle and dispose of the toxic structures, he said. In the meantime, staff would be moved to temporary accommodation. See: Botswana: BDF to Phase Out Asbestos Camps.

There were EU recalls on June 23, 24 & 25 for asbestos-contaminated toys exported from China.
 
Alert number: SR/01892/26 – Kiddo world. Make your own Senzory Bin Construction Site. “The play sand contains asbestos fibres (measured value: 0.14% by weight).”
 
Alert number: SR/01814/26 – Figurines Stretch Monsters. “The sand inside contains asbestos.”
 
Alert number: SR/01852/26 – Funkee Monkee hairdo “The sand inside contains asbestos (measured value up to 2.05% by weight).”

The insightful text referenced below reported disturbing findings from a new analysis of 8,810 talc-containing cosmetics. The items with the “highest potential risk for asbestos exposure” were powder products, especially eyeshadows and blushes in the following brands: Beauty Plus Global, Claire’s and Justice. Experts warned consumers to check product labels for the presence of talc as “talcum powder products in particular pose asbestos exposure risks... Liquid and cream products are less likely to make asbestos fibers airborne.” See: New study identifies the makeup brands with the highest potential asbestos risk.

The 2020 lung cancer death of naval lieutenant Salvatore Legnosecco was ruled to be caused by occupational asbestos exposure during military service, by a Court in Syracuse, last week. As a result, it was found that his family was entitled to benefits provided for victims of duty including “special donations and annuities in arrears for an amount of about 500 thousand euros.” The deceased, who was an electrician and then a chief electrician, joined the Navy in 1975 and left the service in 2017. See: Amianto: militare siracusano morto per un tumore, riconosciuto vittima del dovere [Asbestos: Syracuse soldier who died of cancer, recognized as victim of duty].

Global concern over dangerous discoveries in Hungary prompted campaigning groups from around the world to issue a formal statement regarding the “unfolding health emergency in the Hungarian town of Szombathely.” In the Open Letter to Hungarian and EU officials, the signatories stressed that: “The situation is time critical. The health of nearly 1,500 local residents as well as ~1,000 people living in the surrounding streets is being endangered every single day, with children at the highest risk of contracting asbestos-related cancers and diseases!” Government and EU officials in Budapest and Brussels were urged “to stand in solidarity with Szombathely and protect the health of all those at risk from this man-made disaster” (click ide a magyar verzióért of this letter). [Read full article]

Indonesia is a significant asbestos market, both in terms of the amount of asbestos it imports and its strategic importance. To compensate for the collapse of global demand, asbestos vested interests are fighting tooth and nail to protect this market and others like it. Despite the backroom deals and political pressure – as evinced by the latest asbestos industry initiative designed to lock Indonesia into many more years of asbestos imports and use – grassroots campaigners continue their efforts to end the slaughter by raising asbestos awareness, progressing multi-stakeholder collaborations and using well-honed tactics to implement an effective and targeted strategy to eradicate asbestos-related deaths. [Read full article]

June 13, 2026 was a day of surprises. Within a few hours, news was circulated of landmark developments substantiating progress made in the fight for asbestos victims’ rights in Brazil, the UK and Belgium. To someone who is “old school” when it comes to the news, the fact that the links for all these stories came via social media posts rather than mainstream media sources was disconcerting. It pains me to say – as I am no lover of social media – that, from what I have seen, when you are looking for news of real substance the place to look is no longer traditional outlets but hysteria-free platforms like LinkedIn. [Read full article]

IBAS is delighted to be hosting the English translation of a Portuguese language editorial uploaded last week (see: Associação Brasileira dos Expostos ao Amianto: 30 anos de luta pelos direitos dos trabalhadores) to the website of the Brazilian Journal of Occupational Health. Permission to do so was granted by coauthor Leila Posenato Garcia. Reflecting on the importance of the work accomplished since 1995 by the Brazilian Association of Asbestos Exposed Workers (ABREA), the authors recognized that “ABREA’s trajectory is intertwined with the construction of the Occupational Health field in Brazil.” [Read full article]

IBAS is privileged to upload this article by K. Ambroise Troveh, a specialist in transmission electron microscopy and hazardous fiber analysis. This feature highlighted the gap in African countries between the “promulgation of prohibitive texts and the very limited enforcement and monitoring mechanisms on the ground.” As nations in the Global North banned asbestos use, manufacturers targeted African markets in countries “under severe budgetary constraints.” Low levels of public asbestos awareness and lack of technical capacity and epidemiological data deterred governments from addressing asbestos challenges. Organizations such as the pan-African OHS Africa Foundation and the Inter-African Committee of Asbestos Experts are working assiduously to remedy this situation. [Read full article]

A recent investigation by a network of concerned citizens revealed that a toy found to be carcinogenic by multiple national authorities and media outlets was being sold via online marketplaces in Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin and North America. Considering the sophisticated communications of e-commerce platforms in 2026, it is beyond belief that retailers such as Ozon in Eastern Europe, Amazon India, Rozetka in Ukraine and educational toy specialists like GoodDo Bangladesh and Fangotoys Ecuador were unaware of the evidence documenting the very real health hazard posed by the use of the toxic toy: WordPad. Until there are strict regulations of global e-commerce marketplaces and meaningful punishments for transgressors, none of our children will be safe. [Read full article]

