News Archive

The article cited below which was uploaded on May 30, 2023 drew attention to an internal European Parliament document dated May 26, 2023, which revealed a disconnect between positions adopted by the EU Commission, European Council and European Parliament on protecting workers from occupational asbestos exposures and the general view of member states. Many regard plans to lower exposure limits for asbestos fibers – initially from 0.1 to 0.01 fibres per cm³ with a further reduction to 0.001 per cm³ after four years – as not “realistic” or “feasible.” See: EU clashes over protection of workers exposed to asbestos.

EuroCham Backs Asbestos Prohibitions

Jun 2, 2023

A new report issued by the European Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia (EuroCham Cambodia) – a non-profit, non-political organization established to support European businesses operating in Cambodia – urged the Government of Cambodia to take urgent action on ending the use of asbestos, a carcinogen which is banned throughout Europe “in order to prevent future diseases and deaths in Cambodia, due to asbestos inhalation…” The survey undertaken by EuroCham was released on May 30, 2023; it highlighted the ongoing and widespread use of asbestos-containing building material by the construction sector. See: Call to ban asbestos import, use in Cambodia.

Asbestos Exposé

Jun 2, 2023

A front-page feature in the Sunday edition (May 28, 2023) of the Brussels Times – an English-language news website and magazine headquartered in Brussels – highlighted the epidemic caused by asbestos exposures in Belgium, formerly the heartland of Europe’s asbestos industrial sector. The text featured an interview with Marijke Van Buggenhout, a PhD researcher who grew up near Kapelle-op-den-Bos, the site of Eternit’s largest asbestos-cement manufacturing facility in Belgium: “Asbestos deaths within the family were announced left, right and centre: my father's Uncle Alex, his aunt Bertha, my father's aunt's daughter-in-law, the husband of my grandfather's youngest sister. They all died just months after their diagnosis.” See: Forgotten killer: Belgian asbestos victims seek real sense of justice.

Hess Corporation Asbestos Settlement

Jun 2, 2023

According to an article published on May 26, 2022, Hess Corporation – the US parent company of HONX, a joint owner of the Hovensa Oil Refinery on the island of St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands – has agreed to pay $106 million into a trust for former refinery workers and their families who were injured by asbestos exposures in St. Croix. The deal, which was filed with a Texas bankruptcy court on May 24, set aside $90m for current claimants, $15m for future claimants and $1m to cover the trust’s administrative costs. “The settlement,” wrote journalist Mat Probasco “makes Hess immune from future asbestos-related legal action.” See: Hess Settles St. Croix Asbestos Claims For $106 Million.

Asbestos Exposures at Coal Mines

Jun 2, 2023

A 2 minute 36 second video clip uploaded last week highlighted the hazardous conditions experienced by coal miners at sites in the Isère department in the southeast of France. Toxic exposures to asbestos and other carcinogens were routine at the mines and thermal power plants; there was no protective equipment supplied and no warnings of the hazards given. The asbestos anxiety of 58 of these workers was recognized by the Court which ordered the French State to pay compensation of one million euros. Amongst the 58 claimants, 24 have contracted cancer or other diseases and two have already died. See: VIDÉO. "On vivait dans l'amiante à 100 %": 58 anciens mineurs de l'Isère ont fait condamner l'Etat [VIDEO. “We lived in 100% asbestos”: 58 former miners from Isère had the State condemned].

Police Action on Asbestos in Chieti

Jun 2, 2023

Officers of the Environmental Police (NIPAAF) in the city of Francavilla al Mar, Chieti – a commune in central Italy – seized a shed of 5,000 square meters because of the hazard posed by its deteriorating asbestos-cement roof and the 1,300 tonnes of toxic waste dumped inside. The shed is located near the town and the environmental hazard it posed was both illegal and unacceptable, said the authorities. The owner of the company that owned the shed was reported for several crimes, including illegal transport of waste, storage of hazardous material; a fine of €6,000 (US$6,430) was handed down. See: Francavilla, sequestrato un edificio a causa della presenza di coperture in cemento amianto [Francavilla, seized a building due to the presence of asbestos cement roofs].

