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According to industrial hygienist Roy Denish: “The Sri Lanka asbestos crisis remains one of the country’s most complex public health, occupational safety and regulatory challenges.” In 2018, the Sri Lanka Government reversed plans to ban asbestos after economic blackmail by the Russian government. As a result, toxic exposures remain a daily occurrence at work and in residential properties. The danger is exacerbated by “informal labour and unsafe waste practices.” Workers in the emergency response, construction, maintenance and demolition sectors are among those at elevated risk of contracting asbestos-related diseases. See: Sri Lanka Asbestos Crisis Exposes a Silent Health Risk.

After months of toxic exposures and emotional turmoil, people in western Hungary have tired of the empty promises mouthed by government officials. A recap of the scandal caused by the use of asbestos-contaminated Austrian aggregates on road surfaces in and around the Szombathely area put into context news from Brussels where EU officials engaged with an Open Letter by global campaigners concerned about the human health consequences of environmental exposures to a known carcinogen. See: Már Brüsszel is aggódik a súlyos magyarországi azbesztbotrány miatt, miközben Magyar Péterék lapítanak [Brussels is already worried about the serious asbestos scandal in Hungary, while Péter Magyar and his team are covering up].

According to data provided at the request of Flemish MP Gianna Werbrouck, in 2026 173 schools in Flanders applied for subsidies for asbestos removal costs. This is nearly twice as many as last year. Asbestos audits remain outstanding for 6,000 Flemish schools. In 2025, the Flemish government announced plans to cover all the costs of asbestos removal from schools. The deadline for eradicating the asbestos hazard from the educational infrastructure of Flanders is 2030. See: Le nombre d'écoles en Flandre qui sollicitent des subventions pour un désamiantage a presque double [The number of schools in Flanders that apply for subsidies for asbestos removal has almost doubled].

The latest figures released on August 27, 2026 by Eternit, S.A. – Brazil’s only remaining asbestos producer – for the first and second quarters (Q) of 2026 revealed that the chrysotile mining sector of the company (SAMA) is facing “intense pressure and compressing profit margins.” SAMA’s annual chrysotile production estimates for 2026 were 172,000-176,000 tonnes. In Q1, lower chrysotile export volumes contributed to a 6.5% decrease in net revenue while in Q2 a 30.2% fall in chrysotile revenue contributed to a ~77% decline in gross profit. See:
 
Eternit, S.A. Q1 2026 Summary;
Eternit, S.A. Q2 2026 Summary.

In the run-up to the new school year, the Public Defender of Georgia called upon officials at Tbilisi City Hall –located in close proximity to Tbilisi First Classical Gymnasium and Public School No. 47 – to undertake an environmental assessment regarding the impact of local roadworks. The Public Defender said that it was essential to determine “whether materials uncovered in the rehabilitation zone contain asbestos.” Asbestos was widely used during the 20th century for water and sewage pipes. See: Public Defender Warns Tbilisi City Hall Over Possible Asbestos Discovery During Rustaveli Avenue Works.

An article on the news portal of AetnaNet – “a long-running online community and information network dedicated to the school system and education in Sicily and Italy” – reported that the sum of €114.4 million (US$82m) was allocated for asbestos remediation, structural rehabilitation and safety improvements of Italian schools. The funding was intended to prioritize the improvement of conditions experienced by all those within school communities. See: Edilizia scolastica, 114,4 milioni per sicurezza e bonifica dell’amianto: nuove risorse per gli edifici scolastici [School buildings, 114.4 million for safety and asbestos remediation: new resources for school buildings].

The August 28, 2026 article cited below revealed that an Open Letter by international health and safety campaigners which had been ignored by the media in Hungary had been acknowledged by the European Commission on behalf of its President Ursula von der Leyen. The global activists had expressed concerns regarding widespread asbestos contamination in western Hungary caused by the use of toxic aggregates from Austrian mines for the construction of road surfaces in Szombathely and surrounding towns. See: EU Acknowledges Concerns Over Asbestos Contamination.

On August 27, 2026, Presiding Judge Sonoe Taniguchi of the Tokyo High Court rejected an appeal from the Japanese Government and ruled that “the statute of limitations should be calculated from the time of death, not from the onset of symptoms.” The government was ordered to pay 13 million yen (US$81,200) compensation to the family of an insulation worker who died in 2004 from mesothelioma. See: アスベスト被害で高裁が初判断 時効の起算点は中皮腫での「死亡時 [High Court Issues First Ruling on Asbestos-Related Harm: Statute of Limitations Starts from “Time of Death” in mesothelioma cases].

