News Archive

A legal battle which could benefit dozens of former workers has been won by Sylvie Provost, the daughter of Réjean Provost who died in 2017 of asbestosis after 42 years employment at the Kronos paint factory in Varennes, Quebec. During Spring, 2020 an Administrative Labor Court ordered the owners of the factory to pay compensation of $160,000 to Mr. Provost’s family. During her research, Ms. Provost discovered that the company had known for years that her father was ill; this information was withheld. See: Travailleurs empoisonnés par l’amiante en Montérégie [Workers poisoned by asbestos in Montérégie].

Legal Victory for Constructions Workers

Sep 2, 2020

On August 28, 2020, the Tokyo High Court ordered compensation of 1,679 million yen (~US$16m) to be paid by the Japanese Government and 43 building material manufacturers to 64 former construction workers (known as Kanagawa’s Second Wave of Asbestos Construction Litigation), or surviving family members, for asbestos-related diseases contracted as a result of hazardous workplace exposures. The court found that the defendants had neglected to implement measures to protect workers from the asbestos hazard. Trial Judge Murakami recognized the right of self-employed workers as well as employees to claim for their injuries. See: Tokyo High Court awards compensation for asbestos injuries sustained by construction workers against the Government and private companies.

Indictment of EPA Asbestos Proposals

Sep 2, 2020

The 112-page Draft Risk Evaluation for Chrysotile Asbestos (the Evaluation) was released on August 27, 2020 by the Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC). The Evaluation found that proposals by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to address the country’s asbestos legacy were not fit for purpose: “Overall, EPA’s environmental and human health risk evaluations for asbestos was not considered adequate…” Missing data, incomplete health risk estimates and “meager” exposure data undermined confidence in conclusions reached and recommendations made by the EPA. See: Peer Review of EPA Draft Risk Evaluation of Asbestos.

Urban Asbestos Removal Program

Sep 1, 2020

Gunsan City in South Korea’s North Jeolla Province is progressing plans to protect public health by the implementation of a program to subsidize the removal of asbestos-containing roofing tiles. This initiative – which has been financed since 2013 by the Ministry of Environment – has in 2020 supported remediation efforts by 290 households with an increased budget of 985 million won (US$~835,000). Interested homeowners submit applications for funding to remove and dispose of asbestos roofing to the municipality. The maximum allowable subsidy is 3.44 million won (~US$2900) per household. See: 군산시, 노후 슬레이트 처리 지원 사업 추진 [Gunsan City promotes support project for processing old slate ].

Asbestos in Schools

Sep 1, 2020

The town council of Portugal’s coastal city of Albufeira has allocated the sum of €1.2 million (US$1.43m) to remove all asbestos-containing material from the buildings of the Professor Diamantina Negrão School as part of a renewal and renovation program to update the premises. Commenting on the status of the building program, the Mayor of Albufeira José Carlos Rolo said: “Fortunately, there is no longer any asbestos anywhere in this school.” See: Albufeira: Escola Professora Diamantina Negrão já não tem Amianto [Albufeira: Professor Diamantina Negrão School no longer has asbestos].

Asbestos Litigation during Covid-19

Sep 1, 2020

An August 2020 study from a US corporate consultancy group provided data suggesting that the rate of asbestos litigation has declined during Covid-19; in the first half of 2020 there was a 17% fall in the number of asbestos lawsuits compared to the same period in 2019. The decrease included a downturn in mesothelioma as well as other types of asbestos-related lung cancer and non-cancer cases. Analyst Megan Shockley said that 2020’s drop in numbers had been due to the closure of courts. The author of this article, however, alleged that the pace of asbestos litigation had been falling for some while: from 5,500 lawsuits in 2014, to 4,600 in 2016 and 4,062 in 2019. See: Are asbestos filings another COVID-19 casualty?

