Recommended Websites

World Health Organization (WHO)
(Link to search results for "asbestos")
A search on the word “asbestos” returns a list of some important publications on asbestos by the World Health Organization, the most recent of which (December 2021) warned that “new sources of asbestos fibres in drinking-water should not be introduced, such as installation of A/C pipes and storage containers.”

International Labor Organization (ILO)
(UN Agency)
A search of the ILO website using the key word “asbestos” returns a myriad of historical and current publications documenting ILO initiatives on restricting toxic workplace exposures to asbestos, ILO collaborations with civil society groups and NGOs to raise awareness of the asbestos hazard and other information delineating the struggle to safeguard humanity from deadly exposures.

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 February 2022)

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 website of the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI), successor to the TUTB, which can be referenced from the ETUC site or, directly, here: ETUI. (Reviewed February 2022)

Building and Wood Workers' International (BWI)
The BWI, based in Switzerland, boasts 12 million members through its affiliated 351 unions in 127 countries. The site works well, providing a full calendar of events for the current year and details of ongoing asbestos activities. (Reviewed March 2022) [When checked in March 2023, the home page was not all visible; in particular, the search box was offscreen (top-right)]

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)

European Federation of Building and Woodworkers (EFBWW)
A federation for workers in building, woodworking, forestry and allied industries and trades, the EFBWW has union affiliates in 35 countries and membership of around 1.5 million. For decades, it has been at the forefront of efforts by European Union stakeholders to increase protection for workers at-risk of asbestos exposures. A word search for “asbestos” on the website brings up links to key documents in multiple languages including: press releases, posters, guidance manuals, e-learning resources and information modules. (April 2022)

UNITED KINGDOM

The British Asbestos Newsletter
(Archive)
The last issue of this Newsletter was published in 2019. Free online access to 25 years’ worth of issues is a valuable resource for people looking to understand the history and evolution of key asbestos issues in the UK. (March 2022)

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 fifty 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 347 articles and news items on the website. (Reviewed March 2022)

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 and contains a wealth of information on subjects such as: what mesothelioma is, diagnostic processes, available treatments, clinical trials, travel grants, etc. Publications available to download free of charge include the quarterly magazine Mesothelioma Matters which features up-to-date information on ongoing mesothelioma clinical trials in the UK. This website is a terrific resource for the mesothelioma community. (April 2022)

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. (March 2022)

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. (March 2022)

Action on Asbestos
The website of the Scottish asbestos victims support group Action on Asbestos has been revamped. There is much of interest to asbestos victims including information on diseases, compensation, benefits and useful links to statutory bodies. A section entitled Expatriates & Asbestos Related Benefits & Compensation could prove invaluable to people living abroad. (March 2022)

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: scroll down the home page to the main menu, then click on "Asbestos and Industrial Diseases" to obtain a wealth of information under a dozen subject headings. Alternatively, a search on the word asbestos returns 200 articles covering Leigh Day's involvement in asbestos issues both domestically and internationally. (Reviewed March 2022)

Irwin Mitchell Solicitors
(Law firm)
Included on the website of the Irwin Mitchell law firm – a well-respected practice with offices in major cities throughout the country that has a great track record in fighting cases for asbestos victims – is a section on asbestos claims which can be accessed via this link: https://www.irwinmitchell.com/personal/personal-injury-compensation/asbestos-claims. Covered in this section are issues such as: types of asbestos-related diseases, people at highest risk of contracting these diseases, types of compensation claims, and available government benefits. (April 2022)

AUSTRALIA

Asbestos Awareness (Australia)
The website of Asbestos Awareness, formerly the Asbestos Education Committee (Australia), which was devised as part of an integrated national outreach strategy has a lot of informative material about asbestos hazards, particularly, in the built environment. Subjects covered include understanding asbestos, asbestos in the home, FAQS, the safe management and disposal of asbestos, and Betty – the ADRI [asbestos] house. Factsheets on various subjects for tradies, consumers, DIY-ers, home owners etc. are useful resources. (reviewed February 2022)

Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency
The website of the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency (Australia), which was established in 2013 to administer the Australia’s National Strategic Plan, provides resources for raising asbestos awareness, information about asbestos regulations and updated news of relevant developments. Anyone who has been exposed to asbestos can register their exposures with the National Asbestos Exposure Register which is accessible via a link on this site. This website is easy to navigate and is well organized. (reviewed March 2022)

