LKA Blog

On July 4, 2026, a colleague in India sent me a link to a picture uploaded to the X account of the Ministry of Mines, India. I found the same image on the Ministry’s Facebook page and a colleague in Australia confirmed on July 16 that it was on the Ministry’s Instagram page as well.¹

This image appeared on the Facebook page of India’s Ministry of Mines on July 4, 2026.

To say I was perplexed would be an understatement even though I was aware that the views about the hazards posed by human exposures to chrysotile (white) asbestos vary within the Indian Government with some officials in favor of continued use and some against.

In an interview last year, India’s Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary said that banning asbestos was not just a moral issue but also a health imperative.² The Minister, who in April, 2025 announced that the use of asbestos would be banned in all India’s centrally-run schools, called on the Government – the Commerce Ministry, Corporate Affairs Ministry and Finance Ministry – as well as commercial organizations to prioritize the health of India’s citizens over commercial gain.³ It was noteworthy that he didn’t call on the Ministry of Mines for support.

Yet in May 2025, at the most recent meeting of the Rotterdam Convention, the Indian Government joined a handful of other countries to block United Nations action on regulating the global trade in asbestos.⁴ It is not coincidental that India is the world’s largest asbestos importer; between 2021 and 2023, it used an average of 438,000 tonnes of asbestos/year. The majority of these imports came from Russia, the world’s leading asbestos producer. It was, needless to say, the Russian delegation which orchestrated the veto on adding chrysotile asbestos to Annex III of the Convention.

Although some might argue that the Ministry’s chrysotile upload is just one of many educational posts in the “Meet the Minerals Series,” others might say that omitting warnings about the human health risks posed by its use is ill-advised and misleading. By extolling the uses of chrysotile, the Ministry promotes a one-sided understanding of a mineral which independent experts and international agencies agree is carcinogenic.⁵

To counteract this distortion, IBAS has, with some help from our friend Ben Alford, produced an alternative image.

Image created by Ben Alford and reproduced with his permission.

As cancer rates rise the world over, ordinary people in India will pay a terrible price for their Government’s failure to heed the warnings of Minister Jayant Chaudhary.⁶ Video resources on this website which support Minister Chaudhary’s concerns are available in various Indian languages.⁷ We urge readers in India to view the short clips and circulate the links to colleagues and friends.

¹ India Ministry of Mines. Meet Chrysotile the most widely used variety of asbestos, its fibres quietly built modern infrastructure. July 4, 2026.
https://www.facebook.com/MinesMinistryIndia/photos/meet-chrysotile-the-most-widely-used-variety-of-asbestos-its-fibres-quietly-buil/1339225725062354/

² Awasthi, P. ‘Asbestos ban is a health imperative, not just a moral issue’: Jayant Chaudhary. June 15, 2025.
https://www.theweek.in/magazine/theweek/specials/2025/06/14/asbestos-ban-is-a-health-imperative-not-just-a-moral-issue-jayant-chaudhary.html

³ Dubroy, G. Exclusive | Education Ministry Issues Ban On Using Asbestos In KVs And JNV.April 3, 2025.
https://www.etvbharat.com/en/!bharat/education-ministry-issues-ban-on-using-asbestos-in-kvs-and-jnv-enn25040304301

⁴ IISD. Earth Negotiations Bulletin. Daily report for 7 May 2025. Section Headed: Chrysotile Asbestos. “Opposing listing, the RUSSIAN FEDERATION and KYRGYZSTAN said there is no evidence that chrysotile asbestos is harmful. KAZAKHSTAN said evidence for listing was insufficient. LAO PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC, BELARUS, INDIA, and KYRGYZSTAN cited the importance for their economies. ZIMBABWE called for deferring consideration until new evidence is available.”
https://enb.iisd.org/basel-rotterdam-stockholm-conventions-brs-cops-2025-daily-report-7may2025

⁵ Joint Statement. Chrysotile Asbestos Facts. 2015
https://ibasecretariat.org/chrysotile-fact-sheet-jan-2016.pdf
IBAS. Asbestos Policies of International Organizations. Accessed July 16, 2026.
https://ibasecretariat.org/lka_asb_polic_maj_int_agencies.php

⁶ IARC. Global cancer burden growing, amidst mounting need for services. February 1, 2024.
https://www.iarc.who.int/fr/news-events/global-cancer-burden-growing-amidst-mounting-need-for-services/

Bawden, A. Global cancer cases to rise by more than 75% by 2050, WHO predicts. February 1, 2024.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/feb/01/global-cancer-cases-to-rise-by-more-than-75-by-2050-who-predicts

⁷ Online resources: Asbestos and the Human Body. Uploaded 2009 by the Asian Ban Asbestos Network.
Bengali: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4cjxVL5m6U
Hindi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YigLNUdsJ9Q
Tamil: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvRgcMuwYTo
Urdu: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xG6uPAvqYM8
English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whlIUZMKcV0

June 30, 2026

Russian Asbestos Industry’s Survival Strategy

The contents of a recent Ukrainian article entitled “Russian business entered 2026 in a state of managed collapse,”¹ confirmed what we had suspected:

“Due to sanctions, three-quarters of Russia’s large companies have lost profits” according to the Foreign Intelligence Service (of Ukraine).
“At the same time, dividend payments have become virtually inaccessible for most companies.”
“The crisis was felt most acutely by the oil and gas and raw materials sectors, heavy industry, and wholesale and retail trades.”

In the not-too-distant past, we would have been able to find such information from a Russian online source but it seems that in the current circumstances news about the travails of Russian industry and, in particular, the asbestos sector is heavily censored. Even the newsletters of the two biggest Russian asbestos producers – Orenburg Minerals and Uralasbest – are carefully curated to exclude all negative news.² We were, however, able to confirm that Uralasbest made a loss of 700.03 million rubles in 2025; revenue in 2025 decreased by 14.9% to 18.49 billion rubles; and no dividends would be distributed for 2025.

In a financial report shared with shareholders at the annual meeting in April 2026, the company explained that it had been adversely affected by “a decrease in the pace of construction and commissioning of housing, a decrease in investment programs of large private and state-owned companies in the field of construction and repair.”³ Nothing was said about the international problems Uralasbest was facing due to sanctions and/or falling global asbestos demand.⁴

For some years now, the Russians have implemented a two-pronged strategy to safeguard industrial profits both of which involve increasing asbestos consumption. According to the most recent accessible data, only 18% of Russian asbestos production is used at home.⁵ An article uploaded on June 23, 2026 by TASS, the Russian News Agency, reported the latest industry ploy to increase domestic consumption: the use of chrysotile (white) asbestos in road surfaces.⁶ According to the text – which reads much-like an industry press release – the incorporation of chrysotile into road surfaces could substantially increase their strength and longevity:

“Scientists at Perm Polytechnic University have proposed adding natural chrysotile asbestos fibers to asphalt. This mineral is durable, does not melt up to 1500 degrees Celsius, and adheres well to bitumen. Using mathematical modeling, an optimal formulation was selected that increases asphalt strength by 30-40%...” ⁷

A few days before the convenient development in road technology was published, news was uploaded of plans by Indonesian and Russian officials to implement asbestos-industry backed initiatives to lock Indonesia – one of the world’s top five asbestos-using countries⁸ – into many more years of asbestos imports and production.⁹

The English translation of the words in the above picture is: “INNOPROM 2026 Serving as Momentum to Accelerate Indonesia-Russia Chrysotile Asbestos Research.”¹⁰

The official announcement reported work to finalize “two strategic Memoranda of Understanding” between the East Java Consumer Protection Foundation (YLPK) and Indonesia’s Ministry of Industry and the Russian Government.

