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On May 7, 2024 concerned parents mounted a demonstration outside the Pablo Picasso school, in the Vesoul commune, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, eastern France. The protesters were calling on the local authorities to address asbestos contamination, saying their children were at risk from toxic exposures in the classrooms. Alain Chrétien, Vesoul’s Mayor, was present to alleviate their anxiety, saying that the “level of asbestos in the city's schools is not a cause for concern.” See: "À l'intérieur, c'est bourré d'amiante": des parents d'élèves ont bloqué l'entrée de l'école Picasso à Vesoul ce mardi [“Inside, it's full of asbestos”: parents blocked the entrance to the Picasso school in Vesoul on Tuesday].

Work began in October 2023 on a R3 billion (US$163m) project to remediate asbestos roofing on domestic properties in the South African Free State Province. Work on 200 properties has been completed to date, leaving ~36,000 still to go. The toxic roofing is being replaced with corrugated iron sheets. According to a government spokesperson, the goal is to remove asbestos roofing from 2,000 properties a year prior to upgrading homes. See: Process to remove asbestos roofs in Free State finally gets underway.

Updated data on the Statista website confirmed that the level of global asbestos production in 2023 was 1.3 million tonnes (t) with only four countries mining asbestos: Russia (630,000t), Kazakhstan (260,000t), China (200,000t) and Brazil. Another Statista page (Regional Consumption of Asbestos Worldwide) showed that Asian countries were the biggest markets for asbestos, consuming 99% (1,320,000t) of the asbestos used every year. See: Mine production of asbestos worldwide in 2023, by leading countries.

By early March, 2024, asbestos-contaminated mulch –most of which contained friable, loose asbestos – had been identified at 75 places in the Sydney area. Whilst several sites have been remediated, work is still ongoing in parks, streets and other outdoor spaces with many areas still out of use. Asked about the reasons for the delay in the clean-up, a spokesperson for the Environment Protection Authority said: “Once we have established the status of clean-up works at all sites, we will work with landowners to establish a reasonable timeframe for completing works … Where landowners fail to clean up sites in a timely manner, the EPA may consider regulatory action.” See: More than 5 months after asbestos was discovered in Sydney, sites are still contaminated.

According to the author of the article cited below, there is an estimated one million tonnes of asbestos-containing roofing throughout Latvia. Because of the expense of disposing and replacing the toxic material, many people continue to live under these roofs even though exposure to the asbestos fibers they contain could cause cancer. Commenting on the current situation, Atis Trace – Director of the Waste Circulation Department of Latvia’s State Environmental Service – explained that whilst the levels of AC roofing in the capital are relatively low, in more remote regions they are higher. See: Асбестовые шиферные крыши распространены в Латвии: они содержат канцероген [Asbestos slate roofs are common in Latvia: they contain a carcinogen].

The former asbestos mining town of Thetford, Quebec used the occasion of a visit to the municipality of Provincial MPs Isabelle Lecours and Bernard Drainville – who is also the Minister responsible for the Chaudière-Appalaches region – to reiterate demands for government funding to support the economic diversification of the area in the aftermath of the mandatory shutdown of asbestos mining. In addition, spokespersons for the Thetford welcoming committee deplored, what they called, excessive and costly precautionary asbestos regulations. See: La Ville de Thetford espère que cette fois-ci sera la bonne [The City of Thetford hopes that [decision] this time will be the right one].

The news released on May 1, 2024 that the US pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson (J&J) had proposed a new deal to resolve tens of thousands of cancer cases resulting from asbestos fibers in its talc-based baby powder was covered extensively at home and abroad. If the proposal is agreed, J&J would be able to resolve current and future ovarian cancer claims which make up 99% of the talc-related lawsuits brought against the company. Last year, J&J settled 95% of the outstanding legal actions on behalf of mesothelioma plaintiffs for an undisclosed sum of money. See: Johnson & Johnson proposes $6.5bn settlement of talc cancer lawsuits.

An unofficial asbestos audit of UK regions published by an asbestos sampling company last week revealed that “samples taken from properties in the East of England are more likely to be positive than those from anywhere else in the UK.” The raw data which formed the basis for this analysis was provided by thousands of consumers who sent 5,300+ samples to the company collected by the use of home testing kits in 2023. Other regions which showed high levels of asbestos included: the South East (36%), the South West (36%) and Wales (34%). See: Data reveals which UK regions have the highest presence of asbestos.

