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Last week, New Zealand’s firefighters’ union reported that asbestos had been found in an air tank used by members of the emergency services. The supply tank had “tested positive for a ‘very small level’ of asbestos,” during investigations undertaken in Auckland. According to an online statement from the Professional Firefighters’ Union: “This news will be very distressing for many firefighters who now have the uncertainty of the safety of their Bas (breathing apparatus) potentially filled using this sample bulk air tank prior to 2023.” See: Asbestos found in breathing equipment 'distressing' for firefighters, union says.

Commenting on disappointing financial news, Zimbabwe’s largest asbestos-cement building products’ manufacturer, Turnall Holdings, announced that it was planning to transition some of the manufacturing capacity at its Bulawayo plant to asbestos-free technology. According to Turnall’s Chairman Grenville Hampshire, a return to profit will be achieved by streamlining asbestos production processes and introducing a range of asbestos-free building products. See: Turnall Holdings optimistic of breakeven after major loss.

As cancer experts, policymakers, patients and charities gathered at a meeting held at the Scottish Cancer Conference in Glasgow earlier this month, campaigners called on the Scottish government to “immediately roll out a targeted lung-cancer screening programme in a bid to diagnose cases earlier and improve survival rates for sufferers.” Currently, the majority of Scottish people with lung cancer were diagnosed at a later stage when treatment options were limited. As lung cancer screening for at-risk groups is being introduced in England, Scottish groups are calling on the Holyrood Government to also make this a priority. See: Campaigners demand critical national lung-cancer screening programme for lung cancer in Scotland.

On November 6, 2025, the Government of Wallonia announced plans to adopt a system currently operational in Flanders, another Belgian region, whereby an asbestos inventory will be mandatory for any property sale, rental or renovation work; property owners will be responsible for ensuring compliance with the new measures. These measures will, said the Minister of Environment and Health Yves Coppieters help facilitate the “sustainable control of asbestos-related risks in Wallonia.” Although asbestos use was banned decades ago, asbestos-containing materials remain throughout the region’s infrastructure. See: Un inventaire amiante bientôt obligatoire en Wallonie [Asbestos inventory to soon be mandatory in Wallonia].

A recent verdict by Tribunal Deputy President Judge Mark Calligeros of South Australia's Employment Tribunal awarded A$2.26 million (US$1.5m) in damages to a 61-year mesothelioma victim who was exposed to asbestos whilst employed at the Royal Adelaide Hospital as an electrician in 1991. The damages were awarded against the State of South Australia (80%) and the current incarnation of the James Hardie Company, Amaca (20%). See: Former RAH electrician to receive $2.26 million asbestos cancer damages claim.

Confirming the link between occupational asbestos exposure and mesothelioma, a court in Rome issued a victim’s verdict for the family of a mesothelioma patient who died in 2009 after having been exposed to asbestos whilst employed at the Anzio Military Hospital. The Ministry of Defense was ordered to pay €750,000 (US$870,000) in damages to the family of the deceased for having failed to implement precautions to prevent workplace asbestos exposures. See: Amianto nel Policlinico Militare di Anzio: nuova condanna del Tribunale di Roma al Ministero della Difesa [Asbestos at the Anzio Military Hospital: Rome Court Responds to Ministry of Defense].

A new service to support mesothelioma patients in Northern Ireland (NI) – the Northern Ireland Regional Mesothelioma Service – will improve access to specialist support. This collaborative initiative is a result of a partnership between Mesothelioma UK, Macmillan Cancer Support, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, local clinicians, and the family of Tony Rodgers who died from mesothelioma in Newry, Co Down on January 1, 2022. The care will be provided across NI by nurses Stephanie Todd and Carol Johnston based at the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust. See: New cancer service launches to support mesothelioma patients in Northern Ireland.

A paper uploaded to the website of the International Journal of Epidemiology a fortnight ago which analyzed mesothelioma mortality data from 1998-2022, reported that over that period 5,472 people had died from mesothelioma. Among the deceased, the majority (67%) were males; age-standardized mortality rates (ASMR) rose from 2.53 per million in 1998 to 3.46 per million in 2022; and higher ASMR rates were found in the northern states and in central Mexico. Given the data, the researchers recommended a complete asbestos ban be implemented in Mexico. See: Geographic analysis and trends in mortality from mesothelioma in Mexico 1998–2022.

