Abstract Archive

In a David and Goliath legal battle in Brussels, David won. In this case, David was Eric Jonckheere, President of the Belgian Association of Asbestos Victims (ABEVA), retired pilot, mesothelioma patient and member of a 7-person family which has been decimated by the signature cancer associated with asbestos: mesothelioma. On November 27, 2023, a Flemish-speaking court of the first instance convicted Eternit, a former asbestos conglomerate, of “intentional wrongdoing,” “deliberate misconduct,” “systematic manipulation” and “deliberate distortion of the facts.” By exposing Eternit’s “fraud” and “deliberate misconduct,” a path has been cleared for asbestos victims in Belgium and elsewhere to hold the company to account. Justice has long been denied; it must no longer be delayed. [Read full article]

A Man on a Mission

April 28, 2022

On April 28, 2022, the world was told what his friends had feared for a long time: Eric Jonckheere had contracted the same asbestos cancer that had killed his father Pierre, his mother Françoise and his brothers: Pierre-Paul and Stéphane. The release of this heart-breaking news coincided with the launch of a legal case against the company which had been responsible for the deaths of his family: Eternit, an asbestos multinational which had continued to profit from its toxic technology long after others had transitioned to asbestos-free production. Earlier today, Eric and his attorneys served a summons on Eternit, ordering the company to appear before the Brussels Court to answer charges of wilful misconduct. [Read full article]

Asbestos Victory in Belgium

Mar 30, 2017

A historic victory was achieved on Tuesday, March 28, 2017 when the Brussels Court of Appeal upheld a ruling condemning the Belgian asbestos multinational Eternit for environmental asbestos exposure which killed Françoise Vannoorbeek-Jonckheere in 2000. In a 15-page judgment, the three judge panel concluded that Eternit had known asbestos was a carcinogenic substance since the 1970s but had failed to protect workers or local people from hazardous exposures as a result of which Françoise, who lived near the company’s factory in Kapelle-op-den-Bos for decades, contracted the fatal asbestos cancer mesothelioma. Eternit asbestos victims around the world will be heartened and inspired by this news. [Read full article]

Interim Report: EU Asbestos Action

Jun 28, 2015

Activities this week in the Flemish town of Kapelle-op-den-Bos represented a paradigm shift not only in the capacity of local people to impact on the asbestos disaster which has befallen their town but also on the political attitude of the municipal authorities. Kapelle asbestos victims and family members working with ABEVA, the Belgian Association of Asbestos Victims, organized a series of “first-ever” events on June 23 to highlight the ongoing effects of decades of asbestos-cement production at the Eternit factories in their town. The following day, ABEVA President Eric Jonckheere was one of eighteen speakers to address a joint EU asbestos hearing. [Read full article]

Europe’s Asbestos Ground Zero

Jun 22, 2015

History will be made this week, when asbestos victims from a small Belgian town – Kapelle-op-den-Bos – spearhead the first public protest against Eternit in their home town. The local activists are welcoming a delegation of asbestos victims, trade unionists, campaigners and experts for a series of events on Tuesday, June 23, 2015. Representatives from Europe and Australia will join Kapelle residents at a vigil in front of the former Eternit factory before laying a floral tribute at the local cemetery. A meeting with Kapelle’s Mayor Edward DeWitt will provide the opportunity for them to learn more about how the municipality is dealing with its dreadful asbestos legacy. [Read full article]

Belgium's Asbestos Killing Fields

May 23, 2013

This week the demise of Belgian asbestos Baron Louis de Cartier de Marchienne was announced. According to press reports, he passed away peacefully, a fate not shared by many of those condemned by his actions to early and painful deaths. Marchienne was one of two former Eternit directors found guilty in 2012 for contributing to the asbestos epidemic which killed thousands of Italians. Closer to home, the scale of Belgium's asbestos tragedy is only now beginning to emerge thanks to the efforts of the asbestos victims' group, ABEVA, which last week revealed an asbestos death map showing the location in Eternit towns of 320+ victims. [Read full article]

Europe to Enter Post-Asbestos Era?