“This research collaboration is seen as a new chapter in the development of domestic industrial products whose supply chains still rely on chrysotile asbestos. Amidst strict global regulations, the results of this research are expected to address the complex challenges facing the national asbestos industry.

‘This research is key to formulating a balanced strategic plan, taking into account economic considerations, technical feasibility, environmental impacts, and social aspects, in order to realize effective and sustainable industrial development,’ said the Chairman of the East Java YLPK when confirmed via text message.”

Unconfirmed rumors elucidating the diplomatic double-speak above reported backroom deals and suitcases of foreign currency. Investigations continue.

¹ Russian business entered 2026 in a state of managed collapse. May 30, 2026.
https://unn.ua/en/news/russian-business-entered-2026-in-a-state-of-managed-collapse-intelligence

² The Orenburg weekly news publication is called Mountain Flax, a nickname for chrysotile asbestos. Its archive can be accessed at:
https://orenmin.ru/category/newspaper/
The monthly Uralasbest publication – Ural Chrysotile Newsletter – can be accessed at: https://www.uralasbest.ru/news/uralskij-hrizotil

³ Ураласбест покроет убыток 2025г за счет нераспределенной прибыли 2024 года [Uralasbest will cover its 2025 loss using 2024 retained earnings]. April 27, 2026.
https://www.interfax-russia.ru/ural/news/uralasbest-pokroet-ubytok-2025g-za-schet-neraspredelennoy-pribyli-2024-goda

⁴ Kazan-Allen, L. A Peek behind Russia’s Asbestos Curtain. May 14, 2026.
https://ibasecretariat.org/lka-a-peek-behind-russia-s-asbestos-curtain.php
A search on AI using the keyword “problems for Russian asbestos producers in 2026” brought up a myriad of challenges including: international regulatory pressure, logistics, cross-border economic changes, carbon regulation in foreign markets, stricter requirements for seaport operations, shortage of available fleet and knock-on effects of sanctions.

⁵ This asbestos trade data was taken from the website of the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Russian production for 2021, 2022 and 2023 was 750,000 tonnes (t), 630,000t and 600,000t, respectively; domestic consumption for those years was 145,000t (19.3%), 109,000t (17%) and 109,000t (18%). The average over those three years was 18%.

⁶ Найден способ замедлить разрушение асфальта на дорогах на 30-40% [A way has been found to slow down the destruction of asphalt on roads by 30-40%]. June 23, 2026.
https://tass.ru/nauka/27843587

⁷ ibid.

⁸ According to asbestos trade data from the USGS, Indonesia imported 130,000t in 2021, 104,000t in 2022 and 94,400t in 2023.

⁹ Akselerasi Riset Krisotil Asbes: Indonesia Bidik Kerja Sama Strategis di INNOPROM 2026 [Accelerating Chrysotile Asbestos Research: Indonesia Targets Strategic Partnership at INNOPROM 2026]. June 19, 2026.
https://infonews.id/baca-9812-akselerasi-riset-krisotil-asbes-indonesia-bidik-kerja-sama-strategis-di-innoprom-2026

¹⁰ INNOPROM 2026 is the 16th International Industrial and Innovation Exhibition. It will take place on July 6-9, 2026 in Yekaterinburg, Russia, less than 50 miles from the asbestos mine operated by Uralasbest.

May 8, 2026

Wake-up Call for National Regulators

People see the world around them through individual filters, many of which are widely shared while others are niche. I see the world through an asbestos filter. I know there are a few others like me from comments we share on LinkedIn – I departed Twitter/X when Musk took over and summarily fired thousands of employees.

That being said, I have found recent developments in the asbestos sphere unsettling in the extreme. Even when I thought safeguards were in place to protect the vulnerable, I was wrong. What is worse is that flaws in the “so-called safety nets” were exposed not by the staff or agencies tasked with doing so but by ordinary people.

Late last year, there was an explosion of activity on asbestos in Australia and New Zealand when asbestos was found in imported sand and playsets.¹ Although bodies including the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC), New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, state regulatory agencies and consumer organizations reacted promptly, the initial discovery which led to their actions was made by chance during a routine training and machine testing exercise in a commercial laboratory in Brisbane, Australia.²

Nothing much happened until Michael Shepherd, the lab manager at COHLABS, happened to mention the October 2025 findings in a podcast interview with Robert McAllister, a director of the Faculty of Asbestos Management Australia and New Zealand and Jason Milner, Principal Asbestos Advisor at Health New Zealand. On November 5, McAllister alerted the regulators in New Zealand; they contacted their Australian counterparts who requisitioned the results from the Brisbane lab. What followed in Australia and New Zealand was, in my 30+ years of observing the global asbestos panorama, virtually unprecedented. Dozens of toys were recalled from end users and multiple nurseries and schools were closed for remediation in both countries.

Roll on a few weeks and the proverbial excrement finally hit the fan in the UK after a concerned parent, aware of the events in Australia/New Zealand, learned that laboratory tests she had commissioned discovered tremolite asbestos in yellow, green and pink sand in Hobbycraft’s Giant Box of Craft arts kit. These findings were reported by journalist Anna Tims in a January 24, 2026 issue of The Guardian.³

Asbestos fibers were found in bottles of play sand in Hobbycraft’s Giant Box of Craft.

Within hours of The Guardian article being published, the information it contained was replicated in national and local newspapers including the Independent, the Scotsman, Birmingham Live, the Daily Record, the Sun, the Mail Online and Wales Online and others.

Screenshot taken on January 26, 2026.

As the UK authorities were lurching from one product recall to another, back in New Zealand, Christchurch parents Elle Chrisp and David Dingwall were considering what could be done to hold to account the parties responsible for the sale of toxic toys. Voluntary recalls were well and good but there could be deadly consequences for the failures to protect the population from asbestos exposures. Elle and Dave decided to pursue Kmart New Zealand – the retailer which had sold them magic play sand – to reclaim the expenses incurred for testing suspect sand products and remediating their home.

Incensed by the repeated refusal of the company to engage with their grievances, in April 2026 they took their case to the Disputes Tribunal.⁴ Not only were they seeking to reclaim “tens of thousands” of dollars from Kmart but in a related complaint to national bodies they alleged that multiple breaches of the law had taken place. According to an email received on May 5 from Elle, the scheduled hearing at the Disputes Tribunal “has now been pushed back (at Kmart’s request), until the end of this month.”

Dave examining suspect sand product prior to testing. Photo courtesy of Elle Chrisp.

Asbestos operative at work in Elle and Dave’s garden. Whilst the remediation specialist was wearing protective clothing and using protective equipment, the children of the family had played with the toxic toy without either. Photo courtesy of Elle Chrisp.

Commenting on the motivations for their actions, Elle said:

“For parents like us who keep pushing on this, the goal is change. If nothing changes, this will keep happening, again and again. No one who actually understands what is at stake here would ever gamble with it. Even some accountability would be better than what is being delivered right now, which is absolutely nothing.”

