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It was reported on October 10, 2026, that India’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had ordered the Chief Secretary of the State of Madhya Pradesh to undertake work on a comprehensive report about the continuing asbestos contamination in the environs of an asbestos factory in Kymore. Production at the site that began in 1934, originally by the British asbestos conglomerate Turner & Newall, continues to this day under different ownership. There is widespread asbestos contamination at landfill sites as well as in public and private spaces. According to a statement by the NHRC Indians had “a right to life, health and a safe environment.” See: NHRC seeks report from MP govt on Kymore asbestos contamination.

On October 8, 2026, the Basque Parliament adopted an amendment that strengthened support for municipalities to ensure they had the resources needed to manage asbestos waste as per mandatory protocols. The approved text called on the regional government to “continue supporting local institutions, within the scope of their competencies, in achieving the objectives established in the Waste and Contaminated Soils Law for a circular economy, particularly regarding the preparation of censuses of facilities with asbestos and the planning of its removal.” See: The Basque Parliament asks the Government for measures to ensure proper management of asbestos waste.

News was uploaded on September 29, 2026, that the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board (MPPCB) had announced an investigation into asbestos waste at a landfill site in Kalhara village, near the site of India’s first asbestos factory, set up in 1934 by the British asbestos multinational Turner & Newall Ltd. in Kymore, Madhya Pradesh State, India. The MPPCB’s decision followed several high-profile stories about the elevated incidence of asbestos-related diseases and conditions in Kymore where asbestos contamination remains a hazard to the health of local people. See: TOI Impact: MPPCB starts probe into Kymore asbestos landfill, 700 more claims in the works.

A ten-year legal struggle ended with a victim’s verdict handed down by a Court in Potenza, Southern Italy. INAIL – the National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work – was ordered to pay a monthly pension of ~€1,500 (US$ 1,680) and arrears of ~€150,000 (US$168,000) to the widow of a worker from the Fiat Mirafiori plant. The deceased started work at the Turin factory aged 17 in 1958 and continued his employment for 11 years during which time he was routinely exposed to asbestos. As a result of those exposures, he contracted mesothelioma and died in 2018. See: Respira amianto alla Fiat di Mirafiori per 11 anni, poi il mesotelioma. Inail condannata [He inhaled asbestos at the Fiat Mirafiori plant for 11 years, then developed mesothelioma. INAIL found guilty].

On October 9, 2026, Hungarian reporter Enikő Enzsöl reported an ironic twist of fate in Western Hungary. Asbestos-containing aggregates from Austrian quarries which had contaminated municipal roads and public parking lots in the Hungarian city of Szombathely and surrounding locations were now being sealed with bitumen imported at great cost from… Austria. To add insult to injury, Hungarian contractors were relying on Austrian machinery and expertise to carry out the repairs. The estimated cost of the work was expected to exceed €4.4 million (US$4.9m). See: Toxic Cycle from Austria: First Asbestos, Now Bitumen to Pave It Over.

On October 9, 2026, a spokesperson for L'Oréal China, a subsidiary of the global L'Oréal brand, assured Chinese customers that the use of the company’s talc-based products was safe as they complied with national standards. According to China's Cosmetic Safety Technical Specifications (2015): “asbestos must not be detected in cosmetics. If the formulation contains talc raw material, the asbestos in the product must be tested. Under current testing methods, asbestos must not be detected in products.” See: 欧莱雅中国回应“滑石粉致癌风险”争议：中国区在售产品符合国家相关标准 [L’Oréal China responds to the controversy over “carcinogenic risk of talcum powder”: products sold in China comply with relevant national standards].

On October 6, 2026, the UK’s Office for Safety and Standards (OPSS) issued a recall for two Halloween novelty products. According to the OPSS, the two decorative models: “present a risk to health as the sand in the doorstops may be contaminated with a small quantity of asbestos.” Both items were made in China and were sold throughout the UK by Primark. This was the 70th OPSS asbestos recall for children’s sand products, toys and novelty items since January 1, 2026 (see: Product Safety Alerts, Reports and Recalls).
 
See: Product Recall: Primark Halloween Gonks (2610-0004).

The article cited below described the environmental and ecological remediation of Europe’s biggest chrysotile (white) asbestos mine: the Amiantos Mine in the Troodos Mountains on Cyprus. Decades of mining operations scarred the beautiful natural landscape and from 1904 millions of tonnes of ore were dug from the ground to produce asbestos fiber, a valuable local commodity that was shipped overseas. A community was built around the mine. It was an idyllic life – except for the deadly soil, air and water created by the operations at the toxic mine. “Amiantos,” the author concluded “is now a living case study in environmental recovery — a landscape that remembers its past while slowly healing.” See: Amiantos Mine is Cyprus’ Industrial Giant.