A court in Canberra, Australia found that a company owned by Benjamin Hannaford had neglected to implement “available and feasible” precautionary measures when removing asbestos roofing from a garden shed and transporting and storing it. Magistrate Ian Temby imposed an $8,000 fine, a two-year Good Behaviour Order, and 100 hours of community service to be carried out within 2 years. Commenting on this case, WorkSafe ACT Commissioner Jacqueline Agius said: “This incident is yet another troubling example of a trader taking dangerous shortcuts in a high-risk situation, showing a blatant disregard for legal obligations and the safety of people in our community.” See: Tradie fined for exposing workers, public to ‘notorious’ asbestos risks.

Earlier this month, Switzerland’s Federal Council voted to adopt an amendment to the Accident Insurance Act that will come into force on 1 January 2026 and will allow the Swiss National Accident Insurance Fund (SUVA) to support the Asbestos Victims Fund (EFA) “from surplus income from occupational accident and disease insurance.” Pursuant to the amendment, SUVA will contribute surplus income to the EFA. The details of the final arrangements will be decided by the SUVA Board. See: CF: da 2026 Suva potrà finanziare Fondo per le vittime amianto [CF: From 2026, Suva will be able to finance the Asbestos Victims’ Fund].

A recent analysis of material found in a public park in the Cheonggyecheon area of Seoul, Korea identified several pieces of roofing fragments containing asbestos, a substance banned by the government in 2009. South Korea has an ambitious regime for the removal of asbestos-containing products from the built environment and prioritized eradication work at schools and educational institutions. See: 단독 청계천 곳곳서 석면 슬레이트 조각 발견...서울시 조사 [Asbestos slate fragments discovered throughout Cheonggyecheon...Seoul City investigates].

Trade unions representing teachers called on the Government to prioritize the removal of asbestos-containing products from schools as they have the remediation of structures containing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). According to Wayne Bates, from the Teachers’ Union NASUWT, asbestos in schools was a “ticking time bomb” and children and teachers were exposed to asbestos on a daily basis. Whereas, the emergency posed by the presence of RAAC in schools was dealt with quickly, asbestos contamination is allowed to fester. See: Government must follow RAAC action by tackling asbestos in schools, unions say.

An asbestos workshop was held by the Local Initiative for Occupational Safety in Bandung, West Java on October 23, 2025. Speakers at the meeting highlighted the pro-asbestos climate that existed in Indonesia, such as the lack of any taxes on asbestos imports, which encouraged consumers to continue using this acknowledged carcinogen. See: ANOMALI KARSINOGENIK: Mengapa Biaya Impor Asbes Krisotil Nol Persen, Penyebab Kanker Namun Tanpa Label Maut? [CARCINOGENIC ANOMALY: Why is Chrysotile Asbestos, a Cause of Cancer, Imported at Zero Percent and Without a Hazard Warning Label?].

A paper written by researchers from China, Germany and the Czech Republic uploaded to the website of the Environmental Health Journal on October 30, 2025 was categorical about the urgent need for asbestos prohibitions: “We found,” the authors concluded “that a complete ban on asbestos with a lag time of 25 years could effectively reduce lung cancer incidence along with asbestos-related deaths and DALYs [disability-adjusted life-years]. These findings underscore the urgent need for a complete ban on asbestos (especially chrysotile).” See: Global burden of lung cancer attributable to occupational asbestos exposure: 1990 to 2021.

The article cited below by specialist solicitor Daniel Easton, of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers, highlighted the legal anomaly which existed between two categories of dying asbestos cancer victims. Whilst people who contract the signature asbestos cancer mesothelioma are able to pursue legal claims and/or claim government lump sum payments/benefits, those who contract asbestos-related lung cancer are not. “The same support is needed, and needed quickly,” wrote Easton, “for sufferers of asbestos-related lung cancer” as is accessible for mesothelioma claimants. See: It is time to end the lottery of asbestos compensation.

At the end of last month, the Court of Nola, in Naples, Italy awarded over €1 million (US$1.2m) to the family of an electrician whose 2017 death from pleural mesothelioma had been caused by workplace asbestos exposures. The deceased’s employers Nuova Sacelit srl and Italcementi spa were ordered to pay the compensation as they had failed to implement measures to minimize toxic exposures at the Sacelit plant in Volla, just outside Naples. See: Morte da amianto, il Tribunale di Nola condanna due aziende: oltre un milione di euro ai familiari di un elettricista morto per mesothelioma [Asbestos-related death: Nola Court sentences two companies; over €1 million awarded to the family of an electrician who died of mesothelioma].