The economic life of the mining town of Minaçu, in the Brazilian State of Goiás has been linked to asbestos mining for decades. With the 2017 decision of the Supreme Court banning the commercial exploitation of asbestos, the town and industry were living on borrowed time. For now, the industry survives by mining, under a State exemption, for export purposes only. Exploration and development work on the mining of rare earth minerals in Minaçu could portend the cessation of asbestos mining, once and for all. See: Terras raras: saiba como cidade goiana saiu da exploração de amianto para o centro da disputa internacional de minérios [Rare earths: learn how a city in Goiás went from asbestos mining to the center of the international mineral dispute].

On August 27, 2026, the European Commission’s Safety Gate Alert scheme issued a notification recalling a Brainboom Stretchmonster stretchy sand-filled plastic wolf figure. The turquoise toy was made in China and has been recalled because: “The toy can easily rupture and the filling of the inside could come out. The sand inside contains asbestos (measured value up to 5% by weight). Asbestos could cause cancer.” So far this year, this scheme has issued dozens of alerts for asbestos-contaminated toys and play sand products. See: Alert number: SR/02368/26 – Brainboom Stretchmonster, stretchy toy.

Figures released on August 26, 2026 by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) noted that in 2025, 627 cases of mesothelioma had been reported to the Australian Mesothelioma Registry (AMR); likely asbestos exposures were assessed in 90% of those diagnosed and the median age at diagnosis was 78 years. The estimated health system expenditure for mesothelioma cases in 2023–2024 was A$48.6 million / US$35m (total cancers A$19.7 billion / US$14bn). In recent years, Australia’s relative survival rate for mesothelioma has been improving. See: Mesothelioma in Australia 2025.

Asbestos contamination was recently discovered in soil samples sourced from a former industrial site owned by General Motors in St. Catharines, Southern Ontario, Canada. Local people as well as regional councillors voiced strong criticism of the failure by Niagara Region Public Health and local officials to address the contamination issue. Attempts by members of the public to access information about the extent of the contamination at the 55-acre site next to downtown St. Catharines were continually thwarted. See: Niagara Public Health won’t investigate threats from asbestos, other contaminants on GM site.

On August 24, 2026, Brazil’s Public Prosecutor’s Office (PPO) began an investigation into possible asbestos contamination of cosmetics following numerous successful court cases in the US against Johnson & Johnson (J&J) over sales of talc-based baby powder. Brazilian producers of talc-based consumer products as well as importers will be contacted by staff from the PPO. Depending on the responses received to their enquiries, the PPO could hold a public or technical hearing pursuant to opening a civil inquiry. See: Ministério Público investiga presença de amianto em cosméticos com talco [The Public Prosecutor's Office is investigating the presence of asbestos in talc-based cosmetics].

According to Ian Shaw, Emeritus Professor of Toxicology at Canterbury University, New Zealand, people who were exposed to asbestos-contaminated play sand should receive regular medical check-ups. This advice follows from the ongoing scandal over sales of toxic children’s play sand from multiple retail outlets and online portals. The results of scientific research conducted in New Zealand revealed that the sand contained tremolite asbestos and that just playing with the sand was enough to generate carcinogenic fibers. See: Asbestos exposure register needed for contaminated sand — toxicology professor.

Just 3 months after being diagnosed with the asbestos cancer mesothelioma, 46-year-old Caroline Bryan died. Although the stay-at-home mum had never worked with asbestos, it’s believed that she was exposed to asbestos at her Cardiff high school. The article cited below detailed the ongoing investigation into the actions taken by the local authority to protect schoolchildren and staff from toxic exposures during the 1990s. A High Court claim against Cardiff Council is proceeding. See: Asbestos killed my mum in her 40s – was her school to blame?

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Limpopo, “the provincial branch of South Africa's official opposition political party,” is demanding that the provincial authorities undertake a comprehensive audit of asbestos-affected sites, document remaining contamination, update health monitoring programs and report on outstanding work and other related matters. Even where some rehabilitation was done on former asbestos mines, contamination continues to endanger the lives of local communities. See: Mafefe asbestos fears reignite as health concerns grow.