A timely opinion piece by Sofia Terèse Glantz appeared in the October 3, 2026 issue of The Varsity – the student newspaper of the University of Toronto. Glantz called on college officials to upgrade their risk communication strategy so that students would be better informed about safety measures being implemented to deal with asbestos contamination of multiple academic structures on campus, including classrooms, laboratories and dormitories. During much of the 20th century, Canada was the world’s biggest asbestos supplier. See: Opinion: Students deserve clearer communication about asbestos.

Results reported of tests conducted in Karawang on 36 former asbestos industry workers were conclusive: 10 suffered from asbestosis and 5 had silicosis due to toxic workplace exposures. The Karawang Manpower Supervisor was informed of the results by a delegation of the injured and campaigners. Highlighting multiple discrepancies in the provision of Indonesian occupational health benefits, the Supervisor was told about the serious impact and long latency period of asbestos exposures and urged support for a transition to asbestos-free materials. See: Mantan Pekerja Asbes Laporkan Dugaan Penyakit Akibat Kerja ke Pengawas Ketenagakerjaan Karawang [Former Asbestos Worker Reports Suspected Occupational Diseases to Karawang Manpower Supervisor].

Because of the serious nature of his physical condition, no biopsy or histological evidence had been obtained or submitted in the asbestos case brought over the lung cancer death of a worker from the Italian State Railways’ maintenance facility in Rimini. As a result, the compensation claim submitted by his family was rejected because of lack of evidence. After input from trade union technical experts, medical professionals and legal advisors the claim was recognized. See: Amianto, malattia professionale riconosciuta anche senza Biopsia: il caso di Rimini fa scuola [Asbestos, an occupational disease recognized even without a biopsy: the case of Rimini sets a precedent].

Provincial and federal funds were obtained to cover 100% of the costs of the now completed Glogów Commune project to remove all asbestos-containing products from the urban municipality in southwestern Poland. Work was carried out between June and September 2026 on 12 contaminated structures in the commune at a cost of PLN40,147.23 (US$10,260). The eradication was undertaken pursuant to Poland’s 2023 deadline for the elimination of asbestos-containing materials from Poland’s national infrastructure. See: Gmina Głogów zakończyła usuwanie azbestu. Prace objęły 12 obiektów [The Glogów commune has completed asbestos removal. The work covered 12 facilities].

On October 3, 2026, Catalan Law 8.2026 came into force. The legislation established the Catalan Register of Asbestos-Containing Materials: “a mandatory framework to accelerate the identification, removal and proper management of this material still present in numerous buildings and facilities.” The law also set out details for a mandatory certification scheme covering companies and individuals authorized to undertake asbestos eradication work. See: Cataluña refuerza la retirada y gestión del amianto con una ley específica [Catalonia strengthens the removal and management of asbestos with a specific law].

On September 30, 2026, the UK’s Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) recalled two toys because of asbestos contamination. The items withdrawn from the market were: YongnKids Theme Scene Sandbox Toy Kit sold via Amazon (2609-0148) and SHEIN Children’s Wooden Acrylic Rainbow Sensory Blocks (2609-0191). Both products were made in China.
 
See: YongnKids Theme Scene Sandbox Toy Kit sold via Amazon (2609-0148).
 
SHEIN Children’s Wooden Acrylic Rainbow Sensory Blocks (2609-0191).

A conference on September 30, 2026 provided the opportunity for expert speakers to delineate progress made in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region on asbestos eradication. Among the speakers were technical specialists as well as representatives of local government and state institutions. According to Vice-Marshal Aneta Jedrzejewska: “The year 2032 is fast approaching, and by then asbestos should have disappeared from our homes and farms. Meanwhile, approximately 610,000 tonnes of asbestos have been inventoried in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region, of which only 140,000 tonnes, or 23 percent, have been removed.” See: Poland Without Asbestos – Conference.

Asbestos contamination continued to disrupt plans by the authorities in Quebec, the one-time Canadian asbestos heartland. According to Santé Québec – the state-owned corporation tasked with the day-to-day delivery of public health and social services in Quebec – the opening of an operating room in the city of Dolbeau-Mistassini was delayed due to the discovery of asbestos-contaminated soil and a daycare center in Roberval was shut temporarily after asbestos had been found in the walls of the premises. See: Amiante et sols contaminés: des imprévus dans les bâtiments et les chantiers de Santé Québec au Lac-Saint-Jean [Asbestos and contaminated soils: unforeseen events in Santé Québec's buildings and construction sites in Lac-Saint-Jean].