For decades The Building and Wood Workers' International (BWI), a Global Union Federation representing 12 million workers in 117 countries, has been at the forefront of the global campaign to protect workers from toxic asbestos exposures. On November 10, 2025, it issued a position paper recommitting itself to the ban of all asbestos-containing materials. In the new document, the BWI called on the International Finance Corporation (IFC) – a member of the World Bank Group and “the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets” – to “prohibit all investments in asbestos, removing its exemption for bonded asbestos materials.”(The following link is to a permitted copy of the BWI paper.) [Read full article]

The furore that had been building since mid-October over controversial plans by President Trump to demolish part of the White House to build a mega-ballroom exploded last weekend with almost universal negative media coverage. It was not only the speed of the demolition of the East Wing but also the lack of transparency over planning, safety protocols and private donors that were driving public outrage with more than half the Americans polled disapproving of the project. Many critics of Trump’s latest “vanity project” expressed concern about the apparent lack of health and safety protocols to deal with asbestos material which was almost certainly present in the structure. [Read full article]

In the run-up to November meetings of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) in South Korea, grassroots activists held “The Ban Asbestos from the Asia-Pacific Region” protest in Gwanghwamun Square, Seoul on October 21, 2025. The event was organized by the Asian Citizens' Center for Environmental Health (Eco-Health) and supported by a variety of groups active on environmental and health issues. Commenting on the demonstration, Director of Eco-Health Choi Ye-yong said: “The continued use of asbestos in Asia is contrary not just to APEC’s core objectives but also to the human rights of every individual…. It is time for APEC and other regional bodies to do the right thing and mandate a regional ban on the use of asbestos.” [Read full article]

The news that the first UK toxic talc litigation by cancer sufferers was in the pipeline had been circulating for a couple of years. On October 16, 2025 this was confirmed when a class action began at the High Court in London on behalf of 3,000 plaintiffs who believed their diseases were caused by the use of asbestos-contaminated baby powder produced by the American pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson (J&J). Although news of the class action was reported in North America, Asia, Europe and Oceania, the country with the most intense interest in the case seemed to be Russia, the world’s largest asbestos producer. Interested? Read on. [Read full article]

While much has been written about the deadly health consequences of the commercial exploitation of asbestos, the environmental damage done by asbestos polluters has, to some extent, remained unexplored. The mountains of carcinogenic waste and toxic debris left behind by asbestos profiteers continues to endanger the health of local people long after mining and manufacturing operations ceased. Photographs and text in this article describe multiple examples of the deadly contamination left by asbestos producers and manufacturers in North America, Africa, Asia and Australia. [Read full article]

The article which can be accessed at the link provided was written by Julian Branch, an outspoken critic of Canada’s failure to deal with the deadly legacy posed by the continued use of deteriorating asbestos-containing pipes to deliver water. The head-in-the-sand approach adopted by the authorities and public utility companies to the threat posed by ingested asbestos in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Yukon and British Columbia seems to be validated by the lack of action taken by Health & Welfare Canada – now Health Canada (HC) – and the federal government. Branch detailed decades of missed opportunities and concluded with, considering the neglect shown to date, a possibly over-optimistic hope that a current reassessment of the situation by HC might bring improvements. [Read full article]

Recent developments in East and Southeast Asia have highlighted the continued importance of bilateral and multinational collaborations in the struggle to address national asbestos legacies. The exchange of information and the sharing of expertise remain essential tools in neutralizing the efforts of industry lobbyists who continue to actively promote the interests of asbestos stakeholders at national, regional and international forums. In the post-Covid era, there has been a resurgence of multinational collaborations as illustrated by developments in Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Seoul, Korea; and Jakarta, Indonesia which are discussed in this article. [Read full article]

In her review of “Bad Dust, A History of the Asbestos Disaster,” published this month by Repeater Books, Laurie Kazan-Allen explained that the genesis for this work had been the mesothelioma death of Albert Popple, the granddad of author Tom White. As many other talented people before him had done, White harnessed his grief “to create a work of art that spoke not only of personal traumas but universal truths.” “Bad Dust is,” the reviewer explained “a well-written book which ponders important subjects.” This text will be of interest to people interested in the history of the asbestos tragedy as well as many more readers trying to grapple with wider 21st century issues such as the unending struggle for a sustainable future, corporate accountability and environmental justice. [Read full article]

