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A huge rise in profits and very generous stockholder dividends were reported last week by the French conglomerate Altrad – the current owner of the former UK asbestos giant Cape Plc. Altrad has been widely criticized for failing to engage with asbestos victims and Parliamentarians backing a call for a one-off £10 million (US$13.3m) donation for medical research into diseases caused by exposures to asbestos. In March 2025, Altrad’s CEO Ran Oren declined to take part in “a parliamentary hearing on Cape’s asbestos-related legacy.” See: Profit rises at Altrad amid asbestos-claims warning.

Responding to the asbestos crisis, a Dutch municipality announced last week plans to pay for the removal of all small asbestos roofs on buildings within its jurisdiction. A remediation campaign launched by the national government in 2019 failed to meet targets. Four hundred thousand Dutch buildings still have asbestos-containing roofs and 1,100+ Dutch citizens die annually from diseases caused by asbestos exposures. The Almere city council approved a plan to fully cover the cost of removing asbestos roofs from 1,000 small structures; by the end of 2026, all asbestos roofs on small buildings in Almere will be gone. See: Almere to remove all small asbestos roofs for free as national effort falters.

On May 13, 2025, Mayor Chun Young-ki of South Korea’s Tongyeong City announced that on May 31 & June 1, 2025, the municipality will conduct a health audit of asbestos-exposed residents in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment. The check-ups offered under this program are free of charge for eligible applicants and will be conducted under the Asbestos Damage Relief Act. To qualify, people must have lived near shipyards or in houses with asbestos roofs or worked in asbestos-using industries. Family members of at-risk workers are also eligible for the screening. See: 통영시, 석면피해의심지역 주민 석면 건강영향조사 실시 [Tongyeong City conducts asbestos health impact survey for residents in suspected asbestos damage areas].

The wonderful article by Prathamesh Kabra cited below highlighted the amazing work of French toxicologist Henri Pezerat who was one of the pioneers in the fight for asbestos justice in France. Henri worked closely with workers, as well as scientists, to identify and publicise the deadly occupational and public health consequences of the operations of the French asbestos industry. According to Kabra: “His work broke through the noise of industry-backed studies. He showed the true risks, and that helped change laws to protect people’s health. His life story still reminds me that a single determined voice can spark real change.” See: This Scientist Spent His Life Proving Asbestos Could Kill You.

An alert by Auckland Council warned local people to avoid the 5-10cm long fragments of asbestos-cement material (ACM) that had washed up on East Auckland beaches at Glendowie and Karaka Bays and by the Tāmaki River towards Panmure. Downplaying the health hazard, a spokesperson for the Council said: “We are asking people to take a common-sense approach and to simply leave ACM alone for the council to collect. Dogs and children should also be prevented from picking up the material.” Work was, the Council said, underway to decontaminate affected areas. See: Council warns of washed up asbestos on East Auckland beaches.

The National Centre for Asbestos Related Diseases (NCARD) in Perth, Western Australia was awarded a A$200,000 (US$128,200) grant from the Medical Research Future Fund to implement an innovative three-year imaging trial for mesothelioma, the signature cancer associated with asbestos exposure, under the leadership of Professor Roslyn Francis. The trial will investigate whether the use of a targeted imaging agent called girentuximab can improve the technique for detecting and monitoring mesothelioma. See: NCARD Secures Funding for Innovative Mesothelioma Imaging Study.

As part of efforts to modernize the water network, in 2024 the Sharjah Electricity, Water, and Gas Authority (SEWA) replaced 25 kilometers of old asbestos water pipes with new ones made from Glass Reinforced Epoxy (GRE) material at a cost of 22 million dirhams (US$6m). This year, SEWA plans to replace a further 40 kilometers of old asbestos pipes in different areas of the UAE city of Sharjah, including Al Hazannah, Al Jazat, and Industrial Area 13, at a cost of 40+ million dirhams (US11m). See: SEWA undertakes projects to replace old water networks.

A new paper by scientists from Hungary examined the ecological ramifications of asbestos-cement contamination of irrigation water. The research investigated the response of three plant species – Trifolium pratense, Medicago sativa, and Solanum lycopersicum. According to the authors: “When exposed to asbestos in water, plants experience toxic stress that can inhibit photosynthesis, nutrient uptake, and germination. Asbestos can also adversely affect cell division and metabolism, risking plant growth, reproduction, and overall health…” See: The impact of asbestos cement pollution in irrigation water on physiological and germination characteristics of Trifolium pratense, Medicago sativa, and Solanum lycopersicum seeds.