In recent weeks there has been an outpouring of media coverage in the UK and India about the elevated incidence of asbestos-related diseases and the extensive asbestos pollution in Kymore, India. June Hancock and Nirmala Gurung were proof of the deadly consequences of the gross misconduct carried out by the global brand which ran the factory. Following their asbestos diagnoses, both woman campaigned to hold the guilty British company – Turner & Newall Ltd. – to account. As this controversy rages on in the National Human Rights Commission of India and the State legislature of Madhya Pradesh, we pay tribute to these two extraordinary women: June and Nirmala. [Read full article]

On September 12–14, 2026, there was a dynamic and fruitful collaboration between South Korean and Japanese asbestos activists during which news of current developments was exchanged, information about the unmet needs of victims shared and colorful events mounted to highlight the ramifications of national asbestos legacies. Commenting on the solidarity exchange, organizer Yeyong Choi – Director of Asian Citizens’ Center for Environmental Health (Eco-Health), South Korea – said: “The only way change will come is for the victims’ voices to be heard not only at the grassroots but at the very highest levels of government. With solidarity comes progress. The struggle continues.” [Read full article]

After many twists and turns, adjournments, hearings, postponements and reversals, Brazil’s asbestos ban was upheld last week at the highest level. On September 18, 2026, the Supreme Court handed down a unanimous verdict in litigation concerning a Goiás State law (2019) which allowed asbestos mining to continue – for export purposes only – in contravention of a national prohibition put in place in 2017 by the Court. Pursuant to the confirmation that the asbestos ban was inviolable and absolute, the Goiás law was declared unconstitutional. With the annulment of the state exemption for asbestos mining, the chrysotile asbestos mine operated by Sama Minerações Associadas, a subsidiary of Eternit, S.A., will be closed. [Read full article]

One lesson that every ban asbestos activist learns is the need for patience. There is no timetable for success and there are long periods when nothing seems to happen. This summer, however, was not one of them. Online reports over recent weeks indicated a seismic shift in the global asbestos debate. Even in countries where asbestos use remains legal, steps are being taken to reveal the human consequences and national costs incurred by the use of this outdated and deadly technology. As clearly shown by global asbestos trade data, consumers are increasingly choosing safer alternatives. In 2025, asbestos output was 960,000 tonnes, ~20% of the 1980 total. However you look at it, the industry is on a downward trajectory. The end cannot come soon enough. [Read full article]

India is the largest importer and user of asbestos in the world. Despite the ferocious lobbying by the asbestos sector, change is coming with the introduction of partial bans and the imposition of restrictions. Pursuant to a 2025 judgment of India’s National Green Tribunal, the Central Pollution Control Board launched a public consultation for the creation of guidelines for the “Installation, Dismantling and Disposal of Asbestos Cement Roofing Sheets, Asbestos Cement Wall Sheets and Asbestos Cement Pipes.” The deadline for submissions is September 17, 2026. [Read full article]

On September 8, 2026, NYC Mayor Mamdani told a press conference that 68 boxes of evidence detailing “what the city knew about toxic air around ground zero, when they knew it, and how they acted to limit liability” had been found. In the run-up to the 25th anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center, the Mayor announced that an online portal had been created with 170,000+ documents from the hidden archive. More documents will be uploaded in the coming months. Speaking at City Hall, the Mayor said: “People got sick because the leaders they trusted lied and told them they were safe to breathe in toxic air.” Asbestos was found “nearly everywhere” in the vicinity of ground zero; 10 months after the attack, health officials reported finding asbestos half a mile away from the site. [Read full article]

Dr Gregory Deleuil lived life to the full. He made the most of every chance to connect, assist and enjoy opportunities as they presented themselves. He was a medical practitioner who never lost the human touch and was often called upon by patients to translate into ordinary language the jargon transmitted by pulmonary and cancer specialists. He was trusted by his patients and their families who often became personal friends. He was an easy man to love and my whole family did so with gusto. When my son got ill with pneumonia in Perth, Greg treated him. When my daughter invited him to her wedding, he was there at the top table. We loved him to bits. This love will endure long after his passing. The world is a greyer and sadder place without him. [Read full article]

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]

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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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