There is no question that people other than civil servants and ministry officials in Australia, New Zealand and the UK did the heavy lifting in revealing a global series of mass exposure events during the asbestos crisis of 2025/26. This comes as no surprise to US pathologist Professor Jerrold Abraham who in 1987 reported that tremolite asbestos contamination had been found in samples taken from his son’s sandbox. Abraham’s findings were presented at scientific meetings and submitted to relevant US regulatory authorities. Unfortunately, pressure from industry-linked scientists and vested corporate interests trumped questions of public safety and the toxic sand was not recalled by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. ⁵

Nearly forty years on, children were still being exposed to asbestos-contaminated sand, with regulators in many countries struggling to keep up with developments. On May 5, 2026, I contacted Abraham to ask how he felt about the current situation. His reply was categorical:

“It seems that when it comes to contaminated sand not much has changed since the 1980s. The fact that it has been individuals in their personal lives or in labs that raised the alarm is disturbing. Without a mandatory and methodical testing regime, public health will remain imperiled.”

I feel pretty sure that Elle and Dave would agree with him. I know that I do!

¹ Kazan-Allen, L. Primer: Asbestos in Play Sand and Toys 2025-26. April 17, 2026.
https://ibasecretariat.org/lka-primer-asbestos-in-play-sand-and-toys-2025-26.pdf

² Robertson, J., Atken, M. Asbestos contamination of children’s sand was a fluke discovery in an Australian lab. November 18, 2025.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-18/asbestos-sand-contamination-chance-discovery-in-australian-lab/106022486

³ Tims, A. Asbestos found in children’s play sand sold in UK. January 24, 2026.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jan/24/childrens-play-sand-hobbycraft-asbestos-removed-recall

⁴ Hatton, E. Parents take Kmart to Disputes Tribunal over play sand containing asbestos. April 28, 2026.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/593559/parents-take-kmart-to-disputes-tribunal-over-play-sand-containing-asbestos
Dingwall, D., Chrisp, E. “LOW PRICES FOR LIFE” …NO REGARD FOR YOURS | How a retail giant supplied friable asbestos to Kiwi kids… and is getting away with it. April 23, 2026.
https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:AP:31149ffd-c808-4231-8b52-4832d3867dff

⁵ Case 7: Tremolite Asbestos Fibers in Children’s Play Sand. 1988.
https://www.upstate.edu/pathenvi/studies/cases/case7.php

April 21, 2026

Asbestos in the Thames Pavillion!

On Wednesday, April 15, 2026 I was privileged to attend a seminar in the House of Commons held by the Parliamentary Asbestos Sub-group. The title of the two-hour event was a very good descriptor of the presentations made: Asbestos: Preventing Tomorrow’s Victims, Protecting Today’s Patients. I will be writing an article about the timely contributions made at that session shortly, but in the meantime I want to take something of a diversion.

After the meeting was adjourned, attendees were invited to a gathering at a reception in the Thames Pavillion.¹ During that time, I met MPs Lorraine Beavers (Blackpool North), Mary Foy (City of Durham) and Kim Johnson (Liverpool Riverside). Lorraine was the newcomer, having become an MP in 2024; the other two were well-established after securing their seats in 2019.

From the left: Kim Johnson, Mary Foy, Laurie Kazan-Allen and Lorraine Beavers.

They asked what had brought me to Westminster and I told them about the asbestos seminar and my concern over the hazard posed to British workers as well as to children by the import and sale of asbestos-contaminated sand, playsets and toys.² Kim Johnson said it would be great to have a list of all the products recalled in the UK because of this contamination. “Did I have such a list,” she asked. I have now!³

Further reading:

“Beware the Ides of March!”
https://ibasecretariat.org/lka-blogzxa245.php

From Playroom to Parliament: Britain’s Asbestos Conundrum.
https://ibasecretariat.org/lka-from-playroom-to-parliament-Britain-s-asbestos-conundrum.php

Global Challenges, National Responses.
https://ibasecretariat.org/lka-global-challenges-national-responses.php

The Sand Problem Goes Global: How Australia and New ZealandForced the World to Pay Attention.
https://ibasecretariat.org/ba-sand-problem-goes-global-how-australia-and-new-zealand-forced-the-world-to-pay-attention.php

___________

¹ The Thames Pavillion is a fixed marquee on the terrace of the House of Commons which overlooks the Thames.

² Kazan-Allen, L. Primer: Asbestos in Play Sand and Toys 2025-26. April 17, 2026.
https://ibasecretariat.org/lka-primer-asbestos-in-play-sand-and-toys-2025-26.pdf

³ UK Asbestos Product Recalls between January 27, 2026 and April 16, 2026.
https://ibasecretariat.org/lka-uk-asbestos-product-recalls-jan-27-apr-16-2026.pdf

April 8, 2026

“Beware the Ides of March”

The title of this blog is taken from Julius Ceasar, the 16th century play by William Shakespeare. It referred to March 15th – the day Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC and signified “a warning of impending danger, betrayal, or doom.” Key global developments which were reported from March to early April this year were manifestations of major reversals of fortune for stakeholders with financial interests linked to the asbestos industry. As the evidence presented in this article demonstrates, the tide has conclusively turned against the use of a toxic mineral responsible for the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives every year.

The public outcry over sales of asbestos-contaminated toys, children’s playsets, craft and kinetic sand which started in Australia and New Zealand in 2025, exploded during March with new recalls of toxic products announced by regulatory agencies in the EU, UK, France, Ireland, Japan, Australia, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Malta, Canada and Gibraltar.

Update from late March, 2026. Graphic courtesy of Ben Alford, Auckland, New Zealand.

Daily reports circulating about discoveries and recalls shouted the word “asbestos” in dozens of frightening headlines such as the ones below; there were many others. The English language titles are listed with the original headline, translation and online link in the footnotes:

MEDIA COVERAGE

Denmark March 6: Asbestos in play sand: Pause play until the products are investigated;¹
India March 8: Asbestos contamination in children’s products highlights global oversight gaps;²
Norway March 9: Warning against play sand: “Don’t let children play with it”;³
Philippines March 9: Civil Society Presses FDA to Assure Consumers that Play and Craft Sand Products Sold Locally are Asbestos-Free;⁴
Netherlands March 13: Asbestos was already found in ‘Glow Sand Art’ in an AD investigation weeks ago;⁵
Malta March 13: Consumer authority recalls kinetic sand toys due to asbestos contamination;⁶
Malaysia March 14: LETTER | Addressing asbestos risks in children’s play and craft sand products; ⁷
Italy March 17: Toys with asbestos-contaminated sand: international alarm;⁸
Italy: March 19: Asbestos in the sand for children: the alarm that started in Australia has now also spread to Europe;⁹
Canada March 21: Asbestos: Deadly to Breathe But OK to Drink?¹⁰
The Netherlands March 23: Chaos surrounding asbestos toys: warnings everywhere, no overview anywhere;¹¹
Gibraltar March 30: Toy recalls issued in Gibraltar over Asbestos concerns;¹²
UK April 1: TOY PANIC. Cancer-causing asbestos found in 9 more toys after string of recalls across UK;¹³
Germany April 2: Asbestos alert now also at Temu.¹⁴

OFFICIAL RECALLS¹⁵

EU March 5: Safety Gate Recall of Sand Art activity toy;¹⁶
Australia March 6: Recall of Stretcherz Stretch Squad XXL and Slammerz - stretchy toys;¹⁷
UK March 6: ORB Funkee Sand Toys (2603-0062);¹⁸
Japan March 9: Warning regarding the sale of products containing asbestos;¹⁹
Canada March 16: Out To Impress sand art and candles recalled due to possible asbestos contamination;²⁰
New Zealand March 16: HTI Stretcherz Slammerz sold at City Beach;²¹
Finland March 17: Tukes tested children’s sand products – asbestos found in one product;²²
UK March 20: Texet Bright Start Fluorescent Coloured Craft Sand Pack of 6);²³
UK March 23: UK Product Safety Recall Smyths Toys Recalls Dig Products;²⁴
UK March 24: KTL Decorative Glass Bottle of Sand;²⁵
France March 30: My Colorful Sandbox.²⁶

Of course, the asbestos contamination of children’s products was not intentional. It was the byproduct of using sand contaminated with asbestos which, in all likelihood, was sourced locally by manufacturers in China. Nevertheless, the combination of the words children + asbestos + contamination was more than enough to scare consumers and reinforce campaigners’ calls to ban future asbestos use.

