Recommended Websites

International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)
(WHO Agency)
As would be expected a search on the word "asbestos" produces a useful list of monographs on the carcinogenic properties of the various forms of the mineral. Of particular interest are the numerous references cited in these papers. (Reviewed November 2007)

European Trade Union Congress (ETUC)
Stylish and well-laid out site. Useful for gaining access to national member unions and congresses. Of particular interest for information on asbestos (and of course other hazardous substances and working practices) is The Health and Safety Department of the European Trade Union Institute (HESA), successor to the TUTB, which can be referenced from the ETUC site or, directly, here: HESA. (Reviewed November 2007)

Building and Wood Workers' International (BWI)
The BWI, based in Switzerland, boasts 12 million members through its affiliated 350 unions in 135 countries. The site works well, providing a full calendar of events for the current year and details of ongoing asbestos activities. (Reviewed November 2007)

EUROPEAN UNION

European Agency for Safety and Health at Work
(EU Agency)
The site is well laid out and works well. It provides access to agency publications and initiatives as well as European legislation on OSH matters in most European languages. Each member state provides a Health and Safety 'focal point' which can be reached simply from the European site. The national focal points have the same interface as the Agency site which simplifies use. They provide links to national sources of information on government legislation, standards and codes of practice as well as to selected national institutions and companies concerned with Health and Safety. They do not, at present, have links to voluntary organisations such as victim support groups. (Reviewed November 2007)

EU's Scientific Committee on Toxicity, Ecotoxicity and the Environment
(EU Health and Consumer Protection)
(Tested November 2007)

UNITED KINGDOM

The British Asbestos Newsletter
(Quarterly publication)
The site carries online versions of the last 63 issues of the newsletter which is distributed to victim support groups, public bodies, lawyers, researchers, doctors, academics and environmentalists in over thirty countries. Initially the focus of the articles was on asbestos-related news in Britain but latterly European, Australian and international events have been covered. Stories cover asbestos-related topics in a variety of areas: legal, medical, historical, economic, corporate, sociological, etc. (Reviewed November 2010)

Hazards
(Quarterly publication)
Hazards is a widely respected health and safety magazine. Described as 'union-friendly,' this quarterly publication is supported by the TUC but is published privately and enjoys editorial independence. The constantly updated website reflects the wide-range of topics covered in the print version, providing access to many current and back articles. Reports from a wide range of foreign correspondents enhance the in-depth coverage of international issues, which feature prominently. The resource section - currently under more than forty subject headings - points the reader in the direction of a wealth of relevant material within Hazards' articles and from external sources. In the latter regard, articles in Risks - the TUC's online weekly health and safety bulletin - are frequently referenced. The site works smoothly and the content is both extensive and of high quality. A search on the word 'asbestos' produced references to 501 articles and news items on the website. (Reviewed November 2007)

Mesothelioma UK
The website of Mesothelioma UK provides impartial and current information on mesothelioma for patients and their carers. The site is easy to navigate, contains information and diagrams on subjects such as: what is mesothelioma, diagnosis and treatments. New sections under development will deal with: active symptom control, end of life issues, clinical trials and other subjects.
There is a web link to the booklet (revised 2005): Mesothelioma: Information for people with Mesothelioma and their Carers by Mavis Robinson. (Reviewed November 2007)

The June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund
This site reflects the work and interests of a charity set up in honor of June Hancock, an amazing woman who, like her mother, contracted mesothelioma from living near a Turner & Newall asbestos factory. Information about mesothelioma, advice and sources of support for victims and their relatives are included along with news of current developments. (Updated September 2008)

Health & Safety Executive (HSE)
(UK Government Agency)
The HSE is the UK 'focal point' for the EU Agency as described earlier. However, direct access to the HSE site, at present, yields a wider variety of material including a lengthy list of organisations, including voluntary ones, involved in the health and safety arena. (Reviewed November 2007)

Health, Environment and Work (HEW)
Worthwhile information and vetted links to sites containing educational material on occupational safety topics (including asbestos issues). The site is maintained by Raymond Agius who is Professor of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and Leader of the Occupational and Environmental Health Research Group at the University of Manchester School of Medicine. (Reviewed November 2007)

Leigh, Day & Co.
(Law firm)
This is the website of one of the UK's better personal-injury law firms. The site contains good solid advice for potential claimants in an accessible format: click on "INDUSTRIAL DISEASE" in the central homepage menu, then on "Asbestos" in the left sidebar menu of the resultant Industrial Diseases page. A search on the word asbestos brings up over fifty articles covering Leigh Day's involvement in asbestos issues both domestically and internationally. (Reviewed November 2007)

