Asbestos: A Global Environmental Disaster
As a massive class action – over what has become known as the “Dieselgate” scandal – began at the London High Court on October 13, 2025, I was interested to read comments by Martyn Day, a partner at one of the 22 law firms representing the plaintiffs. In his interview with the BBC, Day said that if the allegations against carmakers Mercedes, Ford, Peugeot/Citroën, Renault and Nissan were upheld it “would demonstrate one of the most egregious breaches of corporate trust in modern times.” A claimants’ ruling would, he said mean “that people across the UK have been breathing in far more harmful emissions from these vehicles than they were told about, potentially putting the health of millions at risk.”1
The fact that industrial actors could collude to allow an invisible substance to enter the airways and bodies of an unsuspecting population brought to mind the greatest occupational killer of them all – asbestos. 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. Long before Dieselgate, asbestos vested interests were perfecting techniques to maximize profits, manipulate governments and mislead stakeholders. The mountains of carcinogenic waste and toxic debris they created while they did so continue to pose an imminent threat to human health, the environment, and ecosystems the world over.
A Dusty, Dangerous Outback Town
The former West Australian town of Wittenoom is considered to be the “the largest contaminated stretch of land in the southern hemisphere,” as a result of the deadly air, soil and water pollution created by the mining of crocidolite (blue) asbestos mining.2 It has been estimated that the mountains of debris, up to 40 meters high, on the polluted 46,000 hectare site contain three million tons of blue asbestos mining waste. Photographs of these toxic environmental eyesores clearly show the presence of the blue fibers.3
 Wittenom Asbestos Mine. 1979. Photo courtesy of the Asbestos Diseases Society of Australia. |
 Close-up of the tailings. Photo courtesy of the Asbestos Diseases Society of Australia. |
 Children’s sack race on Wittenoom racetrack. The blue tinge of the surface comes from the use of asbestos tailings on the track. 1970s. Photo courtesy of the Asbestos Diseases Society of Australia. |
After years of political deliberations, public consultations and long-winded discussions, the decision taken by the West Australian Government about how to resolve the Wittenoom problem was a simple one… evict the remaining residents, cut off public services and delete the name of the town from maps. Unsurprisingly, this solution did not find favor with the traditional owners of the land, the Banjima tribe who continue to lobby for the rehabilitation of the land despoiled by the operations of the companies: Australian Blue Asbestos (ABA) and The Colonial Sugar Refinery (CSR).4 Since mining operations ceased in 1966, thousands of the 20,000+ people who worked, lived or visited Wittenoom have died from asbestos-related diseases.5
Quebec, Canada’s Asbestos Heartland
One hundred and thirty years of open-pit asbestos mining in Quebec towns like Thetford Mines and Val-des-Sources, formerly called “Asbestos,” created 800+ million tonnes of toxic waste. The residue from the mining operations were dumped locally, forming huge mountains that continue to dominate municipal landscapes. Although the amount of contaminated material in these gray mounds can vary, it is not unusual for them to be composed of up to 40% asbestos fibers.6
On September 28, 2025, an open letter to Bernard Drainville, Quebec’s new Minister of the Environment, the Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks, was uploaded, which highlighted the contamination of the Bécancour River by the mining waste (tailings). According to the text, the toxic run-off from the waste “greatly disrupted the hydrological and sedimentological regime of Stater Pond and our Lac à la Truite (Trout Lake), which are clogged with asbestos-containing mine tailings…”7 The contamination of Quebec waterways was previously reported by the Quebec Ministry of the Environment whose researchers found “high levels” of asbestos in waterways in Val-des-Sources and Thetford Mines; asbestos fibers liberated by the waste mountains were, the Ministry report said, “causing an increase in the concentration of asbestos fibers in the water and sediments” of local rivers.8
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 Mountains of tailings from asbestos mining in Quebec. Photos courtesy of John Van Raalte (Enlarge above image). |
One African Nation’s Asbestos Legacy
Stunning photographs from Eswatini, formerly Swaziland, in a recent upload by “Confront Power” graphically demonstrated the environmental devastation caused by the operations of the Havelock Asbestos Mine – owned by the British asbestos conglomerate Turner & Newall from 1939 until the 1980s.9 It is noteworthy in the images below that no warning signs or security measures are in place to prevent public access to contaminated areas.