Feb 7, 2013

Despite the progress represented by the 1999 EU directive outlawing asbestos use, the fact that regulations allowed derogations to persist was, critics said, unacceptable. Under EU law the use of chrysotile asbestos was permitted for existing electrolysis installations in chlorine production facilities. Deadlines for reviewing this exemption came and went and still no action was taken. By June 1, 2011, Member States were mandated to report the status quo related to the derogation in their countries to the Commission. A letter written by European Commissioners on Jan. 18, 2013 may provide grounds for optimism regarding the end of this exemption. [Read full article]

A Canadian Pilgrimage

Oct 19, 2012

Eric Jonckheere, a Belgian ban asbestos activist, recently undertook a trip to Canada to confront the mine which had produced the mineral that had killed his Father, Mother and two brothers. Naturally, this was a trip tinged with emotion but, as Eric explains in this article, it was also a time to reflect on Québec's industrial history and to explore ways that the province might proceed towards a better and safer future not only for its inhabitants but for people the world over whose lives had been tainted by exposure to Québec's asbestos. [Read full article]

Asbestos Victim Honored in Belgium

Sep 23, 2012

A lawsuit brought on behalf of asbestos victim Françoise Jonckheere against Eternit won first prize at the Solidarity Festival in Belgium on September 22. The award was accepted by Eric Jonckheere, one of Francoise's three surviving sons, who said: "Eternit tried to buy my Mother's silence. She would not be bought. She was determined to hold the company to account for what it had done to her, my Father and so many others in our home town of Kapelle-op-den-Bos. We hope that as a result of the verdict others will be able to obtain justice from Eternit." [Read full article]

Eternit Ordered to Pay for Belgian Clean-up

May 23, 2012

After decades of escaping liability for the pollution caused by its asbestos manufacturing operations, Eternit Belgium has been ordered by the authorities to pay for the remediation required to make the area in Kapelle op den Bos safe. In forests near the former asbestos-cement factory and on dumpsites used by the company, debris containing chrysotile and/or crocidolite asbestos continues to pose a potent threat to public health. Although the final bill for the remediation in Kapelle will, it is believed, be substantial it is likely that other Eternit-contaminated sites will be identified both in Belgium and abroad. [Read full article]

Justice for Françoise?

Oct 26, 2011

Eleven years after her death from mesothelioma, the family of Françoise Jonckheere witnessed the beginning of a landmark trial on October 24, 2011 in the Palais de Justice, Brussels when the case against Eternit, the owners of an asbestos-cement factory in Kapelle-op-den-Bos, commenced. This is the first civil case brought on behalf of a Belgian who, as a result of environmental exposure to asbestos, contracted an asbestos-related disease. To highlight the importance of this case, a series of events was organized in the run-up to the trial which included a press conference, seminar, documentary screening and courthouse vigil. [Read full article]

Tribute to Michel Vernier (1942-2009)

Feb 13, 2010

Michel Vernier was at the forefront of the pursuit for workers' health and union representation in Belgium. During the 31 years he worked for Eternit, he kept a watching brief on the incidence of illness amongst his fellow workers at the Coverit factory; he was one of the first to observe the link between their illnesses and their asbestos employment. As a consequence of his occupational asbestos exposure, he contracted asbestosis and later mesothelioma. His death on December 13, 2009 was the 154th asbestos fatality amongst the 267 workers made redundant when the plant closed in 1987. [Read full article]

The New Belgian Asbestos Fund

Jul 9, 2007

Pressured by vociferous demands within Belgian society to address the claims of Belgian asbestos occupational and non-occupational victims, who in practice have little access to the civil courts, the Belgian government has created a special department to deal with asbestos claims. Organized within the already existing Belgian Fund for Occupational Diseases, this new department, aptly named the Asbestos Fund (AFA), processes asbestos victims' claims and allocates them compensation according to the nature of their claim. ... [Read full article]