Irwin Mitchell Solicitors
(Law firm)
The website of a large firm of solicitors with a history of successful asbestos litigation. Relevant information is reached by going to the Sitemap (currently accessed at bottom of home page) to find "asbestos related diseases." In addition to directions to legal advice and information, there are brief accounts of the various asbestos diseases and an archive of case studies. (Reviewed November 2007)

Anthony Coombs (Solicitor)
(Law firm)
Anthony Coombs has had many years experience of successful asbestos disease litigation and now specialises in handling mesothelioma cases. He has also taken a wide interest in global issues concerning asbestos, including efforts to achieve a global ban on asbestos use. In addition to providing a pathway to his legal sevices, the site also contains clear information on asbestos diseases and current thinking on palliative care and treatment. (Reviewed November 2007)

BRAZIL

Associao Brasileira dos Expostos ao Amianto (ABREA)
(Brazilian Association of the 'Asbestos-Exposed')
ABREA has been at the forefront of campaigns to achieve both domestic and international asbestos bans . The website describes the origins and aims of ABREA and carries links to other proactive groups both in Latin America and worldwide. (Reviewed November 2007)

FRANCE

ANDEVA
(National association representing French asbestos victims)
Website [in French] of group that played a leading part in campaigning for French and European asbestos bans. (Reviewed November 2007)

ITALY

Societ� Nazionale Operatori della Prevenzione (SNOP)
(National Association of Preventive Professionals)
[Site temporarily blocked [Nov 2010] following suspected third-party infiltration of site]
Well laid out site, in Italian. Provides access to local branches of SNOP throughout Italy. Produces an authorative quarterly newsletter addressing a range of occupational health issues (occasional articles in English). Up-to-date news and list of current and future events. (Reviewed November 2007)

SPAIN

Instituto Sindical de Trabajo, Abiente y Saluo (ISTAS)
(Technical and Scientific NGO supported by Spanish Trade Unions)
Stylish site with a lot of content. The majority of the site is in Spanish, but there is a small section in English outlining the ethos behind the organization and its current activities. (Reviewed November 2007)

JAPAN

Japan Occupational Safety and Health Resource Center (JOSHRC)
JOSHRC produces a good quality newsletter regularly (3-4 per year) in Japanese. Shown on the site is a large local network of occupational health bodies, members of which could presumably be contacted by e-mail. JOSHRC and BANJAN (see below) were the chief organizers of the Global Asbestos Congress 2004. (Reviewed November 2007)

Ban Asbestos Network Japan (BANJAN) – English – Japanese
BANJAN, founded in 1987, comprises trade unions, OSH and citizens groups and others opposed to the use of asbestos. The English webpage referenced, details BANJAN's efforts to raise awareness to asbestos dangers and achieve a ban on asbestos use. The content relates largely to the 1990s but is quite extensive. More recent developments in which BANJAN has participated can be adduced from reports of the GAC 2004. (Reviewed November 2007)

UNITED STATES

Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO)
This recently founded group has risen to prominence in the campaign to ban asbestos, particulary in the United States. The ADAO site provides a wealth of practical information both for families facing the grim reality of asbestos-related diseases and concerned individuals seeking to improve the situation for current and potential sufferers. It is a feature of the ADAO site that visitors are encouraged to support campaign initiatives and add their voices to those of the victims and their families who founded the organization in 2004. (Reviewed November 2007)

Kazan, McClain, Abrams, Lyons & Greenwood, PLC
(Law Firm)
Informative site hosted by a law firm which is a leading litigator on behalf of asbestos victims. There is a particularly good section on mesothelioma here and the entire site is also available in Spanish. (Reviewed July 2005)

Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)
(Agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)
The agency aims to "prevent exposure and adverse human health effects and diminished quality of life associated with exposure to hazardous substances from waste sites, unplanned releases, and other sources of pollution present in the environment." A search on the word "asbestos" produces a large number of documents (currently over 1000) on asbestos topics. These, together with references contained therein provide an impressive resource. (Reviewed December 2005)

August 28, 2009

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¹The reviews of websites on this page are necessarily brief due to constraints of time. The lack of a review should not be taken as a negative comment: we only include websites that appear to work well and offer useful information. For the most part, government and institutional sites can be assumed to be comprehensive and need little explanation from us. Some health & safety sites have been included which do not contain extensive material on asbestos. They may, nevertheless, provide useful contacts in a particular geographic region.
We have included the websites of four law firms; the inclusion of these firms does not preclude the exellence of many other legal practitioners, but since they have proven abilities in the field of asbestos litigation they provide a benchmark, by which the services of others may be judged.

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