Supreme Court Mesothelioma Award

Aug 28, 2020

On August 27, 2020, Supreme Court Justice Rene Le Miere of Western Australia ordered that a terminally-ill woman be paid $1 million compensation by James Hardie (JH), formerly Australia’s largest producer of asbestos-containing building material. Sixty-three year old Christine Parkin was exposed to toxic JH products used by her father in home renovation projects in the 1960s and 1970s as a result of which she contracted mesothelioma and now has a life expectancy of four months. Justice Le Miere awarded her compensation for past and future medical and treatment expenses, economic loss and general damages; the company accepted liability for the damage caused. See: $1m payout for WA asbestos cancer sufferer.

COVID-19 and Asbestos Lung Disease

Aug 28. 2020

The lungs of many of the residents in Libby, Montana have been compromised through environmental exposure to asbestos dust liberated during decades of vermiculite mining by W R Grace. Their condition makes them particularly vulnerable to complications from COVID-19. According to Miles Miller, a member of staff at Libby’s Center for Asbestos Related Disease: “Our patients having an underlying lung disease would make recovery from COVID-19 more difficult.” Fears of contracting coronavirus has led many people in Libby to take extraordinary measures to isolate themselves from possible sources of infection. See: Asbestos Devastated Libby, Montana. Now COVID-19 Hangs In The Air.

Mesothelioma Bibliography

Aug 28, 2020

A 12-page Spanish document on the latency of mesothelioma, the signature asbestos cancer, includes a useful list of relevant papers. Many of the documents cited are in English and online links are included which facilitate access. The latency period for mesothelioma in the papers varies from one to 75 years. Topics covered by the authors include: calculations regarding mesothelioma trends in various occupations, the hazard posed by the use of cosmetic talc and the affect of asbestos exposures on women, seafarers and asbestos workers. Information provided relates to developments in: Korea, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Australia, Lebanon, the US and the UK. See: Latencia del mesothelioma [Mesothelioma Latency].

Post-Disaster Hazard

Aug 27, 2020

In the aftermath of the explosion which ripped through the port and surrounding areas of Beirut on August 4, experts have warned that: “Asbestos in damaged buildings poses a significant health risk” not only to first responders and clean-up crews but to civilian populations. “The risk” said Charbel Afif, associate professor in air pollution at Université Saint Joseph (Beirut) “is that people will develop cancer.” Although many of the volunteers and responders wore masks to protect themselves from Covid-19, none wore the specialized masks used by asbestos removal operatives, Afif told reporters, because this equipment was scare in Lebanon. See: Cancer risk on the rise after Beirut blast, warn experts.

Japanese Construction Workers’ Lawsuit

Aug 27, 2020

On August 27, 2020, hearings began in the Sendai District Court in a case brought on behalf of ten Japanese construction workers injured by workplace asbestos exposures who are seeking damages from the Japanese Government as well as 12 manufacturers of asbestos-containing building materials. Only three of the former claimants are alive; the remaining seven died from asbestos diseases. The plaintiffs are seeking ¥38.5 million (~US$363,000) per worker on the grounds that the defendants had failed to provide protective equipment despite knowing that exposure to asbestos could be hazardous. See: Asbestos-exposed construction workers seek damages from government and firms.

Improvement in Mesothelioma Outcomes

Aug 27, 2020

New data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare included in the publication Mesothelioma in Australia 2019 reported increased survival times for patients with the asbestos cancer mesothelioma. According to data covering the period 2012-16, 55% of people with mesothelioma survived for at least one year post diagnosis, 17% for 3 years and 10% for 5 years. All of these survival rates were significant increases on previous figures. Whilst occupational exposure to asbestos was found to be responsible for the disease in 78% of men with mesothelioma, only 7% of female mesothelioma patients had been exposed to asbestos at work. See: Mesothelioma patients are living longer after diagnosis, despite rising death rate.

New Asbestos Remediation Program

Aug 27, 2020

An online article in Cambio16 – a Spanish current affairs magazine – discussed a new asbestos remediation program in a Madrid neighborhood in the context of Spain’s asbestos legacy which saw 3 million tons of asbestos incorporated into the national infrastructure. This month (August 2020), the first large-scale action in Spain to remove asbestos roofing from residential properties, industrial warehouses, sports and cultural centers and public buildings began in the Orcasitas area of Madrid. The removal of asbestos roofing on these 1980s structures owned by the Ministry of Housing will be carried out on 116 buildings, each housing up to 32 families. See: España debe retirar más de 3 millones de toneladas de amianto de su vida cotidiana [Spain must remove more than 3 million tons of asbestos from its daily life].