During this media turmoil asbestos defendants, including the manufacturers of personal hygiene talc products, were yet again exposed for manipulating science with a retraction published on March 25 on The Lancet website of a contentious 1977 unsigned commentary discounting the cancer risk to consumers of using talc-based products.²⁷ Two days later, another damning article was published by researchers in China which documented an upward trend in the “burden of ovarian cancer attributable to asbestos exposure in China…”²⁸ The eight coauthors concluded their text as follows:

“These findings underscore the urgent need for a complete ban on chrysotile asbestos in China. To mitigate this growing burden, public health efforts should include awareness campaigns on asbestos-related health risks and targeted ovarian cancer screening for women in high-exposure regions. Future research should prioritize identifying regional hotspots and clarifying the distinct pathological features of asbestos-induced ovarian cancer to enable more precise prevention and diagnostic strategies.”²⁹

The call for an asbestos ban in China, one of four countries still producing asbestos and the world’s second biggest asbestos consumer, was exceptional but worse was to come a few days later with a call by campaigners in India – the world’s largest asbestos consumer – for a national asbestos ban.³⁰ The National Campaign on Occupational And Environmental Health launched by The People’s Movement of India [Jan Swasthya Abhiyan India] aimed “to raise awareness and demand policy action on critical issues related to workers’ health and environmental safety.” The third action point listed in the Charter of Demands was to “Ban asbestos completely.” Various planets must have been in alignment because the very next day campaigners representing 44 civil society stakeholders in Malaysia published a joint manifesto with a headline which said it all: Malaysia’s Public Health under Threat: Groups Warn vs. Foreign Asbestos Industry Hijacking National Phase-out.³¹

With so many timely newspaper reports and cyberspace uploads, the news that global asbestos production had dwindled to under a million tonnes for the first time in 75 years, highlighted in a March 26th online article, came as something of an anticlimax.³²

Data sourced from the United States Geological Survey. Chart produced by IBAS.³³

In the industry’s heyday, asbestos was much praised and highly revered. More recently, however, it has become so toxic that a former Quebec mining town changed its name from Asbestos to something much less controversial: Val-des-Sources (Valley of the Springs).

It is noteworthy that the word asbestos has been repurposed in the 21st century for use in phrases such as: “cyberspace asbestos,” “digital asbestos,” or “IT asbestos” to describe the long-term, unseen dangers associated with the rapid, insecure introduction of new programs and technologies. In a March 16, 2026 article entitled COBOL Is the Asbestos of Programming Languages, author Aaron Fernandez wrote:

“The most widely adopted computer language in history, COBOL is now causing a host of problems. It’s also dangerously difficult to remove.” ³⁴

Having studied the asbestosphere for more than four decades, I think Fernandez is spot on. One can but wonder whether cyberspace asbestos will eventually prove as deadly to humankind as the original. Time will tell.

¹ Ravn, K. Asbest i legesand: Sæt legen på pause, indtil produkterne er undersøgt [Asbestos in play sand: Pause play until the products are investigated]. March 6, 2026.
https://taenk.dk/kemi/boern-og-gravide/asbest-i-legesand-saet-legen-paa-pause-indtil-produkterne-er-undersoegt

² Asbestos contamination in children’s products highlights global oversight gaps. March 8, 2026.
https://www.counterview.net/2026/03/asbestos-contamination-in-childrens.html

³ Skipper, M. Advarer mot lekesand: «Ikke la barna leke med det» [Warning against play sand: “Don’t let children play with it”]. March 9 2026.
https://www.dagens.no/livsstil/advarer-mot-lekesand-ikke-la-barna-leke-med-det

⁴ EcoWaste Coalition. Civil Society Presses FDA to Assure Consumers that Play and Craft Sand Products Sold Locally are Asbestos-Free. March 9, 2026.
https://journal.com.ph/civil-society-presses-fda-to-assure-consumers-that-play-and-craft-sand-products-sold-locally-are-asbestos-free/

⁵ Clevers, R. NVWA: Asbest in speelzand in 1 op de 3 producten, maar in lage concentraties [Asbestos was already found in ‘Glow Sand Art’ in an AD investigation weeks ago]. March 13, 2026.
https://www.ad.nl/binnenland/nvwa-asbest-in-speelzand-in-1-op-de-3-producten-maar-in-lage-concentraties~a6ffeb2a/

⁶ Bezzina, J. Consumer authority recalls kinetic sand toys due to asbestos contamination. March 13, 2026.
https://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/140313/consumer_authority_recalls_kinetic_sand_toys_due_to_asbestos_contamination

⁷ Kader, M.A. LETTER | Addressing asbestos risks in children’s play and craft sand products. March 14, 2026.
https://m.malaysiakini.com/letters/770283

⁸ Pulce, A.G. Giocattoli con sabbia contaminata da amianto: allarme internazionale [Toys with asbestos-contaminated sand: international alarm]. March 17, 2026.
https://ilsalvagente.it/2026/03/17/giocattoli-con-sabbia-contaminata-da-amianto-allarme-internazionale/

⁹ Biagioli, F. Amianto nella sabbia per bambini: l’allarme partito dall’Australia ora si è esteso anche all’Europa [Asbestos in the sand for children: the alarm that started in Australia has now also spread to Europe]. March 19, 2026.
https://www.greenme.it/lifestyle/bambini/amianto-nella-sabbia-per-bambini-lallarme-partito-dallaustralia-ora-si-e-esteso-anche-alleuropa/

¹⁰ Blacklin, S. Asbestos: Deadly to Breathe But OK to Drink? March 21, 2026.
https://watershedsentinel.ca/article/asbestos-deadly-to-breathe-but-ok-to-drink/

¹¹ Clevers, R. Chaos rond asbestspeelgoed: overal waarschuwingen, nergens overzicht [Chaos surrounding asbestos toys: warnings everywhere, no overview anywhere]. March 23, 2026.
https://www.gelderlander.nl/binnenland/chaos-rond-asbestspeelgoed-overal-waarschuwingen-nergens-overzicht~a89b42f6/?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fibasecretariat.org%2F

¹² Toy recalls issued in Gibraltar over Asbestos concerns. March 30, 2026.
https://www.gbc.gi/news/toy-recall-issued-in-gibraltar-over-asbestos-concerns

¹³ Katib, M. TOY PANIC. Cancer-causing asbestos found in 9 more toys after string of recalls across UK. April 1, 2026.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/38699141/cancer-asbestos-in-toys-uk-recalls/

¹⁴ Asbest-Alarm nun auch bei Temu [Asbestos alert now also at Temu]. April 2, 2026.
https://www.test.de/Deko-Spiel-und-Bastelsand-Asbest-Alarm-in-Sandprodukten-6288341-0/

¹⁵ This list is not meant to be a comprehensive account of all global recalls during this period; there were many others.

