News Archive

In a January 7th letter to the Editor of the Pneumonology Journal, the six co-authors of the text cited below highlight the lack of scientific data on the incidence of asbestos-related diseases (ARDs) in sub-Saharan countries. Attempting to start the discussion off, two ARDs cases from the Democratic Republic of the Congo were discussed. Patient 1 was diagnosed with mesothelioma which was, so the authors speculated, caused by environmental exposure to asbestos in Lubudi or occupational exposure as an auto mechanic. Patient 2 was diagnosed with asbestosis having worked for 21 years at an asbestos-cement factory. See: Asbestos-related diseases in Africa: sentinel cases of mesothelioma and asbestosis from DR Congo.

Asbestos Ban Proposal in RS

Jan 20, 2025

The Legislative Assembly of the Brazilian State of Rio Grande do Sul (RS) is considering a bill submitted by Congressman Gustavo Victorino banning the use of asbestos-containing products by public bodies. Despite a Supreme Court (STF) 2017 verdict that prohibited asbestos use, toxic products remain within the built environment. “For this reason,” Congressman Victorino said “it is necessary to adopt measures that ensure the replacement of materials containing asbestos that have already been installed, in a technical and safe manner, in line with current legislation and the STF decision.” See: Projeto proíbe o uso de produtos à base de amianto nos órgãos da administração pública do RS [Bill prohibits the use of asbestos-based products by public administration bodies in RS].

Paying the Price for Asbestos Profits

Jan 20, 2025

The price being paid in human health for the profits of India’s thriving asbestos sector remains unquantified in the world’s largest asbestos importing country. Asbestos producers and trade associations representing the industry aggressively deny that the use of white asbestos (chrysotile) is dangerous. Ailing workers and their families disagree. Mareena Hawkes of Coimbatore, India is convinced that the cancers and ill health experienced by her deceased father-in-law, her husband, her daughter and many others were due to occupational and environmental asbestos exposures. See: Hidden disease in the world’s largest asbestos importer.

Product Recall after Asbestos Find

Jan 20, 2025

Korea’s Environment Ministry issued a recall on January 14 after detecting chrysotile (white) asbestos in brake pads sold on AliExpress, an e-commerce online marketplace. The illegal automotive parts were suitable for use on a range of cars including those sold by BMW and Mercedes-Benz, and Honda and Suzuki motorcycles. According to a spokesperson for the ministry, asbestos had previously been found in products sold on domestic e-commerce platforms such as Coupang and Gmarket. In 2024, an official audit identified the sale of the toxic parts also on AliExpress. See: Environment Ministry finds asbestos in car, motorcycle brake pads sold on AliExpress.

Asbestos in Parliament

Jan 20, 2025

The article cited below, which was published last month, revealed that two mesothelioma sufferers had filed claims over asbestos exposures experienced at the Palace of Westminster prior to 1992. Queries to the Corporate Officer of the House of Commons about these cases elicited no further information. It is likely there will be more cases as asbestos-containing products were used throughout the House of Commons and the House of Lords and multiple incidents of toxic exposures have been reported to the authorities. See: Asbestos and The Palace of Westminster.

Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake

Jan 20, 2025

The 30th anniversary of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake on January 17th led to many articles about the consequences of that disaster. Whilst the destruction of thousands of buildings in Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture and the Hanshin region were obvious at that time, the damage caused by exposures to asbestos liberated during the earthquake is only now becoming manifest. See: 阪神・淡路大震災から30年、アスベストによる健康被害の疑いはこれまで知られてきた人数の３倍以上と判明… [Thirty years after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, it has been revealed that the number of people suspected of suffering from health damage due to asbestos is more than three times higher than previously known...].

Goiás’s Defiance of Supreme Court

Jan 16, 2025

Despite a 2017 verdict by Brazil’s Supreme Court outlawing the production, processing and use of asbestos, mining operations in the city of Minaçu continue under an illegal exemption granted by the State of Goiás. Brazil is now the world’s third largest asbestos producer and it seems the Court has lost the inclination to shut down an industry which is liberally dispensing contributions to politicians and others. The consequences for the workers and the townspeople are as predictable as they are dire as the story of one asbestos victim, referred to as B, illustrates. This is a devastating and timely article which deserves to be read. See: Proibido no Brasil, amianto ganha sobrevida com 'lei própria' em Goiás [Banned in Brazil, asbestos gains a new lease of life with its own law in Goiás].

Asbestos Eradication in Nyeri County

Jan 16, 2025

Pursuant to the Kenyan Government’s asbestos eradication program, this week the Member of Parliament for Nyeri town, Duncan Maina, announced the start of work to decontaminate local primary schools at a public event held at Kwanderi school. The toxic roofing is being replaced with iron sheets. Commenting on the import of this progressive program, the MP said: “We are changing this to rescue our environment, our children and the local community from the hazards of asbestos.” See: MP embarks on removal of asbestos roofs in primary school.