As part of activities marking International Workers Memorial Day (April 28), the Workers’ Compensation Board of British Columbia (WorkSafeBC) – a statutory agency tasked with preventing occupational injury and occupational disease – reported that of the 175 workers who died in 2023, 27.4% (48) had died from asbestos-related diseases. In addition to the traditional industries where workers used or processed asbestos, over a period of 40+ years, generations of British Columbians also worked at the Cassiar asbestos mine in the north of the Province. See: WorkSafeBC reports 175 workers died in 2023.

New Zealand’s Ministry of Education has said it is considering the provision of additional support to help schools deal with asbestos. The unexpected discovery of asbestos-containing material by construction workers engaged to renovate 8 classrooms in 2022 created such stress that that Principal John Hunte of Glenavon School was seriously considering quitting. The decontamination work remains ongoing and could eventually cost taxpayers millions of dollars. Hunte said that his passion is teaching children and not site or project management. See: School's struggle with asbestos removal: ‘It's destroyed me’.

Since 2015, staff from South Chungcheong Province have held 22 Healing Camps for 1,000 asbestos victims and their families. This year’s camp was held in early May at Cheonripo Arboretum in Taean County, South Korea. The purpose of the activities were to foster the psychological well-being of the injured and their relatives using a variety of techniques and experiences. According to Director Koo Sang-do: “…the emotional healing program for victims is an important endeavour…We will do our best to alleviate the pain of the victims and their families….” See: 충남도, 석면피해자 힐링캠프 개최 [South Chungcheong Province holds healing camp for asbestos victims].

The thoughtful and detailed article cited below included a wide-ranging discussion of mesothelioma, covering subjects such as causation, latency periods, types of exposure, regional hotspots, disease registries and predicted levels of diseases. According to data from the Mesothelioma Registry of the Emilia-Romagna Region, between January 1, 1996 and June 30, 2023, there were 3,513 cases of malignant mesothelioma, 72% in males and 79% in subjects 65+. “Almost a quarter of the cases, were recorded in the province of Bologna alone.” Efforts to continue monitoring the incidence of the cancer were recommended by the paper’s co-authors. See: Come è cambiata l’esposizione all’amianto nel Nord Italia dal 1996 al 2023 [How asbestos exposure has changed in Northern Italy from 1996 to 2023].

A famous Italian journalist shocked the nation when he gave an exclusive interview on a Sunday night primetime chat show, announcing that he had contracted the terminal asbestos cancer, mesothelioma. Franco Di Mare said he believed that he had inhaled asbestos dust during his years covering the Balkan wars for RAI TV. The company management continued to ignore requests from him for information about his assignments as a foreign correspondent. See: Franco Di Mare, la malattia scoperta 3 anni fa: «Al posto del polmone destro c'era il nulla. La Rai? Piena di amianto» [Franco Di Mare, the disease discovered 3 years ago: “Instead of the right lung there was nothing. La Rai? Full of asbestos”].

During a meeting on April 26, 2024 of the Vietnam Roofing Association, officials of the trade association bemoaned the harsh economic climate in which they were operating, saying that increased costs of chrysotile asbestos fiber and other raw materials were impacting on their companies’ bottom lines. In the face of growing support for a national asbestos ban, the Association was progressing outreach educational work to shore up demand for asbestos-cement building materials, the use of which, speakers said, was “safe.” See: Hội nghị thường niên Hiệp hội Tấm lợp Việt Nam năm 2024 [Vietnam Roofing Association Annual Meeting 2024].

From April 28, 2024, workers from the Piedmont Region who were exposed to asbestos became eligible to join a new health surveillance program which provides free medical monitoring. Via a series of medical tests and procedures, the members of the program will be better placed to obtain early diagnoses of asbestos-related diseases, thereby providing more treatment options. The health surveillance activity is being sponsored by a consortium of local, municipal and regional health authorities. See: Lavoratori esposti all’amianto: al via un programma gratuito di sorveglianza sanitaria, come aderire [Workers exposed to asbestos: a free health surveillance program launches, how to join].

In the Turkish National Assembly, the Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change was questioned about the hazard posed to construction workers engaged on the building of the Dilovasi Hospital Connection Road Viaduct by the presence of tens of thousands of tonnes of toxic debris contaminated with pollutants including three types of asbestos: crocidolite, chrysotile and amosite: “The fact,” said MP Evrim Rizvanoglu, “that workers work in an environment where they are exposed to this dangerous substance during road construction is a major concern in terms of occupational safety.” See: Kocaeli'deki asbest tehlikesi meclis gündeminde [The danger of asbestos in Kocaeli is on the agenda of parliament].

