News Archive

Bad news this month for Russia’s 2nd biggest asbestos producer: Uralasbest. On March 11, the company confirmed that the workforce would be transferred to a three-day week to save money on labor (see: https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/7564547) On March 21, the Board of Directors told attendees at the Uralasbest Annual General Meeting that the company did not intend to pay dividends for 2024. The company's latest annual report said that in 2025 it expected to implement a number of measures to reduce the cost of production, to increase labor productivity and search for new markets. See: Ураласбест не планирует выплачивать дивиденды за 2024г [Uralasbest does not plan to pay dividends for 2024].

Confronting a Deadly Legacy

Mar 28, 2025

A commentary in The Morning Star on March 21, 2025 celebrated a U-turn by the UK government which had, until very recently, categorically denied the hazard posed by the presence of deteriorating asbestos throughout the country’s infrastructure. The Sunday Tomes and the Daily Mail have been campaigning for asbestos eradication; this month, the BBC broadcast an insightful series about corporate asbestos cover-ups. An April 4 meeting is being organized in London to build support for the phased removal of all asbestos from schools. See: Is the government finally going to remove a silent killer?

Asbestos Conviction in Turin

Mar 28, 2025

Last week, Vincenzo Santoro was sentenced to a suspended jail sentence of 18 months and a fine of €691,000 (US$750,000) when he was convicted for his part in the manslaughter of 16 railway workers from the Officine Grandi Riparazioni (OGR [the “large repair workshops”]). The defendant had been employed between 1970 and 1979 by the State Railways as an external consultant at the OGR’s Corso Castelfidardo site in Turin. See: Dopo 50 anni medico 85enne condannato per la morte di 16 operai uccisi dall'amianto killer delle Ogr di Torino [After 50 years, an 85-year-old doctor is convicted over death of 16 workers at OGR, Turin].

Asbestos Screening Program

Mar 28, 2025

From March 18, asbestos medical screenings will be conducted by staff at The Asbestos Environmental Health Center, Cheonan Hospital. People eligible for the tests include residents from Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province in central South Korea who were exposed to high levels of asbestos liberated by mining and/or processing operations. Initially, the patients will have basic medical checkups and chest X-rays. Those with abnormal findings will be subjected to further procedures including chest CTs as well as pulmonary function and pulmonary diffusion tests. See: 제천시 수산면 석면건강영향조사 실시 [Asbestos health impact survey conducted in Susan-myeon, Jecheon-si].

Grassroots’ Calls for Asbestos Justice

Mar 28, 2025

The Asbestos Victims Support Groups Forum (the Forum) – a national umbrella groups representing asbestos victims – is calling on the UK government to cease awarding contracts to Altrad and its subsidiaries because of the conglomerate’s refusal to engage constructively with victims. Altrad’s Chief Executive Ran Oren has refused to give evidence at a March 24th Parliamentary hearing into the history of Cape PLC, the UK’s 2nd biggest asbestos conglomerate which in 2017 became part of the Altrad Group. See: Campaign group calls for public contracts ban on Altrad.

Asbestos in Gauteng’s Schools

Mar 26, 2025

A March 20, 2025 press release issued by a South African opposition party – The Democratic Alliance – from Gauteng Province demanded that the “Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) accelerate the eradication of asbestos-containing schools in the province” because of the serious health risk to pupils and staff. According to Sergio Dos Santos, a Member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature since 2019, 29 schools in the province are built “predominantly from asbestos”; these facilities are attended by thousands of children. See: Human rights violation and health risk: DA Gauteng demands eradication of asbestos schools.

Post-Disaster Asbestos Hazard

Mar 26, 2025

On March 19, 2025, California Senator Adam Schiff disclosed that in the aftermath of the horrendous fires in Southern California earlier this year, asbestos contamination levels in burnt out homes were higher in Altadena than Palisades. During a visit to decontamination workers at the Eaton Fire site, Schiff told reporters that “cleanup efforts could be affected by the higher presence of asbestos found in the Eaton Fire site than in the Palisades.” See: More fire-torn Altadena homes test positive for asbestos than Palisades — affecting cleanup times, Sen. Schiff says.

Asbestos Hearing in Parliament

Mar 26, 2025

A public hearing took place in Parliament on Monday, March 24, 2025 to examine “the legacy of Cape Holdings Ltd and other Cape companies, a leading manufacturer of asbestos products, now owned by Altrad.” Evidence was submitted by a panel of cross-Party MPs and peers including Baroness Finlay of Llandaff, Professor of palliative care; Lord Hendy KC, former barrister; MP John Glen, former Cabinet Minister; Baroness Frances O’Grady, former general secretary of the Trades Union Congress; Peter Gartside, former Director of Cape; and others. See: Parliament to hold public hearing on legacy of Cape, leading manufacturer of asbestos products.