Asbestos Advice

Aug 25, 2020

On August 22 & 23, 2020, a telephone advice line was operational from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. in the Japanese city of Kobe to provide information and advice about asbestos hazards for people who may have been occupationally exposed to asbestos. The service was run by the Asbestos Victims Relief Fund – a non-government organization (NGO) – and took calls such as one from a construction worker who had been exposed to asbestos on a building site. Masayuki Kanda, President of the NGO, expressed concern that: “some people are refraining from going to the hospital or consulting [doctors] because of the new coronavirus, even if they are feeling unwell.” See: アスベスト被害の電話相談 [Telephone consultation regarding asbestos damage].

Mesothelioma Research: Update

Aug 25, 2020

Scottish scientists investigating the causation of the asbestos-linked cancer malignant pleural mesothelioma last week called for urgent support for re-establishing research protocols after work had been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Dr Carsten Hansen from the Centre for Inflammation Research at the University of Edinburgh: “Although we took great care in safeguarding our experiments and newly generated cellular model systems, unfortunately the timing of the complete lockdown meant that we lost a few critical cell lines that we now need to re-establish.” 200 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma in Scotland every year. See: Groundbreaking research into lung cancer caused by asbestos needs to recommence scientist says.

Interview: Dr. Domyung Paek

Aug 25, 2020

On August 22, 2020, a feature article was published in Korea about the work of Dr. Domyung Paek, a human rights campaigner, scientist and medical researcher who has fought for the rights of Korean victims of occupational diseases for over 30 years. Dr. Paek has been pivotal in mobilizing action on a variety of issues, including the hazards of asbestos exposures, injuries caused to semiconductor workers and the deadly risks posed by the use of humidifier disinfectants – taking part in public protests, speaking at press conferences and travelling internationally to collaborate with campaigners as well as medical colleagues. See: ‘연구활동가’ 백도명, ‘과학의 이름’으로 약자의 곁에 서다 [‘Research Activist' Domyung Paek, stands up for the weak under 'the name of science’].

Toxic Ships from Indonesia

Aug 25, 2020

On August 21, 2020, the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) called an urgent meeting with the private company operating the Sydney Ferries – TransDev Sydney Ferries – to discuss the discovery of asbestos-containing material on board four new 24m River Vessels. According to a letter sent to MUA members, the company had known about the asbestos since Tuesday (Aug 18) but “hid this knowledge” from its employees and the union. The vessels were, wrote the MUA, made abroad; an article from October 2019 (see: Anger as Syd ferries to be built overseas) said the contract for the river vessels had been awarded to an Indonesian company. See: SYDNEY FERRIES – Asbestos Found on New Vessels.

Schools’ Asbestos Scandal

Aug 24. 2020

On August 19, 2020, the Board of Education of the School District of Philadelphia issued a Report on renovation work at the Benjamin Franklin High School which resulted in a forced closure of the premises in 2019 and the relocation of all the students and staff. The School District of Philadelphia was harshly criticized for failures including poor dust and asbestos containment. The use of an outdated Asbestos Inspection Report resulted in multiple asbestos incidents; on September 25, 2019, exposed asbestos was found around air ducts in the school’s boiler room. See: Philly School Board ‘Deeply Regrets' Asbestos Issues at High School.

Asbestos Compensation Scheme

Aug 24, 2020

Since it was set up in 2017, the Swiss Asbestos Victims’ Fund (the Fund) has recognized 89 applications and paid out compensation of around CHF 9.5 million (US$10.4m). Mesothelioma victims of non-occupational asbestos exposures – such as wives who washed their husbands’ workclothes – received, on average, CHF140,000 (US$154,000) whilst victims of occupational exposure received CHF50,000 (US$55,000). Official Swiss bodies have confirmed the rise in cases of asbestos-related deaths despite the fact that Switzerland banned asbestos use 30 years ago. The Fund predicts that its coffers could run dry should further donations not be forthcoming. See: Erogati 9,5 milioni per le vittime di amianto [9.5 million paid to asbestos victims].