Asbestos Removal of Schools

Jan 16, 2025

On January 11, 2025, the Flemish Minister of Education Zuhal Demir announced that the regional government would now fully cover the costs of asbestos removal in all school buildings. Previously, school authorities could only recoup up to 70% of the costs. “We are,” the Minister said “doing this to protect the most vulnerable, our children, who spend a lot of time in school buildings, which should be a safe and healthy environment.” The sum of €5.4 million (US $5.5m) per year has been allocated for the eradication program. See: Flanders to pay full price for asbestos removal in region's schools.

Reading Council v Highdown School

Jan 16, 2025

A dispute over historic asbestos removal costs have led Reading Council to issue a legal action at the High Court to recover an alleged debt of £500,000 (US$607,700) from Highdown School and Sixth Form Center. According to the school’s solicitor Ryan McGillick, before it became an academy, the council removed asbestos from the school. In 2016, however, the academy learned “that the asbestos removal work that had been undertaken by the claimant prior to the transfer was performed to a very poor standard…” Due to the hefty repair bill faced by the academy an understanding had been reached, the school argued, to write off the debt. The council disagreed. The case remains ongoing. See: Revealed: Asbestos row behind school’s £500k legal stand-off.

Asbestos & Lung Cancer

Jan 16, 2025

A paper about lung cancer (LC) risks which appeared in The Lancet considered the role of asbestos exposure in the LC causation. According to the 11 UK and US authors the data showed that: “alarming [LC] rates remained in the USA, with almost three times higher ASMR [Age-Standardized Mortality Rates] compared to the global average, especially in males. Concerning increases were also seen in India, China, Indonesia, and Pakistan.” The fact that asbestos consumption remained high in India, China and other developing countries was a serious concern. The authors called for a comprehensive worldwide asbestos ban. See: Evolving trends in lung cancer risk factors in the ten most populous countries: an analysis of data from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease Study.

Asbestos Alert Prompts Product Recall

Jan 16, 2025

A product recall for TRAXXAS radio-controlled trucks was announced by Suffolk Trading Standards on January 9, 2025 after asbestos had been discovered in the brake pads. The range of toy vehicles was sold in the UK from January 1, 2002 until June 10, 2024. In the recall notice, Suffolk Trading Standards said: “The product presents a risk to health as the slipper or brake pads sold as parts or sold installed in the affected radio-controlled vehicles contain chrysotile asbestos.” Even though asbestos has been banned in the UK for decades, contaminated products remain in circulation. See: TRAXXAS radio trucks recalled after asbestos found in brakes.

Asbestos Eradication Program

Jan 13, 2025

The article cited below included an update on a public–private partnership in Uganda which is helping rid schools of the hazard posed by the presence of deteriorating asbestos roofing. Welcoming the removal and replacement of toxic roofing on one of the classroom blocks at Walukuba West Primary School, Jinja City its headteacher Ziyadi Tamuzadde said: “These iron sheets will help us replace a roof that poses serious health risks to our learners and staff.” The school is used by 1,000 pupils, among whom are a number of special needs students. See: Indian Firms Ramp Up Efforts to Rid Jinja Schools [of] Asbestos Roofing.

Asbestos Dichotomy

Jan 13, 2025

The continued mining and export of asbestos in contravention of a Supreme Court 2017 verdict outlawing the asbestos industry was the focus of the January 10th opinion piece cited below. Condemning the illegal continuation of this toxic industry, Engineer Fernanda Giannasi said: “It’s not just about mining; every load that leaves the mine exposes workers and communities to risk. The persistence of asbestos in the Brazilian logistics chain is a reflection of the ineffectiveness of the laws and the lack of oversight. How long will the transportation and export of this deadly mineral be tolerated?” See: Brasil é o terceiro maior exportador, mesmo com banimento [Brazil is the third largest exporter, despite the ban].

Asbestos Ban and Climate Change

Jan 13, 2025

After calls by civil society groups for urgent action on Malaysia’s asbestos hazard, the Government confirmed it had commissioned a study of the environmental and health impacts of asbestos consumption. At the January 11th public launch of his book “Saving the Planet: Climate and Environmental Lessons from Malaysia and Beyond,” Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said: “We will assess how this issue is currently managed under existing legislation and policies. If there are gaps, we may need to improve them.” See: Govt mulls complete ban on use of asbestos.

New Protocols in the Archipelago

Jan 13, 2025

The Government of Spain’s Balearic Islands is commissioning an asbestos audit to facilitate the eradication of the asbestos hazard via a digital registry which will identify and eliminate this acknowledged carcinogen from public and private buildings. The authorities have set a 2028 deadline for the removal of asbestos from all buildings on the Islands. In addition, measures will be implemented to ensure compliance with national regulations pertaining to waste disposal, contaminated soil, etc. See: The Government calls for a digital census to eradicate asbestos in buildings.

Breakthrough Technology?

Jan 13, 2025

Information uploaded by UK journalist Katherine Quarmby on LinkedIn last week was sourced from an Instagram post detailing work by Imperial College students – Doruk Toto Ozturk, Diego Munoz Iglesias, Benedikt Huber and Emile Munier – on a prototype for sensing the presence of asbestos fibers in water. The new mechanism, which “continuously monitors asbestos concentrations,” could be a potential lifesaver by warning users of water delivery systems which still have asbestos-cement pipes in their networks of the presence of toxic fibers in the water. See: The first water monitor that can detect asbestos.