Asbestos Phase-Out

May 31, 2023

OxyChem (also known as Occidental Chemical Corporation) – one of the biggest manufacturers of chlorine in the US – announced last week that it planned to phase out asbestos technology at its chlor-alkali plant. A company press release noted that: “OxyChem has picked membrane electrolysis technology from Thyssenkrupp Nucera to replace the diaphragm technology at its largest chlor-alkali facility, in LaPorte, Texas. The project is expected to take 3 years.” The other two big US chlorine manufacturers – Olin and Westlake – had previously announced plans to phase out asbestos diaphragms. See: OxyChem will adopt membrane technology at chlor-alkali plant.

Tokyo Settlement in Asbestos Litigation

May 31, 2023

For the first time in the Tokyo metropolitan area, and the second time in all of Japan, a settlement was reached with a former asbestos products’ manufacturer in a class action lawsuit brought by former construction workers against the government and a building material manufacturer. The party which admitted its guilt and paid compensation was the Nozawa company, headquartered in Kobe. On May 31, 2023, the Tokyo High Court will issue its verdict on the case brought by the 32 members of the class action against six defendants. See: 建設アスベスト訴訟建材メーカーと一部原告で和解成立 [Construction Asbestos Litigation Resolved with Construction Materials Manufacturer and Some Plaintiffs].

Post-disaster Asbestos Assessment

May 31, 2023

New research by Istanbul’s Chamber of Environmental Engineers reported that one in every two of the samples of rubble they collected from the February 2023 earthquakes contained asbestos. Despite multiple protests by local communities living near the dump sites where the toxic debris had been taken in Hatay, Yeşilköy, Narlıca and Çamlı Plateau, no solution has been found for safely disposing of the massive mountains of waste created by the earthquakes. Criminal cases regarding this issue have been filed. See (subscription site): 2 moloz örneğinden 1’inde asbest var [1 in 2 debris samples contains asbestos].

Guglielmo Cavalli Competition 2022/23

May 31, 2023

On May 24 & 25, the winners of the 2023 competition run by AFeVA (the Association of Asbestos Victims and Family Members) and its partners from Casale Monferrato – the town at the epicenter of Italy’s asbestos epidemic – were announced online. The 135 participants were tasked with comparing the town’s toxic Eternit asbestos-cement factory with the public park which now stands on the remediated site. The purpose of the competition, now in its 30th year, is not only to honor asbestos victims but also to stimulate “civil and social commitment among local students who have paid a heavy price for pollution.” See: Amianto: Afeva Casale premia vincitori del 'Concorso Cavalli' [Asbestos: Afeva Casale awards winners of the ‘Cavalli Competition’].

New Option for Asbestos Shipments

May 31, 2023

A train carrying 40 containers of 1,000 tons of asbestos fiber departed from the railway west cargo station in Dunhuang, a city in Northwestern Gansu Province, Western China on May 5, 2023 as part of a new rail–sea intermodal international freight train link between China and Thailand. The cargo was off-loaded at the Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan in Zhejiang province and sent by sea to Bangkok, Thailand. The journey took just 20 days. The possibility of express shipments of asbestos from China – one of the world’s biggest asbestos producers and users – to other Asian countries is a disturbing development. See: 酒泉(敦煌)铁海联运国际货运班列开行 [Jiuquan (Dunhuang) rail–sea combined transport international freight route opened].

Asbestos at Redundant Military Base

May 31, 2023

A site formerly used by the Greek military which was bought by the city of Chania has created an environmental storm for Cretans concerned about infringements of safety legislation during work to remove asbestos from buildings at the Markopoulou camp. Technical expert Professor Emeritus Evangelos Gidarakos said that from photographic evidence he had seen “the presence of hazardous materials and more specifically asbestos has been established. This makes it necessary to take and observe very strict safety rules to protect the health of both the workers involved in the removal work, as well as the residents of the area.” See:Έντονη ανησυχία για τον αμίαντο στο στρατόπεδο “Μαρκοπούλου” [Strong concern about asbestos in the “Markopoulou” camp].