Italy’s National Institute for Social Security (INPS) was, once again, condemned by an Italian court for rejecting a claim by an asbestos-injured worker. From 1976 till 1988, metalworker and welder Domenico Di Fraia was routinely exposed to asbestos at the GECOM SpA plant in Pozzuoli, Naples. As a result, he was diagnosed with bilateral pleural thickening, pleural plaques, and lymph node swellings. A labor judge in a Naples Court ordered INPS to recognize the claim and adjust Fraia’s benefits accordingly. See: Pozzuoli, operaio risarcito dopo 12 anni di esposizione ad amianto: «Giustizia arrivata in tempi brevi» [Pozzuoli, worker compensated after 12 years of exposure to asbestos: “Justice arrived quickly”].

A vital and valuable resource for a town devastated by asbestos-related diseases was closed by local law enforcement personnel earlier this month. This action resulted from a federal verdict issued against the Card Clinic in a case brought by asbestos defendant BNSF Railways. According to the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, the $3.1 million writ of execution on the Center for Asbestos Related Disease, Inc. was served pursuant to a lawsuit instigated by the BNSF Railway, owned by Warren Buffett, “which accused the clinic of filing hundreds of fraudulent claims over several years.” See: Libby's asbestos clinic shuttered after losing lawsuit to BNSF Railway.

Last month, the donation of US$4 million additional funding was announced by the Government of Japan and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) at a meeting in Nairobi, Kenya “for a vital environmental recovery initiative in Ukraine, where the ongoing war continues to pose environmental challenges.” Under the initiative: Enhancing capacity of hazardous waste management, measures will be implemented for the management of war debris containing asbestos to protect environmental and public health from potentially deadly exposures. See: Japan and UNEP unveil new funding for environmental recovery in war-affected Ukraine.

The focus of the article cited below was the deadly health hazards posed to consumers through the use of asbestos-contaminated talc-based baby powder, cosmetics and personal hygiene products. The author detailed steps taken by researchers at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which led them to classify talc as “‘probably carcinogenic’ to humans, especially in relation to ovarian cancer” including animal studies and assessment of mechanistic evidence. See: Perigoso mineral cancerígeno pode estar dentro da sua casa [Dangerous Cancer-Causing Mineral May Be Inside Your Home].

South Africa’s Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube last week told Parliament that her Department had succeeded in eradicating the asbestos hazard from all schools as part of the on-going mission to implement “infrastructure norms and standards.” Other issues still remained to be resolved but good progress was, she said, being made. The Minister, who has been a Member of Parliament for four years represents the Democratic Alliance party. See: DBE tells MPs it's eradicated all schools built with mud, asbestos.

According to figures released on May 5, 2025 by the Catalan Government, the total amount of asbestos-cement remaining in the Catalan infrastructure is one, not two to three million tons as reported previously. Asbestos audits conducted by the Generalitat (Catalan government) and local councils, revealed that the carcinogenic material was generally used in Catalonia for roofing, water tanks and pipes. It is anticipated that the Asbestos Eradication Law in Catalonia will be approved by the end of 2025. See: From three million tons to one million: the Government recalculates the amount of asbestos yet to be removed.

In a shake-up of regional priorities, the Flemish Government confirmed its commitment to ensure that all schools are made safe for use in a statement which announced that from now on it will “fully reimburse schools for asbestos removal costs.” Plans to give every child in primary education a laptop were shelved in order to provide funding for the asbestos decontamination work. For years, Flanders has been among the most proactive EU authorities in addressing the toxic legacy left by the presence of asbestos material throughout the natural and built environments. See: ‘Return to basics’: Flanders ditches plans to provide laptops to primary school pupils.

Having been brought to its knees by asbestos liabilities in 2006 Equitas, an insurance vehicle for Lloyd’s of London, paid Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BH) a lump sum of $7.1 billion to off-load its asbestos liabilities. Other organizations followed suit. Now, BH is finding that asbestos claims represent a problem and not an opportunity. Claiming that it hadn’t foreseen the “recent explosion in lawsuits alleging asbestos exposure through cosmetic talc products” BH is seeking protection from the bankruptcy court. See [subscription site]: A Berkshire Insurance Bet Went Bad.

