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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.

An article uploaded on August 23, 2026 detailing the August 14 accident at the Sitakunda ship-breaking yard which killed ten workers argued that a lack of oversight and enforcement is exacerbating the hazards for at-risk Bangladeshi workers. Among the toxic conditions prevalent in the ship-breaking yards were exposures to asbestos. Anecdotal evidence and clinical research documented a high rate of asbestos-related diseases among shipbreaking workers; male workers in this industry have a life expectancy 20 years less than the national average. See: Shipbreaking need not be deadly, but weak enforcement is making it so.

According to WorkSafeBC – British Columbia’s workplace regulator – Northland Properties, a company which operates multiple BC hotels under the Sandman Hotel brand, was found guilty of asbestos infringements 12+ times. The latest case arose from asbestos violations during work on a renovation project at the Williams Lake hotel in December 2025. After Northland was fined over $620,000 for that incident, WorkSafeBC said: “This penalty is appropriate for this employer; the employer has received many prior orders relating to asbestos management and also a warning letter and does not seem to have taken any substantive, sustained action to prevent future worker exposure and future violations.” See: FOI reveals operator of Sandman Hotel chain fined over $620K for asbestos violations.

On August 19, 2026, US District Judge Jamar K. Walker for the Eastern District of Virginia issued his opinion in the case of Pecos River Talc LLC, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson (J&J), v. Theresa Swain Emory, et al. Subject to an appeal by the company, the ruling brings to an end years of litigation against Drs Teresa Emory, John Maddox, and Richard Kradin. The US pathologists had been sued for trade libel by J&J for their publication documenting dozens of cancer cases which had been linked to the use of Johnson & Johnson’s iconic talc-based baby powder. See: Three scientists beat J&J's defamation suit over talc research.

The commentary cited below announced the publication of the book entitled: Asbestos Nation: The Story of the Most Dangerous Dust in Australia, by Dr James Watson. The review quoted many fascinating facts from the book, including the following: “The local asbestos industry would have died quickly without government subsidisation. In its thirty-years of business, Wittenoom, the largest asbestos mine in Australia, never once turned a profit.” I also learned a new word: “monopsony power” (look it up!) My order for the book went off last week! See: The Commonwealth Government created the Australian asbestos industry. Now it needs to start paying compensation.

After a Christchurch Tribunal ordered retailer Kmart to pay compensation to New Zealand parents whose children played with asbestos-contaminated sand, more parents came forward to speak “about their fight to hold the retailer accountable.” A mother from Hamilton, who spent considerable sums on asbestos testing, air monitoring and replacement furniture, expressed her frustration with Kmart’s rejection of the claim. Another parent succeeded in getting Kmart to reimburse a $1,000-claim, but it is not known how many customers the retailer paid out or how many claims were rejected. See: ‘I'm really appalled for what they've done’ - More parents continue fight over coloured sand.

There has been little coverage in the Italian media about the dozens of recalls for toys contaminated with asbestos issued by the European Union’s Safety Gate Alert scheme this year. Italy’s Ministry of Health sent out alerts in mid-August regarding the sale in Italy of EU recalled toys including: a stretchy sand-filled toy carrot, made in China, and Feel Better Buddy Voodoo Magic stretchy puppet, made in China
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See: Allarme amianto, c’è un altro giocattolo contaminato venduto in Italia: come riconoscerlo e cosa fare se lo hai in casa [Asbestos alarm, there is another contaminated toy sold in Italy: how to recognize it and what to do if you have it at home].

Proceedings brought in 2024 against the Ministry of Defense (MoD) over asbestos exposures experienced in 2018 and 2019 by a total of 256 Royal Marines and soldiers on deployment abroad were settled out of court for an unknown amount. The claimants, all of whom were from Plymouth and Scotland, were told that further damages could be claimed “should any of those in the claim go on to develop asbestos-related diseases.” The toxic exposures had taken place at non-MoD training sites in Latvia. See: Royal Marines and soldiers settle MoD asbestos claim.

A Stop Work Order was issued on July 24, 2026 by the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) after asbestos contamination had been found during development work at a prestigious and controversial site on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The paperwork signed by two inspectors from the city’s Department of Environmental Protection brought to an immediate halt work by Extell Developers on the proposed 86-story tower at 80 West 66th Street. See: Construction of Supertall UWS Tower Halted After Asbestos Discovery.

A New Zealand Disputes Tribunal ordered the Kmart retail chain to pay $15,185.42 to cover costs associated with asbestos testing and remediation to parents Elle Chrisp and David Dingwall whose toddlers played with asbestos-contaminated sand sold by Kmart. According to referee Cynthia Hawes, the sand should not have been offered for sale as it “was unsafe, not fit for purpose and not of acceptable quality under the Consumer Guarantees Act.” See: Disputes Tribunal orders Kmart to pay Christchurch couple over contaminated sand.

According to South Africa’s Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, medical personnel at the new health screening camps set up in the former asbestos mining town of Mafafe, Limpopo Province and surrounding high-risk areas are utilizing “ultra-portable digital X-ray machines to improve early detection of asbestos-related illnesses…” Abandoned asbestos mines throughout the Province pose an ongoing health hazard as the remediation work carried out at these sites was inadequate or incomplete. See: Health Dept rolls out portable X-ray machines for early asbestos detection.

During an August 17th, 2026 press conference, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Arthur Steinberg called on the municipal school district to improve the oversight of renovations being carried out in schools contaminated with asbestos. After millions of dollars were spent over nearly two years, it is still not safe for 400+ pupils and 90 staff members to return to Kensington High School. Alternative premises at the Austin Meehan Middle School were secured seven miles away. See: Philadelphia’s school asbestos problem is already derailing back-to-school.

The sinking in 2023 of Brazil’s former flagship the São Paulo by the Brazilian Navy was retold in the article cited below. Purchased from France in 2000 for $12 million, the vessel never really lived up to expectations. It was plagued with mechanical faults and contained a cocktail of lethal materials including asbestos and heavy metals. After being rejected for scrapping by several destinations the 32,800-ton ship returned to Brazilian waters and was sunk about 350 kilometers off the country’s northeastern coast. See: Brazil Sank a 32,900-ton Aircraft Carrier Carrying 9.6 Tons of Toxic Asbestos 3 Miles Into the Atlantic.

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]

A recent investigation by a network of concerned citizens revealed that a toy found to be carcinogenic by multiple national authorities and media outlets was being sold via online marketplaces in Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin and North America. Considering the sophisticated communications of e-commerce platforms in 2026, it is beyond belief that retailers such as Ozon in Eastern Europe, Amazon India, Rozetka in Ukraine and educational toy specialists like GoodDo Bangladesh and Fangotoys Ecuador were unaware of the evidence documenting the very real health hazard posed by the use of the toxic toy: WordPad. Until there are strict regulations of global e-commerce marketplaces and meaningful punishments for transgressors, none of our children will be safe. [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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