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Displaying 25 items in reverse date order starting from item 5220
 

Gold Medal for Ban Asbestos Crusader

Mar 16, 2015

Officials, guests and 45 honorees gathered on March 12 at the headquarters of the São Paulo 15th region Labor Court for a high-profile ceremony during which retired Labor Inspector Fernanda Giannasi received one of 15 gold medals for her services to the country. Fernanda dedicated the award to “to victims of asbestos, mercury, POPs, nuclear, Shell-Basf, benzene and their families.” (see: photo of Fernanda and colleagues – pictured (from the left) are Labor Prosectuor Maria Stela Guimaraes de Martin, Judge Eleonora Bordinii Coca and Fernanda Giannasi). See: 45 personalidades e instituições com a Ordem do Mérito da JT [ 45 people and institutions are awarded the Order of Judicial Merit].
 

Asbestos in Tahiti Schools

Mar 16, 2015

The results of samples taken last year from schools in Tahiti have established that asbestos is present in: Hitimahana elementary and Fareroi infants. The buildings at both premises were constructed 30+ years ago, before France banned the use of asbestos. On March 11, the Mayor of Mahina, the local commune, along with representatives of the education department and technical experts met with teachers and school staff to explain the situation. Steps are being taken to minimize hazardous exposures although the complete removal of all the contamination is not possible due to cost constraints. See: Découverte d’amiante dans deux écoles [Asbestos discovered in two schools].
 

Asbestos Sales Down by 10%

Mar 13, 2015

Eternit S.A., Brazil’s asbestos giant, has reported a 10.8% decrease in sales of chrysotile asbestos in the 4th quarter of 2014 compared to the same time of year in 2013. The decreased sales of 66,700 tons in 2014 were partially offset by an increase in exports according to a company press statement released on March 12. According to Eternit, the 4.1% rise in consolidated net revenue in 4Q14 was due to increased fiber-cement and chrysotile fiber exports. Although the Brazilian government has not banned asbestos, several states have acted unilaterally and done so. See: Eternit: Operating income grows 9.0% and adjusted EBITDA reaches R$ 54.7 million in 4Q14.
 

Proposals to Update Chemical Safety

Mar 13, 2015

This week two bills have been introduced to the U.S. Senate which are intended to improve the country’s chemical safety regime. The Boxer-Markey Toxic Chemical Protection Act, introduced on March 12, mandates a “rapid review of asbestos and toxic chemicals that are known to be persistent and build up in the human body.” The Udall-Vitter proposal, which is industry-backed, would introduce weaker standards and provide a 7-year phase-in period in some cases and unspecified time limits in others. These bills would reform the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act. See: Chemical Safety Bills Face off in Senate.
 

Supreme Court Asbestos Ruling

Mar 13, 2015

Today, Chief Justice Riley of Australia’s Supreme Court overturned a decision which had barred compensation for a mesothelioma victim who had been negligently exposed to asbestos at the Gove alumina refinery in the 1970s. Seventy-four year old Zorko Zabic was diagnosed in 2014 with asbestos cancer; the company which he had worked for, Alcan Gove, is now owned by the global mining conglomerate Rio Tinto. Commenting on this decision, Mr. Zabic’s lawyer said: “The ruling will bring laws in the Northern Territory in line with other Australian states and will enable victims to right the wrongs of the past.” See: Compensation win for former Gove refinery worker dying of asbestos-related illness the ‘tip of the iceberg’.
 

Asbestos Contamination in Paradise?

Mar 13, 2015

Many tourists find the peace and quiet they seek on the Spanish island of La Gomera. Now community activists have filed a lawsuit to force the authorities to instigate an environmental asbestos audit and clean-up program. According to the campaigners, there is widespread dumping of asbestos-contaminated debris on the island which is both unsightly and hazardous to health. Asbestos was banned in Spain in 2002. See: Sí se puede presenta moción para la realización de inventario de amianto en Valle Gran Rey [Yes, you can present motion for conducting inventory of asbestos in Valle Gran Rey].
 

From China, with Asbestos

Mar 11, 2015

Australia’s customs authority has admitted it is unable to prevent asbestos-contaminated goods from China from entering the country. Of 2 million containers arriving in the country by sea every year, only 100,000 are inspected. Cases have been brought (two since 2008) concerning the import of asbestos-contaminated gaskets and machinery from China. But though asbestos-contamination has been found in trains and cars of Chinese origin there have been no prosecutions arising from their importation. The Chief Executive of the customs service told a Senate hearing in February 2015 that the onus was on importers of Chinese cars and not on customs officials. See: 5pc of imports get asbestos check, estimates hearing.
 

Congress Considers New Asbestos Bill

Mar 10, 2015

Today (March 10, 2015), The Reducing Exposure to Asbestos Database Act was introduced to the Senate. The purpose of this legislation is to mandate measures to prevent hazardous asbestos exposures by providing prior warning of the location of asbestos-containing products (ACPs). Stakeholders would be required to report information about ACPs to the EPA annually; this would be fed into a publicly accessible database to “increase the transparency and accessibility of data informing the public about where asbestos is known to be present. This information will increase awareness, reduce exposure, and help save lives.” See: Durbin bill creates asbestos reporting requirements.
 