Victims’ Call for Action on Asbestos

Aug 24, 2020

On August 16, 2020, a group representing Quebec Asbestos Victims (AVAQ) publicised a letter to the Quebec Premier which called on him to take action as a matter of priority on recommendations in the report on The State and Management of Asbestos and Asbestos Mining Residues. AVAQ technical experts drew the Premier’s attention to: the need to lower the Quebec workplace asbestos exposure standard; the recommendation to support victims of asbestos diseases; and the requirements needed to ensure public and occupational safety prior to commencing work to exploit mining residue. See: Translation of AVAQ letter to Quebec’s Premier François Legault; original AVAQ letter (in French).

Miyagi Construction Workers Lawsuit

Aug 24, 2020

Following 16 class action asbestos lawsuits mounted by Japanese construction workers against the State and building material manufacturers, on August 26, 2020 a new class action lawsuit will be filed in Sendai District Court on behalf of construction workers in the Tohoku region who contracted lung cancer from occupational asbestos exposures; in the cases where workers are deceased, the claims will be issued in the name of surviving family members. The lawsuit will seek damages from the State and 12 building material manufacturers. This is the first such legal action brought in Tohoku. See: アスベストで健康被害　宮城の建設労働者ら提訴へ [Miyagi construction workers file lawsuit over asbestos injuries].

Supreme Court Upholds Asbestos Law

Aug 20, 2020

On August 18, 2020, a ruling by Brazil’s Supreme Court (STF) upheld a State law that held asbestos companies liable for paying compensation to injured workers exposed to asbestos at asbestos-cement factories. The legal challenge had been brought by the National Confederation of Industrial Workers which alleged that the issue at hand was outside the State’s jurisdiction. Law no. 4,341 / 2004, of the State of Rio de Janeiro was ruled constitutional by a majority of the STF Judges. See: STF mantém lei do RJ que responsabiliza empresas de fibrocimento por danos do amianto aos trabalhadores [STF upholds Rio de Janeiro law that holds asbestos companies liable for injuries to asbestos-cement workers].

National Asbestos Legacy

Aug 20, 2020

A new paper detailing the findings of researchers in Peru will be published in October 2020. The scientists correlated asbestos import data between 1965 and 2010 with the incidence of mesothelioma mortality between 2005 and 2014 and discovered that the highest rates of mesothelioma mortality were for the cities of Arequipa, Callao and Huancavelica and that both occupational and environmental asbestos exposures were causative. The authors of the paper concluded that the best way to end mesothelioma fatalities was for the government to institute a ban on the import of all types of asbestos, including chrysotile (white) asbestos. See: Geographic study of mortality due to mesothelioma in Peru and its evolution.

Asbestos at College

Aug 20, 2020

An expose which focused on the long-standing unaddressed hazard posed by the presence of asbestos-containing material in US college buildings cited multiple examples of inadequate practices at Penn State University; in the last ten years, Penn State spent “more money on landscaping than it did to abate asbestos.” Having investigated the asbestos situation on campus in the 1970s and 1980s, university officials realized the extent of the problem and the enormous cost of remediation; according to Pennsylvania Attorney Mike Robb, they made a conscious decision to remove “as little as possible.” See: Unwilling to pay to remove dangerous asbestos, universities across the U.S. claim it’s safe to ignore.

Asbestos Crime and Punishment

Aug 20, 2020

After the fire service put out a huge fire at a site in the Fuorigrotta district of Naples last week, agents of the Environmental Protection Department of the Naples Local Police began an investigation to identify the owners of the agricultural land on which the blaze took place and establish how and when banned asbestos-containing material had been dumped in the area. The site of the fire will remain locked down until the owners of the property have been identified and the polluters caught. Severe penalties for criminal incidents such as this can be issued by the Public Prosecutor’s Office under the Environmental Code. See: Incendio a Fuorigrotta, a fuoco discarica abusiva di Amianto [Fire in Fuorigrotta, illegal asbestos landfill fire].