News Archive

On March 26, 2021 the NGO Shipbreaking Platform issued a press release condemning the export of toxic cruise ships – the Marco Polo and the Magellan – from the UK to the notorious Alang shipbreaking beach in India. Under EU Waste Shipment Regulations, the Basel Convention and national laws, sending end-of-life ships from Europe to non-OECD countries was banned as they contained large amounts of carcinogenic material and hazardous products which contained asbestos. See: NGOs call upon authorities to sanction [prevent] illegal exports of cruise ships.

US Policy and Administrative Failures

Mar 29, 2021

A commentary about protecting citizens from deadly exposures to chemicals during the time of Covid-19, highlighted failures by the authorities to take effective action on the deadly legacy posed by asbestos consumption and problems caused by failing to ban asbestos in the US as a result of industry interference. The Environmental Protection Agency which was tasked with protecting Americans from hazardous products and taking steps to monitor historic and current use, neglected to do so under the Trump Administration despite 2016 revisions to the Toxic Substances Control Act which had reinforced the EPA’s responsibility to undertake a comprehensive asbestos review. See: The Past, Present, and Future of Asbestos Regulations in America.

Basque Asbestos Compensation Fund?

Mar 29, 2021

On April 13, 2021, Parliamentarians Jon Aiartza, Eba Blanco and Gloria Sánchez will table draft legislation calling on the Basque Parliament to establish a state compensation fund for asbestos victims. At a March 25 plenary session of the Autonomous Parliament, these three regional deputies were designated to spearhead efforts to progress this plan. This will be the fourth attempt to achieve approval for a government scheme to “repair the damage” suffered by asbestos-exposed citizens. See: Parlamentarios vascos volverán a pedir el 13 de abril en el Congreso la creación de un fondo para víctimas del amianto [Basque parliamentarians will again ask Congress on April 13 for the creation of a fund for victims of asbestos].

Justice for Asbestos Victims

Mar 29, 2021

A press release issue on March 23, 2021 by ANDEVA – an umbrella group representing asbestos victims’ support groups in France – welcomed a March 2021 ruling by the Supreme Court (Court of Cassation) and called on judicial authorities to resume forthwith the investigation of a criminal case against the Everite company over the asbestos deaths of former employees. Other cases, including actions against Eternit, DCN (Direction des Constructions Navales) and Valéo-Ferrodo de Condé-sur- Noireau, should also proceed “without delay.” See: Nouvelle victoire pour les victimes [Another victory for the victims].

Asbestos Eradication Program

Mar 26, 2021

On March 24, 2021, the Council of Jeonnam Province, South Korea approved the asbestos safety management ordinance bill to facilitate the decontamination of daycare centers, child welfare facilities, and youth welfare facilities units. Funds allocated under this scheme will be made available to remove asbestos-containing roofing and building products and establish mandatory asbestos management programs to prevent children and young people from receiving toxic exposures. See: 전남도, 석면건축자재 사용 어린이집 등에 처리비용 지원한다 [Support for treatment costs in Jeonnam-do and daycare centers using asbestos construction materials.].

Supporting Injured Construction Workers

Mar 26, 2021

A symposium was held in Tokyo on March 23, 2021 to consider options for establishing a national compensation fund for construction workers injured by asbestos exposures, following a Supreme Court ruling which found the Government and building material manufacturers liable for having failed to take steps to protect workers from asbestos. The administrative scheme, funded by the government and manufacturers, would be intended to provide timely relief for the injured without recourse to protracted litigation. See: 建設アスベスト被害政治責任で救済早く補償基金創設へシンポ [Construction asbestos damage political responsibility. Symposium to establish compensation fund].

São Paulo Asbestos Injunction

Mar 26, 2021

On March 23, 2021, a labor judge in São Paulo issued an injunction against Tranasportes Scatuzzi Ltda. (for background see: Confidence Tricksters and Asbestos Thugs from the Brazilian State of Goiás) at the request of the Public Ministry of Labor which had alleged that the company was engaged in illegal activities – i.e. the handling, processing and transport of asbestos fiber. These activities were illegal pursuant to a 2017 Supreme Court ruling and São Paulo State laws. In addition to the legal authorities cited, the Public Ministry of Labor said that according to the precautionary principle, all potentially toxic exposures should be avoided. See: Labor Court Injunction.