A recent entry on the schedule for Brazil’s Supreme Court (STF) revealed that a national asbestos litigation saga may finally be heading towards a resolution. After many setbacks, postponements and interruptions, the STF may be in a position to issue its judgment regarding the unconstitutionality of a Goiás State law which contravened a 2017 STF ruling outlawing the asbestos industry. Campaigners expressed “cautious optimism” that the contentious legislation will be quashed due to the advent of a new Goiás industry: the mining of the magnetic rare earths – neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, and terbium – at the Pela Ema mine in Minaçu, Goiás. [Read full article]

The launch in the Philippines of the National Framework for the Prevention of Asbestos-Related Diseases last month marked “a milestone moment” in the national campaign to end asbestos mortality. Rejecting disinformation and propaganda spread by asbestos vested interests, the actions outlined in the Framework accepted the fundamental tenet that: “there's no safe level of asbestos exposure, and tackling it takes everyone working together, not just one agency acting alone.” The comprehensive roadmap delineated at the July event by the Philippine Department of Health was supported by representatives from the government, unions, industry, health agencies and international organizations in attendance. [Read full article]

A Tribunal in New Zealand handed down a ruling on August 17, 2026 holding Kmart – a major toy retailer in Australasia – to account for all the costs incurred by consumers who purchased asbestos-contaminated toys sold by Kmart in Christchurch. As a media statement from Consumer NZ, an independent consumers’ advocacy group, explained: “this is the first Disputes Tribunal ruling in New Zealand concerning the recalled children’s sand.” The Tribunal found that the play sand was “unsafe, not fit for purpose and not of acceptable quality under the Consumer Guarantees Act.” We believe that this is the first such ruling anywhere which ordered a company to pay for decontamination of a claimant’s home and garden as well as other related costs. Thank you to Consumer NZ for permission to upload this text. [Read full article]

Powerful political forces are aligning in Indonesia to support grassroots efforts to eradicate the asbestos hazard from southeast Asia’s largest asbestos-consuming country. Following shortly after the Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto issued a warning about the cancer hazard posed by the use of asbestos roofing, a statement was released by the Central Statistics Agency which categorized houses with asbestos roofs as “uninhabitable” because they did not meet building durability criteria and posed a health risk. The Ministry of Health, Ministry of Housing and Ministry of Environment strongly recommend that asbestos-free roofing should be used to protect Indonesians from toxic exposures to an acknowledged carcinogen. [Read full article]

A coalition of civil society groups representing asbestos victims, occupational health and safety campaigners and medical experts from Asia, Europe, Latin America and Australasia is delighted to announce the winners of The International Ban Asbestos Secretariat Children’s Champions Award 2026. All of the people and organizations recognized were “accidental activists” who were drawn into a critical situation not of their making. Individually and collectively they demanded answers about sales of potentially damaging children’s products in New Zealand and Australia. By so doing, they protected the lives of children at home and abroad. As UK campaigner Lynne Squibb said “The world is a safer place for the actions of Elle, David, Benjamin, Terri-Ann, Michael, Robert, Jason and their colleagues.” [Read full article]

With the interconnectivity facilitated by contemporary means of communication, news about the contamination of children’s toys broadcast in late 2025 in New Zealand and Australia reverberated around the world in a matter of days. The discoveries which led to the global alert set off a chain reaction which resulted in recalls of toxic toys in multiple jurisdictions. For the first time, the story of how a few routine tests in a Brisbane laboratory led to international outrage, consumer mobilization and political confusion is recounted by those involved. I’m in no doubt that you’ll be able to see it in a Netflix miniseries before too long, but in the meantime you can read all about it here. [Read full article]

Opposition is growing in India – the world’s biggest asbestos market – to it’s massive use of a mineral classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a Group 1 carcinogen. In 2024, 98,000 people in India died from lung cancer, a disease caused not only by smoking but also by exposures to asbestos and other toxins. Of course, lung cancer is not the only disease caused by asbestos exposures and there is no doubt that if the authorities investigate, they will find increasing numbers of patients with mesothelioma, cancers of the larynx and ovaries, asbestosis and pleural thickening. The data on the explosion in lung cancer incidence should be a wakeup call for Indian civil society and national regulators. The time has come for asbestos use to be phased out – it is a matter of life and death. [Read full article]

Whilst researching an article entitled: Report from the Asbestos Frontline: Summer 2026, I was astonished to see the widespread availability via online retail portals of products containing large amounts of asbestos, in some cases as much as 100%. Further investigations by colleagues in Malaysia, Ukraine, the Philippines, Indonesia and India, revealed a dizzying array of high-content asbestos material on sale in many Asian and East European countries. Despite the known risks posed by the use of products containing a group 1 carcinogen, there were no health hazard warnings visible in the advertisements. [Read full article]

There have been many historical events which took the world by surprise: the fall of the Berlin Wall, the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the results of the Brexit referendum, to name just a few. Looking back, however, the signs were there if only people had stopped to look. A look at recent developments in the few asbestos-producing countries which remain indicates that change could be on the horizon. The fortunes of asbestos vested interests in Brazil, China, Russia and Kazakhstan are, like those of other commercial enterprises, susceptible to adverse judicial rulings, social and environmental trends, changing market forces and international sanctions. The writing is on the wall! [Read full article]