¹⁶ EU. Safety Gate Recall of Sand Art activity toy. March 5, 2026.
https://ec.europa.eu/safety-gate-alerts/screen/webReport/alertDetail/10098073?lang=en

¹⁷ Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). Recall of Stretcherz Stretch Squad XXL and Slammerz - stretchy toys. March 6, 2026.
https://www.productsafety.gov.au/search-consumer-product-recalls/stretcherz-stretch-squad-xxl-and-slammerz-stretchy-toys

¹⁸ Office of Product Standards and Safety (OPSS). UK Product Recall: ORB Funkee Sand Toys (2603-0062). March 5, 2026.
https://www.gov.uk/product-safety-alerts-reports-recalls/product-recall-orb-funkee-sand-toys-2603-0062
Also see the list of OPSS UK Asbestos Product Recalls between January 27, 2026 and March 9, 2026.
https://ibasecretariat.org/list-of-recalls-from-office-for-product-safety-and-standards.pdf

¹⁹ Japan Ministry of Health, Labor & Welfare. 石綿（アスベスト）含有品の販売に関する注意喚起について [Warning regarding the sale of products containing asbestos]. March 9, 2026.
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/newpage_71213.html

²⁰ Health Canada (Consumer Product Safety Directorate). Out To Impress sand art and candles recalled due to possible asbestos contamination. March 16, 2026.
https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/alert-recall/out-impress-sand-art-and-candles-recalled-due-possible-asbestos-contamination

²¹ New Zealand Ministry of Business, Employment and Innovation. HTI Stretcherz Slammerz sold at City Beach. March 16, 2026.
https://www.productsafety.govt.nz/recalls/hti-stretcherz-slammerz-sold-at-city-beach

²² Tukes. Tukes tested children’s sand products – asbestos found in one product. March 17, 2026.
https://tukes.fi/en/-/tukes-tested-children-s-sand-products-asbestos-found-in-one-product

²³ OPSS. Product Recall: Texet Bright Start Fluorescent Coloured Craft Sand Pack of 6 (2603-0209). March 20, 2026.
https://www.gov.uk/product-safety-alerts-reports-recalls/product-recall-texet-bright-start-fluorescent-coloured-craft-sand-pack-of-6-2603-0209

²⁴ Smyths Toys. UK Product Safety Recall Smyths Toys Recalls Dig Products. March 23, 2026.
https://image.smythstoys.com/images/pdfs/Dig-Kits-Recall-Notice-04-26-248772,231105,166403,187539,223521,242645,187538.pdf

²⁵ OPSS. Product Recall: KTL Decorative Glass Bottle of Sand (2603-0232). March 24, 2026.
https://www.gov.uk/product-safety-alerts-reports-recalls/product-recall-ktl-decorative-glass-bottle-of-sand-2603-0232

²⁶ France Rappel Conso. Rappel de produit pour des raisons de sécurité Ma Malle a Sable Colores [My Colorful Sandbox]. March 30, 2026.
https://rappel.conso.gouv.fr/affichettePDF/21818/Interne

²⁷ The Lancet. Retraction: Cosmetic talc powder. March 25, 2026 (Published online).
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00552-0/fulltext
Chowkwanyun, M. Historians Unearth a Conflict of Interest, Prompting a Retraction by The Lancet Journal. March 25, 2026.
https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/news/historians-unearth-conflict-interest-prompting-retraction-lancet-journal

²⁸ Jin, D., Hua, L., Huang, Q. et al. Burden of Ovarian Cancer in China Attributable to Asbestos Exposure During 1990–2021 and the Projections Through 2050. March 27, 2026.
https://www.dovepress.com/burden-of-ovarian-cancer-in-china-attributable-to-asbestos-exposure-du-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-IJWH

²⁹ ibid.

³⁰ Jan Swasthya Abhiyan India. Signature Campaign National Campaign on Occupational and Environmental Health. April 1, 2026.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdtOyA4cBXjn8PcD5Nue6stSE4rb9nPLgsgkeyyGT8yAqa-Gw/viewform?pli=1

³¹ Building and Wood Workers International. Malaysia’s Public Health under Threat: Groups Warn vs. Foreign Asbestos Industry Hijacking National Phase-out. April 2, 2026.
https://www.bwint.org/BwiNews/NewsDetails?newsId=1222

³² Kazan-Allen, L. The Death Throes of the Asbestos Industry. March 26, 2026.
https://ibasecretariat.org/lka-the-death-throes-of-the-asbestos-industry.php
United States Geological Survey. Asbestos Data.
https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-asbestos.pdf

³³ Website of the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Accessed March 18, 2026.
https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/asbestos-statistics-and-information

³⁴ Demonstrating the toxic connotation of asbestos as it is currently understood see the article below.
Fernandez, A. COBOL Is the Asbestos of Programming Languages: “The most widely adopted computer language in history, COBOL is now causing a host of problems. It’s also dangerously difficult to remove.” March 16, 2026.
https://www.wired.com/story/cobol-is-the-asbestos-of-programming-languages/

March 10, 2026

Explaining the Inexplicable

A few weeks ago, I was visiting a neighbor. We were chatting while her granddaughters were playing in the back room. This being the school half-tern the neighbor, who we will call Stella for the purpose of this narrative, was looking after the children for a couple of days. ¹

As I had just received shocking news from Italy of developments in yet another case against the asbestos billionaire Stephan Schmidheiny, I mentioned it to Stella. The February 11 ruling of the Supreme Court had yet again quashed the hopes of the defendant’s surviving asbestos victims as well as the thousands of grieving family members who had lost loved ones.² The judges in Rome had kicked the can down the road by returning the case to the Turin Court for translation of its judgment into German, Schmidheiny’s native language. No doubt by the time the translation is done, debated and agreed, many more Italians will have died as a result of the deadly decisions taken by the defendant.

As we were talking, the girls had come into the room and were listening attentively to our conversation. Millie, who was 9¾ (she emphasized the ¾), asked me to explain what I was talking about. The prospect of doing so was a bit daunting but I valiantly tried to do so. I must have succeeded to some extent as after I was done, her sister Holly, who was NEARLY 8, said: “But, that’s so unfair!”

Yes, Stella and I agreed, nodding our heads. It seems that if you have all the money in the world you just can’t be punished. Millie said: “When I’m naughty, Mummy doesn’t let me have any screen time for a whole day.” In something of a stage whisper, which was certainly loud enough for all of us to hear, Holly helpfully added: “Well, YOU can be very naughty.” We could see where this was heading so Stella chipped in at that point:

“Remember when we played that board game at Christmas? Monopoly! Grandpa was the only one of us lucky enough to get a get-out-of jail-free card. Do you remember? Why don’t you each draw one of those cards and Laurie can use it on her website with her article?”

So they did – in about 2 minutes flat!

Stephan Schmidheiny’s get-out-of-jail card by Millie.

Stephan Schmidheiny’s get-out-of-jail card by Holly. The figure on the righthand side of the picture is saying: “That is outrageous.”

¹ The text in this feature is based on a true story with embellishments and deletions as necessary. Our thanks to Millie and Holly whose outrage at Schmidheiny’s ability to escape justice was genuine and heartfelt.

² Kazan-Allen, L. Justice Delayed is Justice Denied. February 24, 2026.
https://ibasecretariat.org/lka-justice-delayed-is-justice-denied.php

February 3, 2026

This Picture is Worth a Thousand Words!