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 Dumps containing “millions of tons” of asbestos waste in and around Bulembu, Eswatini. Pictures courtesy of: Nokukhanya Musi, Confront Power. |
The results of the environmental contamination, destruction of ecosystems and pollution of the water supplies are, sadly, all too predictable. Of course, people in adjacent communities have fallen ill from toxic exposures. It is unknown, however, whether any of them succeeded in obtaining compensation from Turner and Newall or the Eswatini Government but judging by the contents of the Confront Power article, it seems unlikely.
Calling for “a measure of justice for those who’ve been disadvantaged and made ill,” South African medical specialist Dr Sophia Kisting said:
“the situation for residents and former workers ‘speaks of terrible neglect.’ It highlights how international companies such as Turner & Newall can absolutely get away with it just by declaring bankruptcy.”
The Human Cost of Asbestos Manufacturing
Commercial asbestos mining operations were/are viable in relatively few countries. Elsewhere, it was the processing, manufacturing and use of asbestos-containing products that caused massive environmental damage such as occurred in Rochdale, UK, Szczucin, Poland, Harmignies and Kapelle-op-den-Bos, Belgium, Casale Monferrato, Italy, Goor, Holland and elsewhere.10 A typical example of the toxic fallout created by the asbestos industrial sector was the subject of an investigation conducted in Kymore, in the Indian State of Madhya Pradesh. According to a report by specialists from the Canadian environmental consulting firm Environmental Consulting Occupational Health (ECOH):
“Chrysotile asbestos contamination ranging in concentration from 2% to 70% is pervasive throughout the surficial soils in the areas identified south of Everest Industries in the Kymore village area and in the hazardous landfill area in Kalhara. It was visually identified in playing fields, residential yards within the village, agricultural fields, and was also identified to the north of Tilak Chowk Road in a naturalized area. The fact that the identified asbestos contamination is exposed at surface allows it to be continuously disturbed by local residents, mobilizing the fibers, creating an immediate inhalation health hazard to the local residents. Based on our visual assessment of the asbestos-containing materials, we estimate that the areal extent of surficial asbestos contamination is approximately 562,500 m2 in the Kymore Village area and 3,905 m2 in the Kalhara landfill area.”11
 Friable asbestos debris at surface between residences in Kymore village 2016. Photo courtesy of Environmental Consulting Occupational Health. |
 Surficial Debris in fields near residences. 2016. Photo courtesy of Environmental Consulting Occupational Health. |
 Housing in Kymore constructed with asbestos roofs and partial wall. Asbestos in poor condition with signs of degradation. 2016. Photo courtesy of Environmental Consulting Occupational Health. |
The hazardous conditions illustrated by the above images were a result of the commercial operations of a factory producing asbestos-cement products which was started in the 1930s by the British asbestos conglomerate: Turner and Newall PLC – under whose ownership it was called Asbestos Cement Ltd. – and subsequently purchased by the Belgium ETEX/Eternit Asbestos Group and renamed Eternit Everest Industries. When these European companies offloaded their toxic investment they abandoned injured workers, a grossly contaminated environment and an at-risk community without a backward glance and certainly without compensation payments or remediation work.
 Nirmala Gurung, Kymore resident, campaigner and headteacher. |
Generations of Kymore residents have inhaled asbestos fibers going about their daily lives; Nirmala Gurung was one of them. Nirmala never worked at the asbestos factory but that didn’t save her. Like many Kymore residents, the daily experience of living with high levels of asbestos pollution was enough to seal her fate. Describing the conditions in Kymore, she said:
“During the dry season dry asbestos dust particles even blew into the classrooms. Parents and children used to come into the classroom covered with dust. The owners and workers in the UK and Belgium certainly knew about the hazards of asbestos but did not inform the community.” 12
Sadly, Nirmala died in 2020 four years after being diagnosed with asbestosis.