Asbestos and Urban Renewal

Mar 26, 2025

The destruction of asbestos-contaminated buildings which is part of urban redevelopment work in Istanbul is routinely exposing workers and the public to asbestos liberated by demolition workers. Scientists and campaigners warned that: “Istanbul residents are facing a serious asbestos threat due to the lack of pre-demolition asbestos inspections.” On the majority of building sites, no pre-demolition asbestos assessments are carried out. Although asbestos regulations were established by Turkey’s Ministry of Labor and Social Security and the Ministry of Environment, district municipalities are responsible for the enforcement of regulations. See: Urban transformation or urban destruction? Hidden dangers in Istanbul’s renewal.

Flanders Asbestos Eradication: Update

Mar 26, 2025

Once again, the authorities in Flanders are leading the way in asbestos decontamination work. In recent years, the Public Waste Agency in the region of Flanders (OVAM) has collected and disposed of asbestos roofs from 2,716 farms; as of now, 26% of farms are classified as asbestos-free. An additional 820 collections from farms are scheduled and financial resources have been allocated to cover the collection of a further 1,200 asbestos roofs. Farmers must arrange and pay for the removal of their asbestos roofs and the installation of new roofs themselves. See: Asbestos collected from more than 2,700 Belgian farms for free.

A Deadly Legacy!

Mar 26, 2025

The fact that asbestos is present in 80% of residential and commercial buildings on the Solomon Islands is causing concern amongst government officials. Last week, Philip Baura, Director of the Architect and Building Management Services Division of the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, said: “We will no longer endorse the use of building materials containing asbestos in future architecture projects, as outlined in the upcoming National Building Standard Bill. Furthermore, our team is actively engaged in the demolition of outdated structures constructed with this hazardous material.” See: Warning on asbestos and its associated health threat.

Post-Disaster Asbestos Hazard

Mar 24, 2025

Assistance with Ukraine’s urgent need to address the environmental catastrophe caused by the Russian invasion is being provided by partners from Japan. The Japan International Cooperation Agency is providing “heavy equipment that allows fast processing of debris from damaged or destroyed structures.” It is also training personal from government partners in the safe handling of asbestos during decontamination and reconstruction efforts. As of January 2025, more than 250,000 buildings and infrastructure elements in Ukraine were partially or completely destroyed. Up to 70% of these structures are thought to contain asbestos material. See: Protect the environment: Japan transfers knowledge and equipment to Ukraine for the safe handling of hazardous asbestos.

NSW Asbestos Prosecution

Mar 24, 2025

A press release issued on March 18, 2025 by the New South Wales (NSW) Environment Protection Agency (EPA) reported that the NSW Land and Environment Court had found the director of Rubbish King Pty Ltd. Adam O’Brien guilty of supplying false or misleading information about the disposal of asbestos waste. The case had been brought by the NSW Environment Protection Authority whose Acting Director of Operations Claire Miles said: “Asbestos can be incredibly harmful if it isn’t handled properly, which is why there are strict conditions around the transport and disposal of asbestos.” See: Waste operator fined $90000 over asbestos waste offences.

Asbestos Eradication Program

Mar 24, 2025

A new pilot scheme announced by the Ministry of Environment will provide financial incentives for small farmers in the Czech Republic to remediate asbestos roofing. Applications must be submitted by the middle of 2026; the maximum payout per applicant is 1 million kroons (US$43,560). Commenting on the asbestos removal program, Minister Petr Hladík said: “In the future, we are ready to extend this call to individuals and legal entities.” According to the Czech Association for Asbestos Removal there are more than 7 million tons of asbestos-containing products in the Czech Republic. See: Фермеры в Чехии получат субсидии на утилизацию асбестовых крыш [Farmers in the Czech Republic will receive subsidies for the disposal of asbestos roofs].

STF Asbestos Impasse

Mar 24, 2025

The article cited below highlighted the failure of Brazil’s Supreme Court (STF) to deliver a ruling by the published deadline of March 14, 2025 regarding the unconstitutionality of a Goiás state law allowing asbestos mining and exporting to continue in contravention of the country’s 2017 asbestos ban. Criticism of the continued stalemate was expressed by Brazilian asbestos victims’ campaigners, academics and medical experts as well as by international activists. See: Amianto: Último refúgio de mineral cancerígeno em GO segue sem destino definido no STF [Asbestos: Last refuge of carcinogenic mineral in GO remains without a defined destination in the STF].

Rising Incidence of ARDs in Miners

Mar 24, 2025

According to research published by trade unions active in the Moselle-Est region in northeast France: “There are now more asbestos diseases [being diagnosed] than silica diseases... Over the period 2017-2023, 2,773 asbestos-related diseases [ARDs] were recognized as occupational among former miners in Lorraine and the North, compared to 2,176 diseases caused by silica.” The findings were based on data sourced from multiple health insurance funds. See: Les cancers professionnels explosent chez les anciens mineurs: «Nous avons été exposés à des poisons toute notre carrière» [Occupational cancers are exploding among former miners: “We have been exposed to poisons all our careers”].

Asbestos Cancer Data: Update

Mar 24, 2025

A study undertaken by the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) on behalf of the Dutch Cancer Society (KWF Kankerbestrijding) identified 3,900 work-related cancer cases in 2021, which constituted more than half of all Dutch cancer cases diagnosed that year. In excess of 1,400 of the occupational cancers were due to asbestos exposures; the majority of these were lung cancer. A spokesperson for the Cancer Society said that these figures, as bad as they are, underestimated the cancer incidence “because only the most common risk factors were examined.” See: Some 7,000 people per year get cancer from their work; Trade union shocked.