Having been a close observer of the machinations of the global asbestos industry for more years than I care to remember, there is little that surprises me these days. Nevertheless, I must admit that I was shocked when I saw a graphic that had been uploaded to LinkedIn on January 31, 2026.

The image below, which had been produced by Ben Alford, summed up the huge disparity about the way asbestos contamination is being dealt with by national governments.

Graphic reproduced by kind permission of Ben Alford.¹

When I emailed Ben in New Zealand to ask for permission to reproduce this image, he responded almost immediately: “I am happy,” he wrote “to share the graphic because it highlights the stark contrast between jurisdictions that investigate and act decisively when asbestos is found in consumer products and those that rely on voluntary retailer withdraw.”²

The details of recent asbestos scandals, the reaction of the Australian, New Zealand and UK authorities and the public distress caused by exposing children to a group 1 carcinogen were discussed in a number of articles on this website:

The UK has the world’s highest incidence of mesothelioma, the signature cancer caused by exposure to asbestos; according to official sources, 5,000 Britons die every year from asbestos-related diseases. Considering the grim reality, you would think that the implementation of measures to prevent potentially deadly exposures of consumers, especially children, would have been a priority.³ Sadly, that does not seem to be the case. In fact, the most recent UK asbestos discovery – of contaminated sand in the Hobbycraft Giant Box of Craft – was resolved when the retailer voluntarily withdrew the product from its shelves and online portal. As far as we were able to learn:

the government had little or nothing to do with that decision;
no official enquiry had been opened;
no sanctions were announced.

The lack of action in the UK does not surprise me. My past experience of dealing with staff at Trading Standards was neither productive nor encouraging.⁴ Unfortunately, the current government seems as disinclined to take this matter seriously as did their predecessors. Shame on them all.

¹ Ben Alford can be emailed at: ben@aerem.co.nz

² Email from Ben Alford to Laurie Kazan-Allen, received February 2, 2026.

³ According to data collected by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), in 2020 the UK had the world’s worst crude incidence rate (4.9), highest age-standardized incidence rate (1.9) and highest cumulative risk rate (0.24) for mesothelioma.
Estimated crude incidence rates in 2020, mesothelioma, both sexes, all ages. [Interactive map] (Accessed September 11, 2023).
https://gco.iarc.fr/today/online-analysis-map?v=2020&mode=population&mode_population=continents&population=900&
populations=900&key=crude_rate&sex=0&cancer=18&type=0&statistic=5&prevalence=0&population_group=0&ages_
group%5B%5D=0&ages_group%5B%5D=17&nb_items=10&group_cancer=1&include_nmsc=0&include_nmsc_other=0&
projection=natural-earth&color_palette=default&map_scale=quantile&map_nb_colors=5&continent=0&show_ranking=0&
rotate=%255B10%252C0%255D

⁴ Kazan-Allen, L. Summer 2024 Update: Toxic Talc. August 27, 2024.
https://www.ibasecretariat.org/lka-summer-2024-update-toxic-talc.php

January 22, 2026

19th Century Warning, 21st Century Consequences

In 1839 a letter was sent to Queen Victoria by Lin Zexu, a special envoy appointed by the Chinese Emperor Daoguang, urging the British monarch to cease opium exports to China in light of growing levels of opium addiction:

“After a long period of commercial intercourse, there appear among the crowd of barbarians both good persons and bad, unevenly. Consequently there are those who smuggle opium to seduce the Chinese people and so cause the spread of the poison to all provinces. Such persons who only care to profit themselves, and disregard their harm to others, are not tolerated by the laws of heaven and are unanimously hated by human beings. Even though the barbarians may not necessarily intend to do us harm, yet in coveting profit to an extreme, they have no regard for injuring others. Let us ask, where is your conscience?”¹

Historically, matters of “conscience” were rarely paramount in international trade discussions. They were, however, at the core of a timely and poignant commentary by Italian journalist Silvana Mossano in the aftermath of a recent TV exposé about the machinations of Swiss asbestos billionaire Stephan Schmidheiny.² The program shown by Italy’s public broadcaster RAI on January 4, 2026 refocused the attention of the country on the question of who was ultimately responsible for an asbestos epidemic which decimated communities in Casale Monferrato, Bagnoli, Naples, Reggio Emilia, Cavagnolo and elsewhere.

During the 20th century, many of the Italian factories which processed asbestos were owned and operated by members of the international asbestos conglomerate Eternit under the direction of executives in Switzerland and Belgium. Image from IBAS archive.

Silvana’s husband Marco Giorcelli died, aged 51, on March 15, 2012 from the asbestos cancer mesothelioma. Like hundreds of others from his home town of Casale Monferrato, he had never worked with asbestos; his toxic exposure was a result of environmental pollution caused by the operations of Eternit’s asbestos-cement factory.³ After the deadly diagnosis was confirmed Marco, the editor of the Casale Monferrato bi-weekly newspaper Il Monferrato (The Monferrato), published an editorial headlined: “Asbestos sufferer, now a true Casalese!”⁴ Reading the English translation of his words yesterday gave me goosebumps: the human cost of asbestos profits was undeniable, he was the proof:

“I’ve always considered myself a true Casalese. Since Tuesday, January 25th, I am more so than ever. I too bear the deepest mark of Casale Monferrato over the last fifty years: asbestos cancer. Like thousands of people who are no longer with us, like hundreds who are fighting the same battle…

Of course, we in Casale Monferrato demand justice. For our dead, for our suffering, for our families torn apart as if another war had been fought in our skies in the twentieth century. A long, exhausting one. And without the possibility of defending ourselves. A crime against humanity.” ⁵

Marco’s widow Silvana made the decision not to be part of the court cases against Schmidheiny in the “hope that this tragedy will end in a possible reconciliation through repentance, free from any blackmail to try and avoid the criminal trial.” For years, she had urged Schmidheiny to become part of the solution by mobilizing and funding potentially life-saving research into mesothelioma. After years of dashed expectations, the program she saw on January 4 came as a body blow.

Having forcefully expressed her anger at the revelations made in the TV program in an open letter to Schmidheiny, Silvana wrote:

“I insist on telling you, Mr Schmidheiny, that the only thing to do, and that you can do, is to look for other friends: look for the owner or shareholder of a pharmaceutical company (there are some excellent ones in Switzerland, perhaps you even have shares in one) and channel your resources in that direction, as you have done for other philanthropic activities in favour of the environment and the arts…

I am naive, yes. And I am also angry, indignant, more than anything else. But I insist, because there are more of us than there are of you. And we are right. Try to do something right too, Mr Schmidheiny.”

Schmidheiny is approaching his 80th birthday, a time when many people think about the legacy they will leave behind. As Silvana said, the time for hiding is past. Now is the time to exploit his vast wealth to do something of benefit to humankind not just in Italy but all over the world where asbestos continues to kill hundreds of thousands of people every year.

Placards outside the Italian court where the landmark verdict against Stephan Schmidheiny was handed down on February 12, 2012 highlighted the global nature of this case with the top banner saying: “Stephan Schmidheiny. We’re waiting for you in Switzerland” and the bottom one: “Italian (AFEVA) and Brazilian Asbestos Victims (ABREA) are united in their call for Justice!” Image from IBAS archive.