On May 7, 2024, the Government of Catalonia approved draft legislation to address the region’s deadly asbestos legacy. The Asbestos Eradication Bill, when it’s ratified by Parliament, will facilitate a timely and safe removal of asbestos from buildings and facilities. Commenting on the significance of this development, Catalonia’s President Pere Aragonès acknowledged “the commitment and involvement of civic and social entities, neighborhood associations, local governments and social agents, and various departments of the Government of Catalonia” which had led to the adoption of this landmark bill. One can but hope that the coalition of stakeholders praised by the President will continue to press for much-needed change; the sooner The Asbestos Eradication Bill becomes law, the better! [Read full article]

This article comprises the English translation of an open letter to the Swiss asbestos billionaire Stephen Schmidheiny, written by Italian journalist Silvana Mossano, whose husband Marco Giorcelli died from environmental asbestos exposures experienced in Casale Monferrato, his home town. Ms. Mossano has seen with her own eyes the dreadful repercussions of the asbestos manufacturing operations owned by Schmidheiny, who has been tried and convicted in multiple Italian courts for his role in this deadly epidemic. Ms Mossano’s letter is both heartfelt and well reasoned. It deserves to be read. [Read full article]

Italians were shocked to the core by the appearance of journalist Franco Di Mare on the Sunday night TV chatshow – Che tempo che fa (What's the weather like) – on April 28, 2024. Sixty-eight-year old Di Mare, who was speaking remotely, was shown using a respirator as he announced that he was seriously ill with the asbestos cancer, mesothelioma. During a dramatic interview with Fabio Fazio, Di Mare laid bare the devastating impact of the disease and its poor prognosis: mesothelioma has, he said “a very long latency period and when it manifests itself it is too late.” Di Mare castigated the RAI TV channel, owned & operated by the Italian Government, for turning its back on him after his diagnosis. [Read full article]

As a result of a Supreme Court ruling, it will now become obligatory for all asbestos-containing products sold in Indonesia to feature warning labels in Bahasa, the country’s official language. This landmark decision was issued further to a petition submitted in December 2023 by the Independent Community Consumer Protection Institute, the Yasa Nata Budi Foundation – a consumer advocacy body – and the Local Initiative for OSH Network. Celebrating this victory, campaigner Muchamad Darisman said: “By granting our request, the Judges took a giant leap forward in safeguarding the lives not only of workers but also of members of the public and consumers. It is essential that the Government and all relevant authorities take prompt action to implement the Court’s ruling...” [Read full article]

Between 2009 – when the Asian Ban Asbestos Network (ABAN) was founded – and 2023, global asbestos production fell from almost 2 million tonnes/t to 1,300,000t a year, a whopping 35% decline. There are many factors which adversely affected the asbestos industry’s bottom line during this time; the work of ABAN was one of them. On ABAN’s 15th year anniversary, its members take stock of what has been achieved by the journey which began in Hong Kong so many years ago and reaffirm their determination to continue the campaign to rid Asia of the scourge caused by the continuing use of asbestos. [Read full article]

Now in its 46th year of operations, the Asbestos Diseases Society of Australia (ADSA) is more relevant than ever. Having had the privilege of catching up with ADSA colleagues during a recent trip to Western Australia (WA), it was clear that the Society’s staff were even busier than usual. During our stay in Perth, we were delighted on April 18, 2024, to learn that the much-hated “once and for all rule,” which had disadvantaged ADSA members by barring them from accepting provisional damages, had been overturned by the adoption of the Civil Liability Amendment (Provisional Damages for Dust Diseases) Bill 2024. Commenting on this momentous development, the ADSA’s CEO Melita Markey said: “asbestos and silicosis sufferers in WA will have the same legal rights as sufferers elsewhere in the country.” [Read full article]

Last month was the grand opening of a factory in the Sverdlovsk region of Russia. The Vestra plant which is owned by Uralasbest – Russia’s 2nd biggest asbestos mining conglomerate – is located conveniently near the group’s chrysotile (white) asbestos mine in the Urals’ monotown of Asbest. Although the nature of the “mineral dust” used in the facility remains unspecified, it is likely that it is material reclaimed from chrysotile asbestos mining waste. In due course, the toxic secret at the heart of this shiny new factory will be exposed. One can but hope that this day comes sooner rather than later. [Read full article]

On March 18, 2024 – more than 32 years after America’s first asbestos ban was vacated by a Louisiana Court of Appeals – the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) confirmed that the use of chrysotile (white) asbestos would be phased out with an immediate embargo on asbestos imports once the Final Rule on Asbestos Part 1; Chrysotile Asbestos; Regulation of Certain Conditions of Use Under the Toxic Substances Control Act (the Final Rule) was implemented. This long-awaited national ban will protect not only people in the US but those in other countries which decide that the time is right for them to also take unilateral action on the asbestos hazard. It is reassuring that, after all this time, the EPA is once again becoming a force for good. [Read full article]