Asbestos in Westminster

Mar 10, 2015

It seems that the Palaces of Westminster are falling down. Politicians were reminded of the need for much-needed and long-delayed building work by the Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow when he addressed a meeting of the Hansard society on March 9, 2015. Refurbishment of the 19th century building is long overdue and the building work could cost around £3bn. As well as crumbling stonework, dodgy electrics, flooding issues, rodent infestation and a leaking cast iron roof, the walls are “packed with asbestos.” See: Parliament is falling down. So what can be done about it?
 

Hazardous Exposure to Public Servant

Mar 10, 2015

As a result of research he conducted, Canadian electrician Denis Lapointe has discovered that he was exposed to asbestos throughout the 16 years he worked at the Canada Revenue Agency building in Ottawa. Prior to his departure in 2008, he had never been told about the presence of asbestos in the building. Mr. Lapointe’s job involved drilling and pulling wires through walls, floors and ceilings. He had no idea about the asbestos he was disturbing or the risks he was creating for himself or the thousands of other people who worked at the Heron Road premises. See: Asbestos at federal building was a surprise to electrician.
 

Criteria for Asbestos Diseases Revised

Mar 10, 2015

As of March 1, 2015, revisions made to criteria for the recognition of occupational diseases, including asbestos-related lung cancer and mesothelioma, came into effect in China. These included: for lung cancer – reduction in length of cumulative occupational exposure to 1+ year, increase in latency period to 15 years+; for mesothelioma – decrease in latency period from 15 to 10 years. From 2006 to 2014, there were 1,824 cases of asbestosis recognized and 118 cases of asbestos-related lung cancer and mesothelioma [18% of all occupational cancer cases (650)]. See: Amendments to Diagnostic Criteria for Occupational Diseases (in force from March 1, 2015).
 

Removal of Asbestos Water Pipes

Mar 8, 2015

The authorities overseeing water delivery and sewage for a rural area in Turkey have announced a program to remove 250 kilometers of asbestos-containing pipes this year. In a Turkish language article, the General Manager of Water and Sewerage Administration for the Adana municipal region Rahmi Pekar confirmed that the work would be carried and that all the contaminated pipes were scheduled for replacement with safer alternatives. The EU banned asbestos in 2005 and Turkey followed suit in 2010. See: Asbest boru kalmayacak! [No More Asbestos Pipes!].
 

Asbestos Industry Junk Science

Mar 7, 2015

Authors of 2015 academic papers detail manipulation of the scientific process by industry researchers. The articles are: How conflicted authors undermine the World Health Organization (WHO) campaign to stop all use of asbestos (spotlight on studies showing that chrysotile is carcinogenic and facilitates other non-cancer asbestos-related diseases) and Ethics, morality, and conflicting interests (how questionable professional integrity in some scientists supports global corporate influence in public health). Also see: Industry influence over science and public health policy challenged.
 

“Ecological Time Bomb” on City Site

Mar 7, 2015

Buried asbestos waste has been found on two acres of land scheduled to be redeveloped in the Italian town of Bari. Tests undertaken on this site uncovered an “ecological time bomb,” which included asbestos, a substance banned in Italy in 1992. It is unknown who dumped this toxic material and therefore who is responsible for the decontamination work needed. The authorities are investigating charges related to the illegal disposal of hazardous waste on the site. In the meantime, all building work has ceased. See: Cimitero amianto scoperto a Bari “Bomba ecologica” [Asbestos cemetery discovered in Bari “Ecological Bomb”].
 

Decade to Remove Asbestos Roofs

Mar 3, 2015

Proposals by the Netherland’s Minister of Infrastructure and Environment Wilma Mansveld that mandate a ten-year period for the removal of asbestos-cement roofs have been approved by the Cabinet. Commenting on this issue, the Minister said: “We have to take this risk seriously and tackle it. I want to prevent people from being exposed to asbestos fibers... Recent fires in which asbestos particles ended up in residential areas, underline the need for a ban.” Subsidies for undertaking the work required to comply with the 2024 deadline will be available from January 1, 2016. See: Asbestos must be stripped from Dutch homes by 2024.
 

Asbestos Case to go to Supreme Court

Mar 3, 2015

Leave to appeal a verdict in an asbestos case has been granted by the Supreme Court to a mesothelioma widower. The legal team representing Ian Knauer, whose wife Sally died in 2009 after occupational exposure at Guy's Marsh Prison, Dorset, is questioning the way the personal injury compensation of £650,000 was calculated and paid. It is alleged that a 5-year gap between the death of Mrs. Knauer and the award settlement order being made cost the family £50,000. If this appeal succeeds, it could radically alter the way in which all British personal injury claims are dealt with. See: Supreme Court Gives Right of Appeal to Swindon Solicitor.
 

Protest against Asbestos Factory

Mar 2, 2015

On February 28, 2015, residents and environmentalists stopped traffic when they took to the public highway to protest plans to construct an asbestos factory in the Anawilundawa region, located about 50 kilometers from the Sri Lanka capital of Colombo. Building the factory in this area could, the demonstrators claimed, adversely affect the health of the local community as well as impact on the biodiversity of the world-famous Anawilundawa bird sanctuary. The demonstration was called off when the factory owners agreed to halt construction. See: Protesters block Colombo-Puttalam road at Anawilundawa.
 