Resumption of Asbestos Litigation

Mar 26, 2021

A decision by France’s Supreme Court (Court of Cassation) on March 23, 2021 could, in the long-term, pave the way for the country’s first criminal trial of those accused over their negligence in protecting citizens from asbestos exposures. In the shorter term, this decision will restart investigations into a case against the Everite company – a subsidiary of the former asbestos group Saint-Gobain – which operated a manufacturing facility at Dammarie-les-Lys (Seine-et-Marne). The national asbestos victims’ support group ANDEVA welcomed this development. See: Amiante: les investigations sur un industriel vont reprendre [Asbestos: the investigations of an industrialist will resume].

Asbestos in Schools

Mar 26, 2021

One in five Madrid schools are contaminated with asbestos according to data from 17 district councils; a map with the 56 affected schools – including two for Special Education and one Nursery School – pinpointed was produced. The situation in 42 other schools remained unconfirmed. From information gathered, the worst affected schools were in the poorest neighborhoods: in Puente de Vallecas and Ciudad Lineal, asbestos was present in half the schools. See: El mapa del amianto en los colegios de Madrid: uno de cada cinco centros públicos convive con material tóxico [The map of asbestos in schools in Madrid: one in five public centers lives with toxic material].

Asbestos in the Air Force

Mar 26, 2021

A court in Treviso, a city in northern Italy, has recognized as occupationally-caused the 2015 asbestos cancer death (from mesothelioma) of a non-commissioned officer who had served as an Air Force engineer for 40 years repairing military aircraft. As a result of this ruling, his widow will be eligible for compensation including a one-off payment plus a monthly pension of €1,600 (US$1,900) as well as other benefits. See: Amianto, sottufficiale morto di cancro riconosciuto “vittima del dovere:” risarcimento e pensione alla moglie [Asbestos, a non-commissioned officer who died of cancer recognized as a “victim of duty:” compensation and pension for his wife].

Government Apologies!

Mar 24, 2021

On March 21, 2021, representatives of the Japanese government – Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Norihisa Tamura and Deputy Minister Takaaki Kobayashi – apologized to construction workers in Kansai and Osaka for the government’s failures to control the asbestos hazard. As a result of the Government’s inertia, the workers were occupationally exposed to asbestos and contracted debilitating and deadly diseases. A recent ruling by the Supreme Court found the Government guilty of negligence and awarded compensation to thousands of construction workers for their asbestos injuries. See: 田村厚労相が原告に謝罪 [Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Tamura apologizes to plaintiffs].

Supreme Court Upholds Plaintiffs’ Ruling

Mar 24, 2021

A ruling by France’s Supreme Court (Court of Cassation) has paved the way for a criminal trial of company officials, civil servants and decision-makers responsible for the country’s epidemic of asbestos-related deaths. An appeal submitted in January 2021 (see: The Interminable Wait for Asbestos Justice in France) that could have derailed this process was rejected on March 23, 2021 by the President of the Supreme Court’s Criminal Chamber. See: Amiante: la Cour de cassation valide la reprise de l’enquête sur l’entreprise Everite [Asbestos: the Court of Cassation validates the resumption of the investigation into the Everite company]. (This link is to a subscription site.)

Calls for a National Asbestos Plan

Mar 24, 2021

Pressure is growing in Spain for a national plan to address the country’s toxic asbestos legacy with regulations being finalized by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge to mandate asbestos audits of all municipal buildings before December 2022. Last week, Senator Antonio Silván asked a series of questions in the upper house about the eradication program under the draft Waste and Contaminated Soil bill. See: Silván pide ayudas al Gobierno ante la inminente obligación de retirar el amianto de los edificios [Silván asks the Government for help before the imminent obligation to remove asbestos from buildings].

