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The headline of the front-page article in the Daily Mail on August 4, 2025 was as shocking as it was controversial: asbestos mortality amongst the military had been nine times as great as the number of deaths caused by the Taliban. A supplementary article also written by Steve Boggan (See: Heartrending tales of soldiers who fell victim to the British military’s silent killer asbestos) told the personal stories of former service personnel whose lives had been lost to asbestos-related cancers and diseases. See: Asbestos kills more troops than the Taliban: National disgrace revealed by Mail as toxic MoD homes and equipment caused NINE TIMES more deaths than 20-year Afghan campaign

The article cited below by a leading lung cancer expert highlighted important new developments in the treatment of lung cancer, one of the top three causes of cancer mortality in Malaysia. Many of the patients diagnosed, never smoked and contracted the disease through exposures to asbestos and other carcinogens. With huge advances being made in the availability of effective medical treatments for lung cancer, it is urgent for patients in Malaysia to be diagnosed as soon as possible to achieve optimal outcomes. See: Lung cancer survival doubles with advances in modern therapies, says expert.

Work was suspended after the police found multiple violations of health and safety regulations during work at earthquake-affected sites in Ùssita, a city in the Macerata Province, central Italy. The director of the company carrying out the construction work, Potenza Picena, was convicted of serious infringements of asbestos regulations; he was fined €14,800 (US$17,100) and ordered to pay costs of €3,000 (US$ 3,500). See: Amianto non segnalato nel cantiere post-sisma: scatta la denuncia [Unreported asbestos at post-earthquake construction site: complaint filed].

According to The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), the rapid escalation of cases of illegal asbestos dumping in Northern Ireland poses “a serious threat to our environment and to public health.” Since 2019, there have been 281 incidents during which asbestos debris has been fly-tipped in contravention of strict mandatory protocols mandating removal by specialist contractors and disposal at licensed hazardous waste sites. According to the BBC, after mixed waste and general construction debris, asbestos was the most common illegally-dumped material in Northern Ireland. See: Asbestos illegally dumped 281 times in five years.

The rapid growth in the number of non-smokers contracting lung cancer in India was the focus of the article cited below. The author explained that many of the cases could have been caused by occupational exposures to asbestos and other known carcinogens. People at highest risk included those who worked in construction, mining, shipbuilding and manufacturing. According to Dr Shriniwas Kulkarni: “Asbestos fibre inhalation inflicts serious lung damage and significantly raises the risk of developing mesothelioma, which is the cancer most closely associated with asbestos.” See: Why Are Non-Smokers Getting Lung Cancer? Doctor Reveals The Hidden Causes.

According to preliminary data, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare reported that the number of claims approved for special survivors’ benefits under the Asbestos Relief Act last year increased by 81 to 240 (178 cases of mesothelioma, 60 of lung cancer and 2 of asbestosis) while the total number of claims increased by 61 to 378, of which 343 were approved. The special survivors’ benefits are occupational compensation payments made by the government to family members in cases which had been time-barred under the 5-year statute of limitations. See: 石綿（アスベスト）特別遺族給付の認定件数が240件に急増 [The number of cases approved for special asbestos survivor benefits has surged to 240].

The timely and astute commentary by Civil Engineer Rajeev Naik cited below highlighted how Indian vested interests continue to influence the government’s asbestos policy. According to the author, skewed advice provided by an “expert committee” set up by the Environment Ministry overlooked key evidence and based its pro-asbestos opinion on selective information. The National Green Tribunal had asked the Ministry to consult specialists about whether asbestos roofs at schools were safe (YES) and whether safer substitutes were available (NO). Both answers were incorrect. See: Banned in several countries, India continues to support the use of this cancer-causing mineral.