Sheet Metal Workers at High Risk

Mar 2, 2015

A study of 17,345 U.S. sheet metal workers documents a “significant excess mortality” for mesothelioma and asbestosis. Although this industry did not traditionally use asbestos material, members of this cohort had indirect exposure to asbestos products handled by others on construction sites. Hazardous workplace exposures also occurred as a result of drilling, hammering, punching or riveting sheet metal to asbestos products. This paper concludes: “This study demonstrates asbestos-related diseases among workers with largely indirect exposures and an increased lung cancer risk with low ILO scores.” See: Mortality among sheet metal workers participating in a respiratory screening program.
 

No One Guilty!

Mar 1, 2015

Charges against six former executives of the Enel company over asbestos cancer deaths of former power plant workers which occurred between 2004 and 2012 were dismissed by a criminal court in Milan last week. The relatives of the eight deceased victims, who had been employed at the Turbigo facility in the Lombardy region, were outraged when the verdict was read out. The prosecutor had asked for jail sentences of up to eight years. See: Milano, il processo sulle morti da amianto a Turbigo: tutti assolti gli ex manager Enel [Milan, case of fatal asbestos deaths in Turbigo: former manager acquitted].
 

Taxpayers’ Support for Asbestos Fund

Feb 27, 2015

The Government of New South Wales (NSW) has announced that extra funding will be provided if needed to cover a projected cash shortfall for James Hardie’s Asbestos Injuries Compensation Fund Limited (AICF). An amendment to the terms of a loan facility will make a further $106 million available to the fund so that claims can be paid in one lump sum rather than in instalments. The AICF was set up in 2006 under a deal struck between James Hardie (JH) and the NSW government to compensate individuals injured by exposure to JH asbestos-containing products. See: Taxpayers to cover James Hardie asbestos shortfall.
 

Costly Chinese Exports

Feb 26, 2015

KiwiRail has put a multimillion dollar price tag on the remedial efforts imposed upon them by the supply of asbestos-containing trains from China (see: KiwiRail's $12 million asbestos bill). The discovery of sprayed asbestos on metal sheeting in the engine rooms of the freight locomotives necessitated their removal from service and decontamination work. The suppliers of the toxic trains have made a confidential and unspecified settlement with KiwiRail. Unlike other developed countries, New Zealand has no legislation banning the use of asbestos although it is understood that the contract for these vehicles stipulated they be asbestos-free (see: Trains pulled in asbestos shock).
 

Help for Asbestos Cancer Victims?

Feb 26, 2015

One quarter of the 120 Swiss citizens who develop mesothelioma every year were exposed to asbestos non-occupationally. These victims include the self-employed and people who lived near asbestos-processing factories; they are not entitled to compensation from Swiss accident insurers. The long latency period of asbestos diseases means that most asbestos personal injury claims are statute-barred. Following a decision by the European Court of Human Rights, an initiative is being progressed to improve support for the injured. See: A round table is to be set up with the aim of stopping victims of asbestos falling into financial hardship when they are ineligible for insurance paid for by an employer.
 

Supreme Court Reveals “Motivation”

Feb 24, 2015

Although the Italian Supreme Court (Court of Cassation) issued its contentious ruling in the infamous Italian trial against asbestos billionaire Stephan Schmidheiny on November 19, 2014, it was only on February 23, 2015 that the full “motivation,” the legal discourse behind the decision, was released. Schmidheiny had denied failing to provide adequate safety measures at four Italian Eternit plants. The Supreme Court overturned guilty verdicts regarding the deaths of 263 Eternit workers and their relatives on the grounds that even before the trials had started, the statute of limitations on these crimes had expired. See: Prosecution urges new trial for former Eternit owner- update.
 

Asbestos Imports from China

Feb 23, 2015

The Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (ACBPS) has admitted that it is unable to “guarantee that all imported goods will be free from asbestos,” despite the fact that this substance and products containing it are illegal in Australia. The focus of an article published today in The Australian was the tidal wave of imports entering Australia from China, some of which were contaminated. Asbestos has been found in Australian purchases of Chinese plasterboard, gaskets, trains, mining equipment and cars. The ACBPS has said that it is the responsibility of importers to ensure that only asbestos-free goods enter the country. See: Made in China (with asbestos) [subscription website].
 

Telegraph’s Pro-Asbestos Policy

Feb 21, 2015

This week saw the highly publicized resignation of Peter Oborne, formerly the Daily Telegraph's chief political commentator, over the newspaper’s failure to report on HSBC, a bank exposed in the Guardian and other newspapers for efforts to help clients evade taxes. Author Richard Wilson documents 42 Telegraph articles by columnist Christopher Booker downplaying the risks of asbestos and asks readers to vote in a poll asking: “Is it right for the Sunday Telegraph to mislead the British public about the health risks of asbestos?” See: Booker’s false claims (42 articles and counting) downplaying the risks of white asbestos.