¹ Vogel, L. The WTO asbestos dispute: workplace health dictated by trade rules? June 10, 2000.
https://www.ibasecretariat.org/vogel_wto.php

² Mossano, S. REPORT e AMIANTO – Signor Schmidheiny: sono stupida stupida stupida. E adesso anche arrabbiata [REPORT and ASBESTOS – Mr. Schmidheiny: I'm stupid, stupid, stupid. And now I'm angry too]. January 7, 2026.
https://www.silmos.it/report-e-amianto-signor-schmidheiny-sono-stupida-stupida-stupida-e-adesso-anche-arrabbiata/
Kazan-Allen. Intrigue at Italy’s Palace of Justice? January 13, 2026.
https://ibasecretariat.org/lka-intrigue-at-italy-s-palace-of-justice.php
Sancio, E. Eternit, Report: ancora alla ricerca di giustizia, nonostante tutto- Tre domande a: Nicola Pondrano
[Eternit Report: Still Seeking Justice, Despite Everything – Three Questions for Nicola Pondrano]. January 10, 2026.
https://infoalternative.it/italia/eternit-report-ancora-alla-ricerca-di-giustizia-nonostante-tutto-tre-domande-a-nicola-pondrano/

³ Mossano, S. Marco Giorcelli. March 2022.
https://www.afeva.it/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Silvana-Mossano-Marco-Giorcelli-eng-1.pdf

⁴ Malato d’amianto, ora casalese doc! [Asbestos sufferer, now a true Casalese!] March 21, 2012.
https://www.ilmonferrato.it/articolo/UazY3zbAn0G9SMGSMxdBxg/malato-d-amianto-ora-casalese-doc

⁵ ibid.

December 18, 2025

A Day to Remember

Clique aqui para ler a vers�o em Portugu�s

With over 23,000,000 inhabitants, São Paulo is Latin America’s biggest city. On December 12, 2025, the legislative municipal authority of São Paulo paid tribute to the Brazilian Association of the Asbestos-Exposed, a locally-based group which had worked for thirty years to protect citizens from deadly asbestos exposures. The magnificent silver plaque seen in the photo below was presented by Councilman Professor Toninho Vespoli to ABREA President Eliezer João de Souza and Vice-President Marcos Zanin in the Prestes Maia Auditorium of the São Paulo City Council.¹

Photograph courtesy of ABREA.

The gala setting, the musical and floral tributes and the fine words were a far cry from the surroundings in which ABREA had been born. From secret meetings in workers’ homes, ABREA progressed to gatherings in union offices and vacant spaces. On December 9, 1995, in one such room, a few people decided that something must be done about the epidemic of diseases killing workers in Osasco; this “something” became the mass movement which is nationally esteemed and internationally respected: ABREA.

The English translation of the heading on the picture above: Memorial das Vitimas do Amianto – Para jamais esquecermas is Memorial of Asbestos Victims – So that we may never forget. Photograph courtesy of ABREA.

Under the solemn gaze of the photographs of ABREA members killed by asbestos, the proceedings on December 12, 2025 provided an opportunity for ABREA officials and members, trade unionists, civil servants, São Paulo City and federal politicians to reflect on ABREA’s struggle, the obstacles it faced and the almost insurmountable challenges it overcame. ABREA officers were maligned, spied on, threatened, sued and unsuccessfully prosecuted.²

Listening to the presentations on the São Paulo City Council Youtube channel this weekend, it was clear that everyone had their special memories of their interactions with ABREA.³ People key to ABREA’s history who were unable to attend provided videos paying tribute to ABREA and highlighting the important work done by President Eliezer and co-founder and technical expert Fernanda Giannasi. One of the contributors spoke of the ABREA “collective.” This comment struck me emphatically as it was only through the diligent, painstaking efforts made to knit together a collaborative nationwide support network that the impressive results of ABREA had been achieved.

During his comments former President of the Central Única dos Trabalhadores (United Workers’ Union), Federal Deputy Vicente Paulo da Silva remembered ABREA’s close friend and ally Marcos Martins, São Paulo State Deputy, high-profile leader of the Workers’ Party (PT) and lifetime trade unionist who died earlier this year.⁴ His name triggered an outburst of cheers and applause from the audience with cries: “Marco Martins presente!” (“Marco Martins is here!”) ⁵

From its inception, ABREA has reached out to like-minded individuals in Brazil and abroad with expressions of fellowship and solidarity. In 2000, the world’s first international conference for asbestos victims was held in Osasco, Brazil. Many of the friendships established 25 years ago have endured to this day and three of the groups which have been part of the worldwide ABREA alliance sent floral tributes on December 12, as seen by the pictures below.

The English translation of the card in the image above is: “To all our ABREA family members, past & present. Our respect for your amazing work knows no bounds! With our eternal gratitude and love.” Laurie Kazan-Allen, Coordinator of the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat. Photograph courtesy of ABREA.

The English translation of the card in the image above is: “ABREA stands as a symbol throughout Asia of solidarity and fellowship. Your sustained efforts to ban asbestos exports to Asia has saved and will save many lives as we work towards an asbestos-free future for all!” Sugio Furuya, Coordinator of the Asian Ban Asbestos Network. Photograph courtesy of ABREA.

The English translation of the card in the image above is: “For these 30 years of active and passionate struggle, President Giuliana Busto, on behalf of the Board of Directors and all AFeVA members, sends this tribute to ABREA in support of the union in the common battle against asbestos. Hugs from all!” Photograph courtesy of ABREA.

It seems to me that in these troubled times when hope is in short supply, ABREA shines a light in some very dark places. Through a vison shared by a few people, mountains were moved and secrets exposed. The existence of the national asbestos scandal was made manifest and steps were taken to identify, treat and support the injured. Laws were changed and legal cases were won. Medical staff were trained and Federal Labor Prosecutors empowered to tackle corporate behemoths. The ABREA legacy is one of empowerment and perseverance. The honor bestowed by São Paulo City Council on December 12, 2025 was very well deserved.

¹ Câmara de SP concede a Salva de Prata à Associação Brasileira dos Expostos ao Amianto [The São Paulo City Council awards the Silver Salute to the Brazilian Association of Those Exposed to Asbestos]. December 12, 2025.
https://www.saopaulo.sp.leg.br/blog/camara-de-sp-concede-a-salva-de-prata-a-associacao-brasileira-dos-expostos-ao-amianto/

² A lawsuit filed by the French multinational Brasilit – part of the Saint-Gobain group and at that time the largest asbestos industry conglomerate in Brazil – against Fernanda Giannasi ended suddenly when Judge João Carlos da Rocha Mattos failed to appear at the trial. It was subsequently learned that the Judge had been arrested and charged with being the mastermind behind a criminal organization that negotiated decisions and sentences and which was uncovered by Operation Anaconda, a major investigation by the Federal Police launched in 2003 involving judges, federal police officers, and lawyers.

³ Sessão Solene para Entrega de Salva de Prata para a ABREA | 12/12/2025 [Solemn Session for the Presentation of a Silver Plaque to ABREA | 12/12/2025].
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7wJ1D2R2pk

⁴ Marcos Martins, ex-deputado estadual e histórico militante do PT, morre aos 79 anos [Marcos Martins, former state deputy and long-time PT activist, dies at age 79]. May 27, 2025.
https://abrea.org.br/marcos-martins-ex-deputado-estadual-e-historico-militante-do-pt-morre-aos-79-anos/

⁵ Joint Press Release. Congratulations to ABREA! December 9, 2025.
https://ibasecretariat.org/press-release-congratulations-to-abrea-dec-9-2025.pdf
Comunicado de imprensa conjunto. Parabéns à ABREA! 9 de dezembro de 2025.
https://ibasecretariat.org/press-release-congratulations-to-abrea-dec-9-2025-por.pdf

November 27, 2025

A Well-Traveled Exhibition Comes Home!