The article cited below as well as one from July 31 (Croatia: protests in Split against ‘remediation’ of Italian ship) provided updated information on the journey of an asbestos-containing Italian passenger ship – the Moby Drea – to the Brodosplit shipyard in Split, Croatia. The use of asbestos was banned in Croatia in 2006 and local people were outraged at plans to remove 350 tons of asbestos from this vessel at the shipyard. See: Controversial asbestos-laden Italian ferry to arrive at Split.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Environment (MOENV) allocated a special budget of 780 million New Taiwan Dollars (US $260m) to assist local authorities to remediate asbestos building waste generated by Typhoon Danas. Sixty percent of the asbestos debris caused by the storm came from destruction in Tainan City and ~35% from Chiayi County. Asbestos use was banned in Taiwan in 2023. To encourage asbestos removal efforts, MOENV has subsidized decontamination work for homeowners since August 2023. See: Special budget of 780 million NT for cleaning up asbestos.

Another article from a local news outlet in the former asbestos mining region of Quebec reported the unwelcome discovery by the Ministry of Environment of asbestos contamination of waterways in the former asbestos mining towns of Thetford Mines and Val-des-Sources. According to the Ministry’s preliminary report, high levels of asbestos fibers had been found upstream and downstream of mounds of asbestos-containing tailings as well as in tributaries. See: Des concentrations élevées de fibres d’amiante dans des cours d’eau à Thetford Mines et Val-des-Sources [High concentrations of asbestos fibers in waterways in Thetford Mines and Val-des-Sources].

Last month, the Labor Court of Syracuse acknowledged that the lung cancer death of 52-year-old naval mechanic Francesco Tomasi had been caused by asbestos exposures experienced during his military service from 1984 to 1986. Tomasi was diagnosed in June 2017 and died in October the same year leaving a wife and two children. The Ministry of Defense was ordered to pay the family a total of €1,400,000 (US$ 1.6m) and a monthly pension of €2,400 (US$2,750). See: Siracusa, giustizia postuma per Francesco Tomasi: ucciso dall’amianto, riconosciuto vittima del dovere [Syracuse, posthumous justice for Francesco Tomasi: killed by asbestos, recognized as a victim of duty].

This first qualitative UK study to explore the diagnosis journey of patients with pleural mesothelioma (PM) was published in the August 2025 issue of the European Journal of Oncology. Nursing. Information for this paper was obtained from interviews with 17 PM patients from two outpatient English clinics. One of the key factors in obtaining a timely PM diagnosis was health literacy: “patients with a prior knowledge of the risk of asbestos exposure were able to seek medical attention sooner than their counterparts who were unconscious of the risk from asbestos exposure.” See: Facilitators and barriers to early diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma: A qualitative study of patients’ experiences towards getting a diagnosis.

The replacement of deteriorating asbestos roofing on government housing for 800 low income families is being expedited due to the severe health risks posed to the public. The toxic roofing on the properties which were built in the 1950s is being replaced with galvanized iron sheets. According to the article, although the use of asbestos was banned in Kenya in 2006, large amounts of asbestos material remains in private homes, police stations, hospitals, universities, education centers, coffee and tea estates, and county government offices. See: Over 800 Nakuru homes set for asbestos roof upgrade.

The paper cited below was published by Iranian scientists who documented excessive airborne asbestos levels in Shiraz, a city in south-central Iran. According to the results of air monitoring tests conducted over a year, 70% of the sampling sites had high-very high asbestos fiber concentrations, with the highest readings recorded near high-traffic areas. “Motor vehicle traffic,” was the researchers wrote “the primary source of asbestos pollution…” Acknowledging the “significant health risk” to the population, traffic control measures and the replacement of asbestos brakes with safer alternatives were recommended. See: Investigating the influence of urban land use on asbestos concentration and identifying the most vulnerable areas in Shiraz, Iran.

On July 29, 2025, a jury in Massachusetts issued a victim’s verdict and ordered Johnson & Johnson (J&J) to pay $42+ million to Paul Lovell and his wife after Mr Lovell developed mesothelioma, the signature cancer associated with asbestos exposure. Mr Lovell used J&J asbestos-containing talc products for decades. According to his lawyers, J&J knew about the contamination but did not warn consumers. The company is facing in excess of 63,000 cancer claims from people who used its talc products. See: Johnson & Johnson ordered to pay $42M after jury finds talc caused man’s cancer.