Asbestos in Schools

May 30, 2023

On May 23, 2023, a motion proposed by Labour asking the Government to release a report completed in 2021 on the state of school buildings was debated for over two hours. Labour MPs who highlighted the on-going national scandal over asbestos in schools on Tuesday afternoon included Bridget Phillipson, Simon Lightwood and Liz Twist. It was left, however, to Ian Lavery MP, to make the most damning indictment of 13 years of Tory misrule during his impassioned intervention: “The idea that schools could collapse is terrifying; that they could collapse releasing clouds of asbestos is shudderingly worrying… A staggering 87% of schools are reported to have asbestos in at least one of their buildings.” The motion was defeated. See: Safety of School Buildings.

Appeal Upholds Victim’s Verdict

May 30, 2023

On May 24, 2023, the Florence Court of Appeal of confirmed a lower court’s guilty verdict against the Italian Ministries of the Interior and Defense which had been found to be responsible for asbestos workplace exposures which caused the death from pleural mesothelioma of Antonio Ballini (aged 69). The deceased had served in the Navy from 1965 till 1967, during which time he routinely handled and used products containing asbestos. See: Amianto, ex militare ucciso da mesotelioma: confermata la condanna per i Ministeri [Asbestos, ex soldier killed by mesothelioma: sentence confirmed for Ministries].

Asbestos in Schools

May 30, 2023

In 2022, the South Korean Province of Gyeonggi allocated 450 billion won (US$340m) for the removal of asbestos in 216 elementary, middle, high and special school buildings as a matter of public health. The results of the 2022 asbestos eradication program were discussed on May 25th at a meeting of the Provincial Office of Education in the capital city of Gyeonggi-do. See: 경기도, 초중고∙특수학교 건축물 석면 제거 등에 4500억원투입 [Gyeonggi-do invests 450 billion won in asbestos removal in elementary, middle, high and special school buildings].

Asbestos Epidemic in Western Australia

May 30, 2023

The latest newsletter from the Asbestos Diseases Society of Australia is an interesting read. The Society is calling for the outdated narrative of “asbestos diseases as a diminishing industrial disease” to be recategorized as a “rapidly emerging Public Health Issue… [to ensure that] medical research funding and clinical resources provided by the WA Health Department, are available to meet the demand for patients with non-occupational exposure to asbestos. It is worth noting that two thirds of houses built in Australia between 1950-1980s will likely have some asbestos in them.” See: Asbestos Diseases Society of Australia. Newsletter #14. May 2023.

Mesothelioma Research Grant

May 30, 2023

On May 23, 2023 it was announced by HASAG Asbestos Disease Support that a grant had been awarded for research into the use of radiotherapy as palliative care for mesothelioma patients. A year long study will be funded by the ~£37,200 sum donated to a team working under the auspices of Professor Anthony Chalmers at the University of Glasgow. Commenting on this news Professor Chalmers said: “Mesothelioma is an extremely difficult cancer to treat, and we are very encouraged by the early results from SYSTEMS-2 which suggest that some patients might benefit from higher doses of radiotherapy than have previously been used…” See: HASAG Funds New Research Study.

Asbestos Protest in Western Cape

May 30, 2023

In April, 2023, 150 residents from the Khayelitsha township in South Africa’s Western Cape Province marched to Parliament to demand that the Province’s Department of Human Settlement remediate asbestos roofing on their homes. The houses were built in the 1990s and much of the roofing is now in poor condition. The provincial housing department said it would liaise with the National Department of Human Settlements to resume a repair program suspended in 2020 during the Covid pandemic. See: Khayelitsha families want asbestos roofing removed.

D-DAY: June 7, 2023

May 25, 2023

On June 7, 2023, the judgment will be handed down in the long-running criminal trial of Swiss asbestos billionaire Stephen Schmidheiny at the Novara Court of Assizes (Italy). During the trial, the defense had called for Schmidheiny to be acquitted of all charges; prosecutors had called for a sentence of life imprisonment. The defendant was charged with the voluntary homicide of 392 people from the town of Casale Monferrato, all of whom died from asbestos-related diseases, allegedly caused by exposure to asbestos fibers liberated by the Eternit asbestos-cement factory operated by Schmidheiny. See: Processo Eternit bis: sentenza attesa il 7 giugno [Eternit bis trial: sentence expected on June 7].