On May 27, 2026, a grassroots coalition representing asbestos victims, environmental, consumer and health activists from around the world bestowed the IBAS Award 2026 for Outstanding Grassroots Activism on the “Asbestos. Not Here. Not Anywhere” campaign. This groundbreaking initiative was spearheaded by Australia’s Union Aid Abroad – APHEDA. Citing the leadership and organizational skills of APHEDA personnel, the award also recognized the expertise and support of Australian and international collaborators which were pivotal to the substantive results achieved in key asbestos-consuming countries. [Read full article]

On May 21, 2026, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a recall for models 17451 and 41929 of Orb Funkee Squeeze Toys, which had been imported from Canada and manufactured in China: “The recalled Orb Funkee squeeze toys may contain fibrous tremolite (asbestos) in the sand, which can cause adverse health issues if inhaled.” The same two models had been recalled due to asbestos contamination in the UK on March 6 along with five other models sold by the same company. Given that the US toy market is the world’s biggest customer for Chinese toy exports, it is unlikely that the recall issued on May 21st will be the last. [Read full article]

Whilst residents, and both municipal and provincial politicians, continued to struggle with hundreds of asbestos incidents in Western Hungary, 2,500 miles away festivities were held to celebrate the asbestos industry in Russian mining towns. At the same time as Hungarian police were investigating the discovery of asbestos-contaminated crushed stone on streets in the city of Szombathely, in the Russian municipalities of Asbestos and Yasny officials, asbestos workers and local people were commemorating International Chrysotile Protection Day and denouncing “the fierce anti-asbestos campaign…” threatening their industry. [Read full article]

When it comes to asbestos, I have learned that nothing is ever straightforward. For that reason it pays to closely investigate the facts as they are presented. Earlier this week, I happened to chance upon a document uploaded in February 2026 by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) which showed stunning decreases in global asbestos output in 2024 & 2025 as well as a rapid decline in Russian asbestos production levels. As Russia has for decades been the world’s largest asbestos supplier, the data was both pertinent and encouraging. Unfortunately, the reality was slightly different to that suggested by the data. [Read full article]

In an open letter to UK Minister Kate Dearden which was uploaded today (May 1), representatives of UK asbestos victim support groups, campaigning organizations and asbestos cancer charities expressed concern about government delays in addressing the health hazard posed by the import of sand, playsets and stretchy toys contaminated with asbestos. News of a recent EU trade mission to China to discuss the need to remove “dangerous toys from the market before they reach children…” was reported. “In 2026, there is,” the letter concluded “no excuse for the sale of carcinogenic children’s toys in the UK.” [Read full article]

On April 15, 2026, the Asbestos Sub-Group of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety and Health held a two-hour event entitled Asbestos: Protecting Tomorrow’s Victims, Protecting Today’s Patients in the House of Commons. Each of the presentations constituted a vital part in creating a panorama of ongoing national asbestos challenges. From the lived experiences of a mesothelioma sufferer, to the legal torture of securing compensation, to the battle for timely and state-of-the-art medical care, to the solutions for eradicating the asbestos hazard, each subject was succinctly, straightforwardly and sympathetically explained. [Read full article]

The fallout from the import of asbestos-contaminated toys from China continues, with a huge range of responses from national regulators. While some acted promptly to protect children, others remained in denial about the hazard. Oversight protocols introduced prior to the explosion of e-commerce trade via online marketplaces were blamed for the loopholes through which dangerous items were allowed to enter retail product streams. Earlier this month, an EU delegation to China discussed what needs to be done “to ensure companies are held accountable when rules are not followed.” [Read full article]

On April 2, 2026 a news release was featured on the website of the Building and Wood Workers’ International which expressed the serious concerns of dozens of civil society groups about foreign intervention in the democratic process to derail well-established plans to end asbestos import and use in Malaysia. The global mouthpiece representing asbestos vested interests – the International Chrysotile Association (ICA) – was accused of “once again attempting to hijack our national policy” and subvert work to implement national prohibitions. “Banning asbestos is,” the text said “fundamentally a matter of national interest… Our fate and our health must be decided by Malaysians, for Malaysians. Leave no room for the asbestos industry to dictate our future.” [Read full article]

On April 2, 2026, 300 delegates convened in Cambodia’s capital for a government-sponsored consultation to examine the country’s strategy for implementing asbestos prohibitions. Central to the discussions was a 60-page publication launched at the meeting: the Economic Impact Assessment Related to the Use of Asbestos (EIA). To this end, one of the EIA’s authors was in attendance to answer questions. The Executive Summary of the EIA was uncompromising in its findings: “The economic assessment of a proposed ban on asbestos containing materials and raw asbestos fibres was found to be economically viable, with the health benefits from avoided disease far outweighing the cost of implementation and transition by a ratio of 4:1, even under conservative assumptions.” [Read full article]

A timely and informative article by Merlin Chowkwanyun, PhD, MPH from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health in New York City has been reproduced on this website with the author’s blessing. The text reported a rare retraction by The Lancet, “one of the oldest and most prestigious academic journals,” of an unsigned 1997 commentary that discounted the hazard posed by the use of personal hygiene products contaminated with asbestos. The disavowal of the commentary resulted from a discovery made by American researchers – Gerald Markowitz and David Rosner – who were able to provide evidence showing that the contentious text had been written by a consultant paid by Johnson & Johnson, who had shared the draft with company officials and made changes based on their comments. [Read full article]

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Demonstration in Woluwe Park, Brussels, 2006

Under cloudy skies, members of Belgian and French Asbestos Victims' Associations from Dunkirk and Bourgogne marched side-by-side in the third annual demonstration organized by ABEVA, the Belgian Association of Asbestos Victims. Erik Jonckheere, ABEVA's Co-chairman, condemned the government which still refuses to recognize the plight of the asbestos injured.

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