In an effort to reduce the number of occupational deaths caused by asbestos exposure, the Canadian Province of Manitoba plans to implement stricter regulations, with greater asbestos protections for workers in October 2025. Under the new regime, prior to any occupational exposure to asbestos it will be mandatory for workers to be trained and certified through an intensive asbestos awareness training program. Six workers die every year in the Province from asbestos-related diseases. See: New asbestos handling standards coming for Manitoba workers.

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]

During the 20th century, a handful of multinational conglomerates controlled global asbestos production, processing, marketing and sales. For decades, the industry’s dominance of the asbestos agenda enabled it to off-load liabilities onto individuals, communities and governments. The price paid by the injured was horrific and the economic costs incurred were colossal. Recent political and legal developments in the UK, the Netherlands and Australia suggest that traditional corporate asbestos avoidance strategies may have been compromised. [Read full article]

An intriguing and somewhat confusing headline – Trump Administration, Reversing Itself, Won’t Rewrite a Ban on Asbestos – in the July 7, 2025 issue of the New York Times caught my attention. Three weeks previously, the Republican government’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had confirmed its intention to overturn asbestos prohibitions implemented by the previous administration. By July 7, all that had changed. The shift in approach from formal rulemaking to the provision of guidance on complying with the terms of the prohibitions realigns the US with other G7 countries and 36 of the OECD’s 38 members which have banned asbestos. For the time being, the status quo has been reinstated. Whether it remains in place, only time will tell. [Read full article]

In the run-up to the UK’s annual day of asbestos remembrance – Action Mesothelioma Day – the latest national asbestos mortality data was released on July 2, 2025. With the number of deaths from other asbestos-related diseases (ARDs) added to those from mesothelioma, the total annual death toll, once again, exceeds 5,000, more than three times the number of road traffic fatalities and nearly eight times the number of murders which occur every year in the UK. Since the first AMD was held in 2006, it’s been calculated that more than 100,000 Britons have died from asbestos-related diseases. It is tragic to think of the many more lives which will be lost due to government intransigence, bureaucratic obstacles and lack of technical capacity. [Read full article]

Welcoming the new Korean President, who took office on June 4, 2025, civil society groups launched a rolling program of weekly public rallies in the capital to highlight critical issues including the country’s deadly asbestos legacy, the dumping of Fukushima nuclear wastewater and Korea’s humidifier disinfectant disaster. Despite achieving a remarkable success in eradicating the asbestos hazard from schools, dangerous asbestos loopholes and unaddressed problems remain, including failures of compliance with mandatory asbestos regulations; the continued presence of nearly a million asbestos-contaminated buildings; and the lack of support for some groups of asbestos victims. [Read full article]

On June 24, 2025, the Constitutional Court of Slovenia handed down a historic verdict upholding the successor right of relatives to bring a legal action for the asbestos death of a family member. According to the Court, the previous position which barred them from doing so – as laid out in the Act on Remedying the Consequences of Work with Asbestos – was unconstitutional. As a direct consequence of this ruling the National Assembly must adopt measures implementing this policy reversal within one year. In the meantime, heirs of deceased victims whose asbestos-related diseases had been medically recognized may submit compensation claims. [Read full article]

On June 16, 2025, President Donald Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) confirmed its intention to overturn asbestos prohibitions implemented by the previous administration. According to the EPA’s motion, the process of re-evaluating the 2024 regulations would take at least 30 months and most likely a lot longer. While polluters and vested interests – some of whom formerly employed current EPA officials – are no doubt, delighted with this news others have warned of the dire consequences for American citizens of future asbestos exposures. [Read full article]

Around the world, mobilization over the asbestos hazard continued to accelerate in recent weeks. Among the issues tackled were: the rights of victims, the responsibility of governments, deadly national legacies, the eradication of contaminated infrastructures and the need to outlaw asbestos use in countries which have not yet done so. The initiatives rolled out by civil society groups, trade unions and governments to raise public awareness, support the injured and protect populations in Asia, Africa and Europe confirm that the global asbestos discourse is now an integral part of mainstream discussions on human rights, environmental justice and green technology. [Read full article]

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]

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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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