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)

CANADA

RightonCanada
A focal point for the ban asbestos campaign in Canada with information and topical articles mostly written by Kathleen Ruff. (Reviewed October 2012)

Canadian Mesothelioma Foundation
This is the website for the registered charity Canadian Mesothelioma Foundation, dedicated to supporting victims and their families navigate the healthcare system and explore the best in treatment options. (April 2022)

WorkSafeBC
WorkSafeBC is an agency designed to promote occupational health and safety (OHS) in the Province of British Columbia. Through consultation and education, it enforces Occupational Health and Safety Regulations. It also works on a range of issues with individuals suffering from occupational injuries and diseases. The WorkSafeBC website offers a wealth of information on OHS in myriad formats: Books & Guides, Hazard alerts, Videos, Interactive tools, Checklists – to name but a few . A search on the word asbestos returns over 1,500 items which can be refined using a wide range of filters. Clicking on "More" filters eventually reveals a filter for (currently) 9 languages: Arabic, Chinese, French, Korean, Mongolian, Punjabi, Spanish, Turkish, Vietnamese. Only a small number "asbestos search results" are available in these languages but the feature could still prove a useful resource. (Reviewed April, 2022)

FRANCE

ANDEVA
(National association representing French asbestos victims)
ANDEVA, the umbrella group representing scores of local asbestos victims’ associations in France, has played a leading part in the campaign for asbestos justice at home and abroad. The ANDEVA website is a useful resource with information about current as well as historical developments. Subjects covered include: regional news, national events, asbestos trials, compensation schemes and updates on legislative proposals. It is easy to navigate and all the links tested worked. (Reviewed November 2012)

Ban Asbestos France
The website of Ban Asbestos France, an association which was founded in 1995, is a treasure trove of items documenting the ban asbestos struggle in France. There are sections on the: history of the movement, asbestos diseases, prevention, compensation, the environmental threat, asbestos laws, guidelines and press releases. The articles, in French, are logically sequenced and well written; the website is easy to navigate. (Reviewed November 2012)

ITALY

Società Nazionale Operatori della Prevenzione (SNOP)
(National Association of Preventive Professionals)
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)

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)

Freedom from Asbestos – Protect Children from Asbestos (FRE)
This lively website has useful and well-written material explaining what asbestos is, where it's used, why it's dangerous, and what to do if you find it. The layout and language (in Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog and Thai) are designed for target audiences with one section for younger school children and another for parents (the Japanese website went online in November 2008; other languages were made available in April 2009). The text is informative without being frightening: "It is advisable, if possible, to stay away from Asbestos materials, however that does not mean that a single fibre will be harmful... Try to avoid Asbestos materials." The page detailing where asbestos can be found is very informative as it contains a number of typical examples of installed asbestos-containing products. (Reviewed December 2010)

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)

THAILAND

NO Asbestos Initiative
(Health Consumer Protection Project)
The new website "NO Asbestos" Initiative in Thailand provides much needed impartial information on the asbestos hazard in a useful format for speakers of the Thai language. Information is conveyed in narrative as well as pictorial form such as the no asbestos comic book (Reviewed December 2010)

UNITED STATES

Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO)
The ADAO site provides information for families affected by 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 July 2012)

The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (MARF)
The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation is a non-profit organization, based in Washington D.C., which works with patients and families, physicians, advocates, and researchers to find a cure for mesothelioma and to provide practical, emotional and medical support for patients and their relatives. Details regarding the assistance available from MARF are to be found on the website along with a calendar of upcoming fund-raising events and a wealth of other information. This website is a 5-star resource for people with mesothelioma. (Reviewed July 2012)

Kazan, McClain, Satterley & Greenwood, A Professional Law Corporation
(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)

Mesothelioma Circle
“Mesothelioma Circle – Supporting Patients and their Families” is the name of a U.S. website that went online on November 26, 2012. The format and operation of this site facilitate access to a range of well-written material on subjects of relevance to mesothelioma sufferers including: basic information about the disease, research updates, practical techniques for symptom management as well as news of recent medical and scientific publications.

This site is sponsored by the U.S. law firm of Kazan, McClain, Lyons, Greenwood & Harley, A Professional Law Corporation. (Reviewed January 2013)

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)

July 31, 2012

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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 three 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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