When one gets to a certain age, facts relating to distant events can grow hazy but the details which follow are, to the best of my recollection, accurate (well, more or less!)

In the 1990s, I was invited to an exhibition at the Quaker Gallery in London of photographs taken in a South African community which had been devastated by asbestos mining. The dramatic black and white images by South African photographer Hein du Plessis blew me away. At the launch of that show, I was introduced to Hein by my friend Richard Meeran, the solicitor who had invited Hein �to record the lives and struggles of asbestos victims in the Northern Cape� after a chance encounter in Kimberley, South Africa.¹

Photograph taken in South Africa’s asbestos heartland by Hein du Plessis. Picture reproduced by kind permission of the photographer.

Community protest action against delays in the legal system in Britain. Picture reproduced by kind permission of the photographer Hein du Plessis.

Following our discussion in London, Hein kindly provided me with a set of 32 A2 black and white laminated photographs with descriptive texts that we displayed at the world’s first international gathering of asbestos victims: the Global Asbestos Congress (GAC) 2000.

Fortunately, Hein was able to make the journey to Osasco, Brazil to discuss his very well-received collection of images. Many of the Brazilians attending the GAC identified with the plight of the South Africans exposed to deadly asbestos by a European multinational asbestos conglomerate more interested in profits than health.²

Hein du Plessis with the portrait of Adam Oor shown in the foyer of the magnificent Municipal Theater of Osasco where the GAC was held,³ September, 2000. Picture from the archives of the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS).

At the inauguration of the Latin American Asbestos Meeting in Buenos Aires on October 1, 2001, the photographic exhibition was opened by Mlungisi Washington Makalima, South Africa’s new Ambassador to Argentina in the presence of the photographer. Congratulating Hein du Plessis on his work, the Ambassador highlighted the importance of the conference in addressing the global impact of the asbestos trade. The sessions which followed were attended by delegates from nearly all the countries in the region.⁴

On April 16, 2002, images from the exhibition which were displayed in the foyer of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine graphically illustrated the repercussions of decades of asbestos production in Prieska, South Africa by the British multinational: Cape plc. Against this background, the launch of the book Asbestos Blues: Labour, Capital, Physicians and the State in South Africa by Jock McCulloch was particularly poignant. The exhibition and book launch were part of the seminar: Asbestos: International Update on a Dying Industry and a Health Time Bomb.⁵

The next day, Hein showed slides from the exhibition at the annual asbestos seminar of the Parliamentary Asbestos Sub-Group in Westminster, London.

The first slide in Hein du Plessis’ presentation to the Parliamentary seminar. Picture from the IBAS archives.

Describing how he became involved with the Cape claimants from South Africa, Hein told the meeting that he hoped the photographs gave a voice to many people now silenced by death. The powerful and stark images clearly showed the suffering of the asbestos workers, their families and the contaminated communities The humanity of the photographer’s subjects pitted against the callousness of the corporation’s behaviour symbolized the universal struggle of all asbestos victims.

Hein du Plessis and seminar organizer Laurie Kazan-Allen in the House of Commons. April 17, 2002. Picture from the IBAS archives.

On April 18, 2002 a reception was held in the Reading Room of the South African High Commission, London to mark the victory of the South African asbestos claimants over Cape Asbestos Co. Ltd. Photographs of many of the injured were displayed by Hein du Plessis, the photographer whose work helped to stimulate public interest throughout the years during which the case was dragged through the British courts. George Johannes, the South African Deputy High Commissioner, welcomed guests to the High Commission and spoke of his long-standing interest in the case. From the beginning, the South African Government had been supportive of the attempt to obtain compensation for the victims. The Deputy High Commissioner thanked all the people who had worked so hard on behalf of the claimants singling out the work of claimants’ solicitor Richard Meeran of Leigh, Day & Co.

Solicitor Richard Meeran, Deputy High Commissioner George Johannes and Laurie Kazan-Allen. Photograph from IBAS archives.

In October, 2002, a selection of the images from the exhibition was displayed in the reception area outside the meeting rooms for the Hellenic Asbestos Conference, the first public event to address the Greek asbestos legacy.⁶

Photographs from the exhibition dominated the reception area at the Henry Dunant Hospital in Athens where the Hellenic Asbestos Conference was held. Picture from the IBAS archives.

When I contacted Hein this month (November 2025) to ask about his recollections of traveling with the exhibition, he reminded me of his participation in the Athens event. I then remembered how surprised we had both been to learn that like South Africa and Brazil, Greece had also been an asbestos-producing country.

The portfolio of Hein’s images next accompanied me on a trip from London to Amsterdam for the two-day bilingual international asbestos symposium entitled The Polluter Pays which was held by the Committee for Dutch Asbestos Victims on May 13 & 14, 2004. Once again, the South African images reinforced the message conveyed by European and American experts addressing the meeting⁷: asbestos is a killer!

After Amsterdam, things get a bit hazy. I believe I lent the collection to a colleague in Liverpool to display at an asbestos event organized by the Merseyside asbestos victims’ group. From there, it may have gone to Manchester for use at an event held by the local victims’ group.

At some point the photos wound their way to Barrow-in-Furness, an area with one of the worst incidences of mesothelioma in the UK. When my colleague from Barrow emigrated to New Zealand, the photographs went with her and there they stayed until eight years later when she was packing up to come back to the UK. “Do you still want the South African photos” she wrote, “I found them at the back of a large cupboard in the study?”

After a round-trip journey of 22,000+ miles, the exhibition which originated in South Africa and traveled extensively in Latin America and Europe, is now firmly settled. It has found a permanent home in the Strathclyde asbestos archive – officially known as the Strathclyde University Archives and Special Collections – with other IBAS documents and resources. I have no doubt that these images will continue to “give a voice to the many people now silenced by death” for decades to come.

¹ Kinley, D. In a Rain of Dust. Death, Deceit, and the Lawyer Who Busted Big Asbestos. John Hopkins University Press, 2025, pp. 169-170.

² Some of the photographs exhibited in Osasco can be viewed here:
https://ibasecretariat.org/gac-2000-annals/gac-2000-ann-a17-1-hdp-p.pdf

³ The commentary which accompanied this image said: DIEDERICK OOR, Born12/05/34 - Died 20/09/99. "My dad used to work at Koegas. He suffered a lot before he died, and that makes me sad. My mother died from the same asbestos dust. Maybe my sister will also die from it. These things happen…" Adam Oor.

⁴ Kazan-Allen, L. Latin American Asbestos Meeting. November 28, 2001.
https://ibasecretariat.org/lka_lat_amer_report.php

⁵ Kazan-Allen, L. Asbestos Seminar in London. March 22, 2002.
https://ibasecretariat.org/lka_asb_seminar_london.php
Kazan-Allen, L. London Asbestos Meetings, April 2002. May 2002.
https://ibasecretariat.org/lka_london_meetings_rep_0402.php

⁶ Kazan-Allen, L. Hellenic Asbestos Conference: Report. November 18, 2002.
https://ibasecretariat.org/lka_hellen_asb_conf_rep.php

⁷ Kazan-Allen, L. Asbestos Conference, Holland: The Polluter Pays. August 2, 2004.
https://www.ibasecretariat.org/lka_rep_conf_holl_may_04.php

Blog pages:

_______

Home | Site Info | Site Map | About | Top↑