New Compensation Scheme in Guernsey

Mar 24, 2021

Under a new scheme operating on the island of Guernsey – under the auspices of the Employment & Social Security Committee – people who contract diffuse mesothelioma, the signature cancer associated with asbestos exposure, in Guernsey or Alderney can apply to the state for a lump sum compensation payment of up to £100,000. Relatives of people who died from this disease since January 1, 2020 can also bring claims as long as the deceased was: exposed to asbestos on the island, “ordinarily” a resident on the island and had his/her disease confirmed by a specialist consultant. See: Mesothelioma Compensation Scheme Open for Applications.

Unsafe at any Price?

Mar 24, 2021

Detroit’s top demolition asbestos abatement contractor during 2016 and 2019 was a company called BBEK Environmental. During that time, the company had received at least a dozen citations for failing to comply with regulations stipulating safety protocols for the removal and disposal of asbestos-containing material. Although the company was suspended from Detroit’s demolition program, state authorities still allow it to operate in Detroit endangering workers and residents. This situation is discussed in the article cited below, where the views of Michigan authorities, city and state politicians, and legal and technical experts, were canvassed. See: This Asbestos Company Is Suspended From Detroit’s Demo Program. Why Is It Getting Big Jobs In The City?

Spring Asbestos Offensive

Mar 23, 2021

A Russian commentary which began with a few sentences criticizing environmental campaigners in general proceeded to attack a sub-section of that group: ban asbestos campaigners who, the author said, were engaged in spreading the “asbestos hysteria virus.” The discussion which followed was composed of dissociated issues such as the use of asbestos-cement water pipes in Ireland, Donald Trump’s support for asbestos use, the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center, etc. The text cited data from Warsaw Pact countries, which used chrysotile asbestos from the USSR, to show that the incidence of asbestos cancer there was statistically insignificant. See: Экологическая афера века: медиа-пляски вокруг асбеста [The ecological scam of the century: media dances around asbestos].

Asbestos Anxiety Ruling

Mar 23, 2021

The Paris Court of Appeal ordered the Valeo equipment company to pay compensation and costs of €9,500 (US$11,310) to a former factory worker for the asbestos anxiety she suffered as a result of having been occupationally exposed to asbestos from 1976 till 2014 when she retired. During the claimant’s employment by the Motorola company at a site in Écouflant, western France, she had used Valeo equipment containing asbestos. The charges against Motorola were, the Court found, time-barred. See: Près d’Angers. La société Valeo condamnée pour préjudice d’anxiété [Near Angers. Valeo sentenced for prejudice of anxiety].

Mesothelioma Mortality Data 2021

Mar 23, 2021

The accuracy of data released by the Emilia-Romagna Mesothelioma Registry is being questioned by Italian asbestos victims’ campaigners who believe that the impact of Covid-19 may have negatively impacted on the results produced. During the epidemic, patients with the disease may not have been diagnosed and deaths caused by it may not have been recognized. A report on this matter to the Italian asbestos victims’ group AFeVA concluded: “It is therefore appropriate to wait for the conclusion of the COVID-19 affair and greater stabilization of the data to draw more reliable assessments…” See: Casi di Mesotelioma Report aggiornato al 31/12/2020 [Mesothelioma Cases Report updated to 31/12/2020].

Eternit Going Green?!

Mar 23, 2021

Since Eternit SA, formerly Brazil’s largest asbestos conglomerate, was forced to abandon the use of asbestos as a raw material – as a result of a Supreme Court ruling – it has profited from the research and marketing of sustainable products. With great fanfare, the company launched a range of asbestos-free solar roofing products in Brazil. To date, Eternit’s renewable photovoltaic energy projects have been installed in the states of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, and in the city of Cambé, in Paraná. See: Eternit começa produção em massa de telhas solares para vender no mercado renovável brasileiro [Eternit's new renewable project involves new solar roof tiles and their mass production].