The war to end the asbestos slaughter is not just being fought in countries where asbestos use remains legal; battles are ongoing elsewhere over illegal sales of toxic products and historic environmental pollution. The foot soldiers in these skirmishes are parents, local people and regional politicians as well as civil society campaigners, all of whom face daunting challenges as they engage powerful industrial, commercial and government vested interests. A new text which documented key developments in Asia, Oceania and Europe this summer substantiated the author’s conclusion that: “In the fight to end asbestos mortality, there are no civilians: every one of us is on the frontline.” [Read full article]

Earlier this month (July), asbestos victims’ groups in England, Scotland and Wales. and UK cancer charities mounted a myriad of events to remember those lost to deadly asbestos-related diseases. New government data confirmed the lived experience of these campaigners: the country’s asbestos epidemic continues to cause a massive loss of life more than 20 years after asbestos was banned. New toxic exposures continue as a result of asbestos material remaining within the national infrastructure and the import and sale of asbestos-contaminated play sand, toys and decorative household goods. [Read full article]

Global concern over dangerous discoveries in Hungary prompted campaigning groups from around the world to issue a formal statement regarding the “unfolding health emergency in the Hungarian town of Szombathely.” In the Open Letter to Hungarian and EU officials, the signatories stressed that: “The situation is time critical. The health of nearly 1,500 local residents as well as ~1,000 people living in the surrounding streets is being endangered every single day, with children at the highest risk of contracting asbestos-related cancers and diseases!” Government and EU officials in Budapest and Brussels were urged “to stand in solidarity with Szombathely and protect the health of all those at risk from this man-made disaster” (click ide a magyar verzióért of this letter). [Read full article]

Indonesia is a significant asbestos market, both in terms of the amount of asbestos it imports and its strategic importance. To compensate for the collapse of global demand, asbestos vested interests are fighting tooth and nail to protect this market and others like it. Despite the backroom deals and political pressure – as evinced by the latest asbestos industry initiative designed to lock Indonesia into many more years of asbestos imports and use – grassroots campaigners continue their efforts to end the slaughter by raising asbestos awareness, progressing multi-stakeholder collaborations and using well-honed tactics to implement an effective and targeted strategy to eradicate asbestos-related deaths. [Read full article]

June 13, 2026 was a day of surprises. Within a few hours, news was circulated of landmark developments substantiating progress made in the fight for asbestos victims’ rights in Brazil, the UK and Belgium. To someone who is “old school” when it comes to the news, the fact that the links for all these stories came via social media posts rather than mainstream media sources was disconcerting. It pains me to say – as I am no lover of social media – that, from what I have seen, when you are looking for news of real substance the place to look is no longer traditional outlets but hysteria-free platforms like LinkedIn. [Read full article]

IBAS is delighted to be hosting the English translation of a Portuguese language editorial uploaded last week (see: Associação Brasileira dos Expostos ao Amianto: 30 anos de luta pelos direitos dos trabalhadores) to the website of the Brazilian Journal of Occupational Health. Permission to do so was granted by coauthor Leila Posenato Garcia. Reflecting on the importance of the work accomplished since 1995 by the Brazilian Association of Asbestos Exposed Workers (ABREA), the authors recognized that “ABREA’s trajectory is intertwined with the construction of the Occupational Health field in Brazil.” [Read full article]

IBAS is privileged to upload this article by K. Ambroise Troveh, a specialist in transmission electron microscopy and hazardous fiber analysis. This feature highlighted the gap in African countries between the “promulgation of prohibitive texts and the very limited enforcement and monitoring mechanisms on the ground.” As nations in the Global North banned asbestos use, manufacturers targeted African markets in countries “under severe budgetary constraints.” Low levels of public asbestos awareness and lack of technical capacity and epidemiological data deterred governments from addressing asbestos challenges. Organizations such as the pan-African OHS Africa Foundation and the Inter-African Committee of Asbestos Experts are working assiduously to remedy this situation. [Read full article]

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Demonstration in Woluwe Park, Brussels, 2006

Under cloudy skies, members of Belgian and French Asbestos Victims' Associations from Dunkirk and Bourgogne marched side-by-side in the third annual demonstration organized by ABEVA, the Belgian Association of Asbestos Victims. Erik Jonckheere, ABEVA's Co-chairman, condemned the government which still refuses to recognize the plight of the asbestos injured.

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