Numerous Asbestos Failures

Jan 13, 2025

Officials from Jeju City, South Korea reported that following inspections conducted between December 2-31, 95 out of 116 worksites were not in compliance with health and safety asbestos regulations. Duty holders were informed of the specific nature of their failures and were advised that re-inspections would be carried out in the first half of 2025. Commenting on the situation, the Head of the Environmental Guidance Division Kim Eun-so said: “We will continue to make active efforts to manage asbestos in buildings so that citizens can be protected from being exposed to asbestos…” See: 제주시 관내 석면건축물 116개소 중 95개소 정기점검 안해 [95 out of 116 asbestos buildings in Jeju City are not regularly inspected].

Asbestos Alert in Rural Areas

Jan 8, 2025

National, state and local organizations in Australia have been warning citizens about hazards posed by deteriorating asbestos-containing products hidden within the built environment for several years. In an article in the National Indigenous Times, Associate Professor Rick van der Zwan, from Southern Cross University, who works with the Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency, explained that the capacity to act on the asbestos hazard is compromised “if you're living in a regional or remote community… [where] getting access to, qualified people is very, very difficult.” See: Experts warn of heightened asbestos risk faced by remote communities.

Identifying Toxic Roofing

Jan 8, 2025

Asbestos-containing roofing remains a popular product in Indonesia. According to a new publication by Indonesia’s Central Statistics Agency (BPS) entitled Housing and Environmental Indicators 2024 almost 10% of domestic properties nationwide are covered with this material which has been categorized as carcinogenic by the World Health Organization. The highest percentage of affected properties are found in Bangka Belitung Islands Province (57.49 %) and DKI Jakarta Province (54.68%). See: Bahaya Atap Asbes Bagi Kesehatan, Padahal Paling Banyak Digunakan di Indonesia [The Danger of Asbestos Roofs for Health, Even though They Are Most Widely Used in Indonesia].

Asbestos Exposure and the Carabiniere

Jan 8, 2025

A regional administrative tribunal (Tribunali amministrativi regionali – TAR) in Italy ordered the Ministry of Defense to pay compensation of €252,363 (US$260,160) to the family of a member of Italy’s national police force – the carabiniere – who died aged 49 after service of 31 years at airports and ports as well as in mechanical workshops. According to the court’s verdict, the deceased was routinely exposed to asbestos throughout his service and there were no “technical preventative measures or personal protection equipment… such as respiratory masks with a P3 degree of protection” provided by his employer. See: Amianto, militare morto di cancro. Il Ministero dovrà risarcire i familiari [Asbestos, soldier died of cancer. The Ministry will have to compensate the family members].

Mesothelioma: Geographic Hotspots

Jan 8, 2025

An analysis of health data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – a US national public health agency – revealed that Minnesota, Maine, Washington and Louisiana are the states with the highest number of mesothelioma deaths per capita in the United States. The remaining worst affected states in the top ten rankings were: Massachusetts Utah, Michigan, Virginia, Oregon, New Mexico, South Carolina, and West Virginia. It was only last year (2024) that the Environmental Protection Agency finally banned the new use of asbestos in the US. See: Study: Louisiana has high Mesothelioma death rates.Jan 8, 2025

Study Looks at Mesothelioma in School Staff

Jan 8, 2025

The article cited below was a review of a recent paper entitled: Mesothelioma & Education Workers Study, which detailed “the experiences of presentation, diagnosis, treatment and care for current and former school-based education workers with mesothelioma.” Despite the fact that asbestos use was banned in the UK in 1999, asbestos-containing material remains in place in most schools. As a result, numerous teachers and staff members are being diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases. The paper concluded that more research was needed to address the hazard to children as well as education workers in order “to gain further insight into the mesothelioma patient experience.” See: Mesothelioma and Education Workers (MEWS): experiences of presentation, diagnosis, treatment and care.

Bushfire Asbestos Hazard

Jan 8, 2025

On December 16, 2024, Australia’s Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency issued a media alert warning Australians of asbestos hazards in the aftermath of a bushfire. According to the Agency’s CEO Jodie Deakes: “Bushfires not only devastate communities but can also disturb asbestos-containing materials, releasing fibres into the air. These fibres pose significant health risks if inhaled. This season, it’s crucial for homeowners to include asbestos safety in their bushfire preparation and recovery plans.” See: Media release: Be alert to asbestos risks this bushfire season.

Safeguards for Products Containing Talc

Jan 6, 2025

Under a federal rule proposed at the end of last month by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), cosmetic companies will be required to implement new procedures to ensure that makeup, baby powder and other personal care products are free of carcinogenic asbestos fibers. Commenting on the new protocols Dr. Linda Katz, director of the FDA's Office of Cosmetics and Colors, said: “We believe that the proposed testing techniques are appropriate methods to detect asbestos to help ensure the safety of talc-containing cosmetic products.” See: FDA proposes new testing rules to ensure cosmetics are asbestos-free.