Asbestos at the Palace

May 25, 2023

Asbestos removal work was part of the €171 million (US$184.4m) renovation project undertaken on the 17th century Dutch royal palace of Het Loo, sometimes called the “Versailles of the North,” in the city of Apeldoorn in the heart of the Netherlands. During the five years the historic site was closed to visitors, 4,300 sq. meters of asbestos fireproofing, which was installed in the 1970s, was remediated and replaced. The Palace reopened to the public on Friday April 21, 2023. See: An invisible €171m renovation: Dutch royal palace reopens after five-year-long underground project.

Asbestos in Schools

May 25 2023

On May 18, 2023 concerned parents, school staff, and their supporters held a rally on the steps of the Philadelphia School District’s headquarters to demand increased clarity and coordination on tackling asbestos contamination of the city’s schools. After initially being rebuffed by security personnel, the petitions presented on Thursday by groups from Henry and Mitchell elementary schools, and Building 21 and Frankford High – four schools closed by asbestos problems this year – were accepted by Oz Hill, the district’s chief operating officer, and district spokesperson Monique Braxton. See: Philly teachers and parents from schools closed by asbestos petition the district for better information.

Grassroots Asbestos Mobilization

May 25, 2023

On May 20, 2023, former employees of the Brasilit company gathered at an asbestos meeting organized by the Brazilian Association of the Asbestos-Exposed (ABREA) in São Caetano do Sul in São Paulo state. The participants engaged in discussions and planning for a July 2023 ABREA workshop on workers’ rights, which will be open to asbestos victims, family members, and political and social leaders. The event, which is by invitation only, will take place at a venue provided by São Caetano do Sul City Council. See: Picture of ABREA event on May 20, 2023 in São Caetano do Sul, São Paulo State.

Post-Earthquake Dialogue

May 25, 2023

In the aftermath of the Kahramanmaraş February 6, 2023 earthquakes that devastated whole regions of Turkey and affected millions of people, questions are being asked about “what will be needed to rebuild the cities …while preserving social relations and urban identity.” Within the context of a wide-ranging discussion by experts from diverse fields, the subject of asbestos was mentioned as a critical factor in decisions regarding the reuse of disaster waste in reconstruction efforts. Without due care and attention, asbestos debris will not only endanger human life but also pollute the soil and the water. See: Depremzede kentler nasıl yeniden inşa edilecek? ‘Konuyu konuttan ibaret görürsek yanlış bir şey yaparız’ [How will earthquake-affected cities be rebuilt? ‘It will be a mistake to see the subject as provision of housing alone’].

Buyer Beware!

May 25, 2023

The extensive article cited below explained the challenges posed by the historic use of asbestos-containing products in Japan and the present-day problems asbestos contamination poses. Real estate buyers are strongly advised to commission asbestos surveys of all properties built before September 1, 2006: “an asbestos survey will help protect your assets when purchasing real estate.” Failing to follow this advice could leave a new property owner with huge bills to remediate toxic structures. See: “不動産売買のババ抜き”でジョーカーを引かないために必要な中古物件購入前のアスベスト調査 [Asbestos survey before buying a second-hand property necessary to avoid pulling the joker in “old real estate trading”].

Paris Appeals’ Verdict

May 24, 2023

On the afternoon of Friday May 19, 2023, the news broke that the Paris Court of Appeal had turned its back on thousands of French asbestos victims and their families and blocked efforts to hold to account fourteen decision makers, executives, doctors and lobbyists for the thousands of deaths caused by asbestos exposures in France. Nearly 2,000 complainants brought this legal action to the court demanding that a criminal trial of the accused take place. Their request was denied. There will be an appeal, said leaders of the asbestos victims’ group. See: Asbestos: The Paris Court Refuses To Hold A Criminal Trial Requested By Victims.