Asbestos Legacy at the ABC

Mar 20, 2025

A press release issued on March 18, 2025 by Australia’s Community and Public Sector Union commented on recent high-profile articles, all of which were behind pay walls, documenting an epidemic of asbestos-related diseases amongst employees of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). According to Jocelyn Gammie, the CSPU’s ABC Section Secretary, the union is working closely with the ABC “to ensure they provide support to current and former staff who may be reeling from this news, or worse, dealing with the tragic consequences of asbestos related disease.” See: Historic Asbestos Exposures at ABC.

Asbestos in Parliament

Mar 20, 2025

Over the past decade, 1,000 asbestos incidents and 44 fires were recorded in the UK Parliament, a UNESCO World Heritage site which is considered to be at high risk of a major fire due to the deteriorating condition of its buildings. Commenting on the seriousness of the situation, Lord Peter Hain warmed of a “Notre-Dame style inferno” should delays in restoration work continue. According to a report seen by Lord Hain: “management surveys were continuing to identify and monitor the presence of asbestos-containing materials to address whether they needed to be continually monitored, or removed if at risk of disturbance.” See: Fire could ‘burn down’ UK parliament and asbestos is rife, surveys show.

Explanation for Asbestos Stalemate

Mar 20, 2025

As people in Brazil awaited the final decision in a long-standing case over illegal asbestos exports from Brazil, Supreme Court Justice Nunes Marques threw a spanner into the deliberations by claiming he needed more time to study the case (ADI 6200). Coincidentally, an éxpose by the Globo organization was circulating which showed the same Judge partying in September 2024 with Ronaldo Caiado, the Governor of the asbestos mining state of Goiás. See: Ministro Nunes Marques pede vista em Sessão do STF e adia decisão sobre fechamento da SAMA em Minaçu [Minister Nunes Marques requests review of STF session and postpones decision on closing SAMA in Minaçu].

Asbestos in Schools

Mar 20, 2025

Public support is growing in France for trade union calls for government action on the asbestos-in-schools scandal; almost all the country’s schools are contaminated with deteriorating asbestos-containing building material. At a union press conference on March 13, Guislaine David, general secretary of the leading primary school union FSU-Snuipp said: “We want to raise awareness about the issue of asbestos in schools and educational establishments… It's a health issue for the students and all the staff.” See: Amiante dans les écoles: une «volonté politique forte est indispensable» pour agir, alerte des syndicats enseignants [Asbestos in schools: “strong political will is essential” for action, warn teachers' unions].

Legal Victory for Soldier’s Family

Mar 20, 2025

Last week, a Milan Court deemed the Ministry of Defense (MoD) guilty and ordered it to pay compensation to the family of mesothelioma victim Francesco Maria Cairo. The court-ordered penalty for the MoD was a lump sum of €285,000 (US$311,275) and a monthly pension of €2,000 (US$2,185) to Francesco’s widow. The deceased had been exposed to asbestos during his military service. Once again, the Ministry of Defense was criticized for failing to take action to prevent toxic workplace exposures to asbestos. See: Amianto, il ministero della Difesa condannato a risarcire vedova di un ex militare morto per mesotelioma [Asbestos, the Ministry of Defense ordered to compensate widow of a former soldier who died of mesothelioma].

Asbestos & Esophageal Cancer

Mar 20, 2025

A cohort study of 13,481 Frenchmen occupationally exposed to asbestos revealed a significant association between asbestos exposure and esophageal cancer, with a 3% increased risk for every 10 fiber-years/mL increase. The researcher also found that the presence of pleural plaques was associated with a 2.8-fold increased risk of esophageal cancer after adjustment for asbestos exposure and smoking. See: Cette découverte sur l'amiante change notre compréhension du cancer de l'œsophage [This discovery about asbestos changes our understanding of esophageal cancer].

Government Asbestos Eradication Plan

Mar 17, 2025

At a March 11, 2025 cabinet meeting in Nairobi chaired by Kenya’s President William Ruto, a nationwide plan to remove asbestos from all private and public buildings was approved. This measure was adopted to protect public health and safety. In a press statement about the project, it was stated that “the National Environment Management Authority will oversee the safe removal, disposal, and handling of asbestos.” Local authorities around the country were urged to set up designated disposal sites and property owners were advised that they would have to pay for the decontamination work. See: Cabinet approves nationwide asbestos removal from all public, private buildings.

Asbestos Training Fraud

Mar 17, 2025

Jose Virgilio Fernandez, the owner of the Rhode Island Safety Environment Training Center, has been sentenced to two years’ probation for claiming payment for 20 individuals who, he alleged, had attended and completed an Environmental Protection Administration (EPA)-approved abatement training program between 2021 and 2023. In fact, the only person who attended these courses was an undercover EPA agent. On October 1, 2025, Fernandez pleaded guilty to a federal charge of making false statements. See: School Owner Sentenced for Falsifying Asbestos Removal Training Documents.