In recent weeks, international groups have submitted key evidence to the Central Jakarta District Court which is hearing a case brought by asbestos vested interests, represented by the FICMA trade association, against individuals and groups that petitioned the Supreme Court for its endorsement of measures imposing mandatory warning labels on asbestos-cement roofing products. After the Supreme Court upheld this petition (2024), FICMA launched a ferocious legal attack on the petitioners claiming massive financial damages. This letter deconstructs one of FICMA’s principle arguments, namely that failure by the UN to list chrysotile (white) asbestos as a hazardous material supported industry propaganda that exposure to asbestos was “harmless.” [Read full article]

The high-profile participation of ministers and institutions from the Cambodian Government in recent activities in Phnom Penh designed to raise asbestos awareness and implement a transition to asbestos-free technology reconfirmed the Government’s commitment to ending asbestos use and building medical capacity to diagnose and treat citizens injured by toxic exposures. Opening the three-day conference: Improving Diagnosis and Response to Occupational Cancers: Asbestos and Dust Related Diseases Cambodian Health Minister His Excellency Professor Chheang Ra called for the country to prioritize inter-ministerial collaboration to establish frameworks restricting toxic imports and phase-out asbestos consumption. [Read full article]

The timely article by Professor Arthur Frank is a damning indictment of global failures to engage with the threat posed by the continued presence and use of deteriorating asbestos-containing products throughout national infrastructures. Such toxic substances contaminate our homes, schools, hospitals, vehicles, water systems and environment. Almost half the text of this new feature, dealt with the health hazard posed by the use of asbestos pipes to deliver water. The concluding words of this commentary were chilling: “it is alarming that increasing amounts of exposure and increasing findings of ingestion-related asbestos disease continue to be noted in the scientific literature, with little being done to either educate the public or to educate physicians about these risks.” [Read full article]

A new medical scheme was launched by Liz Darlison, from Mesothelioma UK, and Kim Brislane, from Australia’s Asbestos Dust Diseases Research Institute (ADDRI) at an August 27, 2025 meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The initiative is a collaboration of Mesothelioma UK, ADDRI and the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS). Welcoming news of the positive reception for the pioneering program, IBAS Coordinator Laurie Kazan-Allen said: “Asbestos-related diseases are notoriously difficult to diagnose. Experience has shown that building medical capacity of nursing staff can make a huge impact on the experiences of patients and family members.” [Read full article]

A recent analysis of global asbestos trade figures for 2023 revealed startling developments in four former Soviet Union Central Asian countries. While the world’s two biggest asbestos producers Russia and Kazakhstan consumed a mere 0.76 and 0.72 kilograms/kg per person that year, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan used a staggering 3.4 kg and 2.34 kg per capita and Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan 1.6 kg and 1.57 kg. According to an academic paper by scientists from the Kyrgyz Republic and Italy (2024), awareness of the asbestos hazard and asbestos monitoring capacity in all four countries are extremely low. [Read full article]

The headline of a front-page article in the Daily Mail on August 4, 2025 was as shocking as it was controversial: “Asbestos Kills More Troops than Taliban.” According to the first sentence in the hard-hitting exposé by Steve Boggan: “Asbestos killed nine times more military veterans than there were British victims of the Taliban during the Afghan campaign, government records reveal.” While a handful of other UK news outlets picked up this story, it was widely covered by the Russian media. This development was noteworthy as Russia, the world’s biggest producer of asbestos, continues to deny that asbestos exposures can cause cancers and other deadly diseases. [Read full article]

News that an asbestos-laden 50-year-old Italian ferry – the Moby Drea – was bound for Croatia in July/August 2025 was not well received by people living near the Brodosplit shipyard. The day after the ship arrived, hundreds of people turned up for a high-profile protest which was supported by NGOs and local politicians including the new Mayor of Split. Campaigners continue their efforts to secure answers to the very detailed questions raised by the seemingly illegal import of the toxic waste site that is the Moby Drea. The uproar in Split shows no signs of abating any time soon. [Read full article]

It continues to amaze me how each country needs to do its own research to reaffirm the deadly consequences of asbestos exposures. Newly published reports about the health hazard posed by airborne and waterborne asbestos fibers in Kyrgyzstan, Iran and Canada are typical. According to the texts of these academic papers: “a remarkable amount of chrysotile (white asbestos)” was found in the air and lungs of people living near asbestos processing factories; air samples taken in high-traffic areas had high to very high asbestos fiber concentrations; and samples from rivers in a former asbestos mining region showed “an increase in the concentration of asbestos fibers in the water and sediments.” [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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