Paying the Ultimate Price for Asbestos Pollution
Judicial systems in many countries are capable of punishing employers who expose workers to deadly substances; unfortunately, many have failed to do so. Holding polluters to account for damage to the environment is rarer still. Given growing awareness of the adverse impact human activity has had on the planet – climate change, habitat destruction, pollution, loss of biodiversity, destruction of ecosystems, etc. – and the inaction of national governments, regional organizations and international agencies, it is time for environmental crimes to be added to the other crimes punishable by the International Criminal Court. The immense damage done by corporate behemoths is unjustifiable and unsustainable. There is no plan B once planet earth has been damaged beyond repair. Punishing asbestos criminals and sending the guilty parties to prison would be a powerful motivator for improved corporate behaviour.13
October 21, 2025
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1 Moreau, E. Carmakers go on trial over emissions cheat claims. October 13, 2025.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjr5epw8dweo
2 Towie, N. ‘I’m so angry, I’m wild’: the never-ending wait to clean up asbestos town Wittenoom.
May 29, 2022.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/may/30/im-so-angry-im-wild-the-never-ending-wait-to-clean-up-asbestos-town-wittenoom
3 Robinson, T. Tyndall, A, Loney, G. Memories of Wittenoom, a once-thriving but asbestos-riddled town that led to more than 1,000 deaths. September 14, 2022.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-15/asbestos-riddled-wittenoom-empty-but-memories-live-on/101433166
4 Bates, A., McLean, C. Wittenoom asbestos contamination prompts legal threat from Banjima traditional owners. October 17, 2025.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-17/wittenoom-asbestos-litigation-documentary/105886444
5 Asbestos Diseases Society of Australia. The Wittenoom Tragedy In Summary. Accessed October 14, 2025.
https://asbestosdiseases.org.au/information/wittenoom-overview/
6 Deshaies, T., Grenier, P. Des « niveaux élevés » d’amiante dans des cours d’eau à Val-des-Sources et Thetford Mines [“High levels” of asbestos in waterways in Val-des-Sources and Thetford Mines]. July 14, 2025.
https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2178876/residus-amiante-mines-rivieres-contamination
7 Lette ouverte : « La rivière Bécancour, une tâche urgente » [Open Letter: “The Bécancour River, an urgent task”]. September 28, 2025.
https://www.courrierfrontenac.qc.ca/opinions/lette-ouverte-la-riviere-becancour-une-tache-urgente/
8 Quebec Ministry of Environment. Impact des résidus miniers amiantés sur les milieux aquatiques : bilan de la première année de suivi [Impact of mining waste; asbestos on aquatic environments; water: assessment of the first year of monitoring]. 2025.
https://www.environnement.gouv.qc.ca/eau/flrivlac/impact-residus-mines-amiante-milieux-aquatiques-2025.pdf
9 Musi, N., Quinn, T. African town faces deadly threat from UK firm’s asbestos waste. August 28, 2025.
https://confrontpower.org/asbestos-waste-bulembu-havelock-mine/
10 Kazan-Allen, L. Asbestos: The Human Cost of Corporate Greed. 2006.
https://ibasecretariat.org/human_cost_corp_greed_en.pdf
11 Environmental Consulting Occupational Health (ECOH). ASBESTOS INVESTIGATION AND REMEDIAL OPTIONS ANALYSIS KYMORE VILLAGE, MADHYA PRADESH, INDIA. 2016.
https://ibasecretariat.org/asbestos-investigation-and-remedial-options-analysis-kymore-and-kalhara-villages-madhya-pradesh.pdf
12 Kazan-Allen, L. Remembering Nirmala Gurung. September 18, 2020.
https://www.ibasecretariat.org/lka-remembering-nirmala-gurung.php
13 Ecocide Law. Accessed October 17, 2025.
https://ecocidelaw.com/