I always knew there was something Quixotic about the confrontation of British mining conglomerate Cape Asbestos by thousands of South Africans from poor mining communities in the late 1990s; just how epic the battle was has taken me 30 years to fully appreciate. The publication of a new book – In A Rain of Dust, Death, Deceit and the Lawyer who Busted Big Asbestos – was a revelation with its tale of corporate crime, apartheid capitalism, boardroom clashes, vulture funds and a huge cast of characters. Summing up the importance of this publication, one UK campaigner said: “This new book has a relevance not just to those of us fighting for the rights of the asbestos-injured but to everyone concerned about human rights, environmental justice and corporate responsibility.” [Read full article]

In a press release issued today, asbestos victims’ groups from around the world came together to welcome a new book: In a Rain of Dust – Death, Deceit and the Lawyer Who Busted Big Asbestos which was published in London on May 13, 2025. The text written by David Kinley joins the pantheon of other English-language classics which stripped away carefully crafted corporate façades to show the ugly reality which lies behind asbestos industry profits. The gripping story of how a London-based human rights solicitor with little prior knowledge about asbestos called to account one of the UK’s biggest asbestos conglomerates is not only a riveting read but also a timely reminder of the consequences of an industrial legacy that continues to cause death and destruction on a global scale. [Read full article]

Around the world, International Workers Memorial Day (IWMD) was celebrated on April 28, 2025 by trade unions, labor federations and groups representing victims of workplace illnesses and accidents. Although the theme of this year’s activities was the threat of artificial intelligence to workers, many of the events held highlighted the imminent hazard posed by asbestos to workers both in countries where its use remains legal and those where it is banned. With millions of tonnes of asbestos material still contaminating national infrastructures and over a million tonnes of asbestos fiber being used every year, neither workers nor the public are safe from deadly exposures. The IWMD slogan: “remember the dead, fight for the living” is as apt now as it’s ever been. [Read full article]

For decades, the existence of a regional asbestos epidemic has been a fact of life for people living in towns near a former asbestos mine in Bahia, a state in the northeast of Brazil. A pionnering pulmonary screening program has now confirmed what local people already knew: there is, indeed, a high incidence of occupationally and environmentally caused asbestos cancers, asbestosis, pleural plaques and other respiratory diseases in the Bahia towns of Bom Jesus da Serra, Poções, Caetanos and Planalto. Recommendations made by the specialists who implemented the surveillance program included: continuous monitoring of at-risk individuals, better recording of disease levels and data and the creation of a local center of excellence for the treatment of lung diseases. [Read full article]

People continue to die from asbestos-related cancers and diseases more than thirty years after asbestos was banned in Italy. For decades, victims’ associations, trade unions, community groups and public prosecutors have sought to hold negligent parties to account for the damage done. One defendant who has been indicted and convicted in multiple jurisdictions is Swiss billionaire Stephan Schmidheiny, former owner and a director of the Swiss Eternit company and the main shareholder of the defunct cement production company Eternit Italia. On April 17, the Turin Court of Appeal confirmed a lower court’s verdict which held him responsible for scores of asbestos deaths even though it reduced the length of the prison sentence. [Read full article]

It is remarkable to witness the heightened engagement of national authorities with asbestos legacies in key global hotspots. The imposition of new restrictions, progression of medical projects, upscaling of impact assessments and implementation of eradication programs are indicative of an ever-growing awareness of the urgent need for action to prevent future deaths. Work is also on-going in scores of other countries in screening at-risk populations, securing compensation for victims of asbestos-related diseases, documenting the crimes of asbestos defendants, highlighting long-standing injustices of compensation schemes, and exposing hazardous workplaces and practices. Scrupulous monitoring of developments is essential to preserve progress made in the battle for global asbestos justice. [Read full article]

A catalog of recent developments are suggestive of major problems at Russia’s second largest asbestos conglomerate: Uralasbest. On March 10, the company announced that the workforce would be put on a three-day week to save money on labor costs. Reacting to this news, panicked Uralasbest employees, already on minimum wage, told reporters that their income could decrease by a further 30%. Many were “seriously considering quitting.” Just a few days after the Uralasbest bombshell had exploded, the company announced that it was abandoning the three-day week in the face of employee “dissatisfaction.” The press service of Uralasbest declined to comment further. [Read full article]

After an eight-year wait, Brazilian and international asbestos watchers were optimistic that the Supreme Court’s (STF’s) definitive ruling on the illegality of asbestos exports would be handed down by March 14. As has happened so many times before, the delivery of an STF asbestos decision was upended. This time, the impasse was caused by Judge Kassio Nunes Marques, an appointee of the disgraced former President Jair Bolsonaro. Marques said he needed more time to consider the arguments of case ADI 6200. As he has been a STF Judge since November 5, 2020, one wonders why he had not found time to study the case files? There might be 103,000,000 reasons for this. [Read full article]