On March 3, 2024, members of the Asian Ban Asbestos Network (ABAN) convened for the 2024 ABAN South Asia Strategy meeting. With its unique asbestos history, Sri Lanka was an appropriate venue for the meeting. In retaliation for plans to impose an asbestos ban in Sri Lanka, Russia embargoed tea imports from Sir Lanka. As a result, the asbestos ban was put on hold. Despite these setbacks, groups in Sri Lanka are progressing a range of efforts to minimize hazardous asbestos exposures. Commenting on the deliberations in Colombo, ABAN Coordinator Sugio Furuya highlighted: the high level of engagement exhibited by the attendees and the participation of a new generation of ban asbestos campaigners. [Read full article]

March 24, 2024 will be the 100th anniversary of the death of Nellie Kershaw, the first named victim of asbestos-related disease. Her story is paradigmatic of the experience of so many victims, abandoned to their fate once occupationally-contracted diseases made them unfit for work. Has much changed since Nellie Kershaw’s death 100 years ago? Thousands of Britons are still dying from asbestosis, the disease which killed Mrs. Kershaw, and asbestos cancers every year. The government’s refusal to address the contamination of the national infrastructure will ensure that in decades to come there will be many more people like Nellie Kershaw who experience ill health and premature death due to toxic exposures. A 100 years on, the human face of this tragedy may have changed but the problem remains the same. [Read full article]

Nearly ten years after the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), in Strasbourg condemned Switzerland for its treatment of one asbestos victim, a ruling last month (February 2024) found that the same legal system was in violation of the European Convention on Human Rights (the Convention) in its handling of a lawsuit brought by another asbestos plaintiff. Although there were differences in the cases, the ECHR’s response to the time-barred defense advanced by Switzerland’s legal team was the same; the need for “legal certainty and legal peace,” did not justify depriving asbestos claimants “of the chance to assert their rights before the courts.” [Read full article]

In an Asbestos Factsheet uploaded on February 16, 2024, by the United Nations Environment Programme it was reported that: “There is ongoing evidence that mismanagement of asbestos is resulting in elevated healthcare expenses that surpass any benefits.” The validity of this finding was substantiated by the asbestos scandal – news of which has gone global – which has rocked Sydney, Australia over recent weeks. The discovery of asbestos in mulch used in parks, playgrounds, schools, sports centers, hospitals, electrical substations, supermarkets and domestic gardens has led to closure of premises, cancellation of events and extremely high levels of public anxiety. [Read full article]

It is now 125 years, since Factory Inspector Lucy Deane warned the British Government about the hazard posed by exposures to asbestos. One wonders what she would have made of the fact that so many decades later, asbestos cancers and diseases continue to wreak havoc amongst populations the world over. Recent developments reviewed in the article cited below, revealed both good and bad news. Despite the dramatic fall in asbestos use in the 21st century, asbestos contamination of national infrastructures and pollution of the natural environment remain a public health as well as an occupational health risk to global populations. [Read full article]

In the run-up to World Cancer Day 2024, an article in The Guardian newspaper reverberated a World Health Organization (WHO) warning of an impending cancer “tsunami” which will see the number of new cancer cases rising by 77% by 2050. Exposure to all types of asbestos can cause a variety of cancers; data released in 2024, confirmed that 1,300,000 tonnes of asbestos were consumed worldwide last year. It is neither prudent nor humane for national governments, international agencies and regional authorities to neglect their duty to protect populations in countries where asbestos use remains legal; every minute of every day millions of people are being exposed to a substance that could kill them. It has to stop. [Read full article]

Following on from a TV program – Britain’s crumbling schools – broadcast on the BBC last month, an article on the website of the World Socialist on January 29th asserted that: “Schools in the UK are not fit for purpose, and many pose a ‘critical risk to life.’” While asbestos protections are increasing in EU countries, it seems that in the UK the only change is for the worse. As our schools continue to age, asbestos-containing products within them deteriorate and the likelihood of carcinogenic fibers becoming airborne grows. The final price for the negligence of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will be paid by the children, teachers and school staff who contract mesothelioma in the decades to come. [Read full article]

Johnson and Johnson (J&J) announced in May 2020 that it would stop selling its iconic talc-based baby powder in US and Canadian markets. It would be another two years before the company bowed to mounting pressure over claims of discriminatory marketing and double standards and agreed to stop sales outside North America. Grassroots’ groups around the world which have been monitoring the availability of J&J products during 2023 & 2024 reported that there appeared to be a decrease in supplies of the toxic baby powder available in many retail and online outlets. [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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