Understanding Spain’s Asbestos Legacy

Mar 23, 2021

In the aftermath of the latest ruling in the asbestos litigation brought by the family of Spanish broadcaster José María Íñigo, an interview with pulmonologist Ann Souto cast light on the causation of the occupational cancer which ended his life: mesothelioma. Other topics covered during this discussion included: the properties of asbestos fiber, the historic use of asbestos-containing products in Spain, the existence of asbestos hotspots throughout the country and the long-term consequences of the country’s asbestos legacy. See: Ana Souto, neumóloga: «Desde la exposición al amianto hasta el desarrollo de un cáncer pueden pasar 50 años» [Ana Souto, pulmonologist: “From exposure to asbestos to the development of cancer, 50 years can pass”].

De Klerk has Mesothelioma

Mar 22, 2021

On his 85th birthday on March 18, 2021, the former President of South Africa Frederick De Klerk announced that he had contracted the signature asbestos cancer of mesothelioma. In a press release from the FW de Klerk Foundation, a spokesperson for the former President said that De Klerk was planning to start a course of immunotherapy this week. Prior to South Africa banning asbestos in 2008, it had had been the only country in the world to produce all three types of asbestos used commercially: chrysotile, crocidolite and amosite. See: El expresidente sudafricano De Klerk anuncia que sufre un cáncer maligno [Former South African President De Klerk announces he has malignant cancer].

Victory for Civil Society!

Mar 22, 2021

Campaigners in Brazil and abroad welcomed the news released last week that the former French aircraft carrier Le Foch, purchased by Brazil in 2000 and renamed the São Paulo, will not be sent to an Asian shipbreaking yard for scrapping. After months of intensive lobbying in Brazil as well as France (see: Letter to Brazilian Authorities Regarding Auction of Aircraft Carrier São Paulo), it was announced that the work would be done in Turkey under EU regulations, which will protect workers and local communities from exposure to toxic substances such as asbestos which are present on most ships of this age. See: Porta-aviões São Paulo será desmantelado na Turquia [Aircraft carrier São Paulo to be dismantled in Turkey].

Regional Asbestos Center

Mar 22, 2021

On March 16, 2021, an official ceremony marked the Ministry of Environment’s rededication of The Asbestos Environmental Health Center at Cheonan Hospital in South Chungcheong, South Korea. The Center has been operating for thirteen years during which time is has actively worked to improve the quality of life for people with asbestos-related lung diseases. Outreach work by the Center’s staff has examined 6,000 people at high risk of contracting asbestos-related diseases (ARDs) of whom 3,200 were found to have ARDs. See: 순천향대 천안병원, 환경부 지정 석면·권역환경보건센터 현판식 [Signing ceremony for Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, asbestos-regional environmental health center designated by the Ministry of Environment].

Reinvention of Asbestos Conglomerate

Mar 22, 2021

The financial success currently being enjoyed by the former Brazilian asbestos giant Eternit S.A. is presented in a recent article as a template from which other corporate managers might learn. For years, Eternit had opposed calls by health and safety campaigners to transition to asbestos-free technology. Since they were forced to do so by a 2017 Supreme Court decision banning asbestos, the company has reorganized under bankruptcy laws (2018), divested itself of non-profitable subsidiaries, invested in photovoltaic technology and become a favorite of the Brazilian stock market. See: ETER3: Aprenda a Ver Oportunidades Como a Eternit [ETER3: Learn to See Opportunities Like Eternit].

Asbestos Crimes in Galicia

Mar 22, 2021

Members of Spain’s Civil Guard are investigating two firms believed to have been involved in the illegal removal, handling and dumping of asbestos in the Spanish Province of Galicia in the northwest of the country. “Violating the regulations on waste and safety in work with risk of exposure to asbestos” is a criminal activity. The companies were charged with failing to comply with mandatory regulations for registering asbestos work and submitting asbestos work plans to the relevant authorities. These crimes could incur prison sentences of up to two years. See: Investigan en A Estrada y Pontevedra a dos empresas por irregularidades en la retirada y gestión del amianto [Two companies are being investigated in A Estrada and Pontevedra for irregularities in the removal and management of asbestos].