Two initiatives have come to the fore recently highlighting the human, environmental and ecological tragedy which has befallen Slovenia's picturesque Soča Valley. From 1921, this area was the heartland of the country's asbestos-cement industry with a sucession of companies routinely exposing thousands of workers and residents to carcinogenic asbestos fibers. A great debt is owed to author/researcher Jasmina Jerant and documentary photographer and filmmaker Manca Juvan who cast fresh eyes over an old scandal. Using their unique talents, they succeded in thrusting vital questions onto local, national and international agendas and once again forced us to question the compromises ordinary people are forced to make to provide for their families. [Read full article]

Brazilian asbestos, banned at home, continues to poison millions of people in India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe etc. whilst simultaneously enriching Brazilian stakeholders. In 2023, international sales of Brazilian asbestos were worth $103,000,000, making Brazil the world’s 2nd largest exporter. Deadlines published by the Supreme Court (STF) for ending the legal limbo in which exports of this prohibited substance continued were inexplicably postponed in August and October 2024. On the eve of STF proceedings which could end the constitutional impasse, global campaigners issued a press release urging the Court to end this “immoral and unjustifiable double standard.” [Read full article]

There is a special place in hell reserved for the panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit which on November 27, 1991 derailed an incipient US ban on asbestos. The knock-on effect of the verdict was that asbestos use remained legal for another 33 years, creating yet more asbestos victims. It was with a pronounced sense of déjà vu that on Friday, February 21, 2025 I learned that the same court had acceded to demands from the Trump administration to pause implementation of a 2024 national asbestos ban. Under the administration of Republican President George W. Bush the asbestos cancer risk to Americans was ignored in 1991; knowing what we do about Donald Trump, is it likely that the outcome will be different this time around? [Read full article]

A statement issued on February 13th conveyed news of yet another win by Indonesian campaigners against asbestos vested interests. After six months of hearings, motions and deliberations, Chief Judge of the Central Jakarta District Court Marper Pandiangan threw out legal arguments by the asbestos manufacturers association (FICMA) which had sought huge damages from civil society groups following a March 2024 Supreme Court ruling mandating warning labels for asbestos roofing products. FICMA has until the middle of March to file an appeal. [Read full article]

News that the Republic of Moldova banned asbestos late last year must have sent a seismic shock to asbestos producers in Russia and Kazakhstan. Although Moldova had in recent years consumed little or no asbestos – in 2022 Moldova imported a mere $16,400 worth of asbestos, 80% of which came from Russia – the elimination of yet another national market will almost certainly intensify the high level of anxiety being experienced by asbestos stakeholders. Throughout the region, asbestos markets are looking increasingly unstable with mounting challenges of pro-asbestos rhetoric and growing awareness among national governments of the high costs being incurred by society for industry profits. [Read full article]

In the run-up to the glitzy 2025 awards season which sees recognition for stars of stage and screen, the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS) is acknowledging impactful work of a different kind. Winners of the Screen Actors Guild, the Academy Awards, the Golden Globe and Critics Choice receive imposing and tasteful statuettes to mark their successes. Not so the “winners” of the IBAS Devil’s Dust Awards 2025 whose ruthless promotion of an acknowledged carcinogen and/or suppression of victims’ rights have earned them a rather revolting accolade: a virtual avatar appropriately nicknamed the Lucifer. With so many potential candidates, it was hard to chose this year’s “winners.” The entities named in this years Dishonors List come from Brazil, France & Indonesia. Want to know more? Read on. [Read full article]

As recently as 2020, Russia was the world’s leading supplier of asbestos, accounting for 65% of global output. A mere three years later this figure had fallen to 48% with Russian producers facing falling demand and increasing competition. In the December 2024 newsletter produced by Uralasbest, Russia’s second biggest asbestos conglomerate, its General Director explained that among the challenges the company faced in 2024 were bureaucratic hurdles and logistical obstructions – i.e. persistent and continuing disruptions to asbestos cargo rail shipments. What he failed to mention, however, was the progress being achieved by global campaigners which has “significantly reduced the possibility of exporting chrysotile asbestos… [and created] the crisis faced by asbestos-producing businesses.” [Read full article]

Against the backdrop of a continuing decrease in global asbestos consumption, work to quantify and address toxic industrial legacies was continued this year by grassroots campaigners, civil society stakeholders, national, regional and international authorities. Amongst high-profile topics debated in multiple jurisdictions were the asbestos contamination of schools, water delivery systems and the built environment; the risks posed by asbestos in personal hygiene products and cosmetics; and the unregulated and unsafe dumping of asbestos waste. Technological developments and the building of infrastructure by asbestos stakeholders made manifest their intention to continue profiting from asbestos sales despite the health hazards. It is clear that despite our many successes, much work remains to be done. [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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