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The French Supreme Court has announced it will hand down its decision on landmark asbestos cases on December 10. Charges in this litigation relate to the responsibility of government officials, scientists and industrialists for hazardous asbestos exposures experienced by French citizens which resulted in their contracting asbestos-related diseases. ANDEVA, a national asbestos victims' group, has challenged the lower courts' decisions and the Advocate General's recommendation to acquit the defendants. See: Amiante: décision en cassation le 10 décembre sur deux dossiers emblématiques [Court decision on two landmark asbestos cases on December 10].

With the enactment on November 7 of The Public Health (Howard's Law) Amendment Act, Saskatchewan has become the first Canadian Province to establish a mandatory web-based asbestos registry for crown corporations, school districts, health regions and facilities and provincial government buildings. "This registry will," said Health Minister Dustin Duncan "improve the health, safety and well being of our workers and their families… In addition to the registry, publications that address the safe removal and handling of asbestos are available." See: Province Makes Asbestos Registry Mandatory. See also: Saskatchewan First Province to Require Mandatory Asbestos Reporting.

The Asbestos Diseases Society of Australia (ADSA) was honoured last month at the 15th World Conference on Lung Cancer in Sydney when it received the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer's Patient Advocacy Award. A travel bursary providing funds to cover the costs of attending the conference was provided to the ADSA President Robert Vojakovic. The ADSA has been Australia's leading patient advocacy group for asbestos victims for more than thirty years. See: IASLC Gives 5 People Advocacy Travel Award. Also see: Confronting Australia's Asbestos Catastrophe.

The President of Eternit, S.A., Brazil's leading asbestos producer, died unexpectedly last month. President Elio Martins was a known quantity who had given 38 years of service to the company, the last 13 as President. In the aftermath of his death, investors were reassessing the company's financial performance and asking pointed questions about operating costs, executive salaries, and dividend policy. The change in leadership is particularly problematic in light of a pending Supreme Court ruling on the legality of asbestos use. See: O futuro da Eternit após a morte do presidente Élio Martins [The Future of Eternit after the Death of President Elio Martins].

The World Federation of Trade Unions' (WFTU) Asbestos Conference took place last Wednesday (October 30) in Athens. In his opening speech, the WFTU's General Secretary George Mavrikos highlighted the occupational as well as public health risk posed by the presence of asbestos in post-ban countries and condemned the continuing use of asbestos in developing countries. The privatization and degradation of health systems around the world has, he said, commodified health and deprived "large masses of workers and poor people from the right to fight against health problems, which were caused by the same voracious activity of capitalism." See: Speech by George Mavrikos.

Trade unionist Darren Hayes, who alleged he was sidelined by his former employer after raising safety concerns about asbestos exposure during work on the National Broadband Network (NBN) rollout, has today won a claim for constructive dismissal. After Hayes informed the Communication Workers Union (CWU) about the hazardous conditions, he was, according to a CWU spokeswoman, "marginalized and abused." A confidential settlement has now been reached between Visionstream and Mr. Hayes after mediation by the Fair Work Commission. See: NBN asbestos whistleblower gets payout in Fair Work Commission case.

Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BH) is denying that it was company policy to "wrongfully delay or deny compensation to cancer victims ..." Over a number of years, BH has assumed billions of dollars of asbestos liabilities for global insurers including Lloyd's of London. According to a company spokesman, BH has "the largest single exposure to asbestos and pollution claims of any insurer today." U.S. corporations have taken legal action charging BH associates of bad-faith for committing "willful or knowing" acts that were "unfair or deceptive." See: Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Press Statement. Also see: Berkshire Hathaway subsidiaries deny, delay asbestos, hazard claims, suits, insiders allege.

An information video detailing how asbestos fibers attack the human body, translated by members of the Asian Ban Asbestos Network (ABAN) into 17 languages, is now available online with Spanish subtitles, thanks to the efforts of ban asbestos activists in Colombia. The graphics and language of this short clip make it an ideal educational resource for campaigners, educators and concerned citizens. Versions of this film are also available in: Bengali, Burmese, Cambodian, Chinese, English, Filipino, Hindi, Indonesian, Laotian, Mongolian, Portuguese, Russian, Tamil, Thai, Urdu and Vietnamese. See: ABAN Asbestos Information Video.

A report released by the German Government reveals the price the country is paying for its asbestos legacy. Data collected by the German Social Occupational Accident Insurance (Deutsche Gesetzliche Unfallversicherung: DGUV) covering the period 1994-2010 state that over a billion euros in compensation were paid to sufferers of asbestosis, mesothelioma, lung and throat cancer. Of these three categories of disease, the lowest success rate was experienced by people with lung or throat cancer, the majority of whom failed to qualify for DGUV insurance coverage. See: Lage der Asbesterkrankten in Deutschland [Location of Asbestos Sufferers in Germany].

In Brazil, the world's third biggest supplier of raw chrysotile asbestos fiber, federal law allows the production and use of asbestos. Nevertheless, the states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Pernambuco and Mato Grosso - which account for 90% of the Brazilian population - have adopted state-wide prohibitions. On October 20, law 1.259/11, which banned asbestos, in Minas Gerais State was approved by 48 votes. The bill has one more legislative hurdle to overcome before it is sent to the Governor. See: Plenário aprova projeto que proíbe uso de amianto [Plenary Passes Bill banning use of asbestos].

Last week a new book was launched in Chile which documents the terrible devastation caused by the country's use of asbestos. The 146-page Spanish text, which is available online, was written by Constanza San Juan Standen and Tania Muñoz Cuevas and published by the group "Unidos Contra el Asbesto," (United Against Asbestos). The authors examine the national repercussions of widespread asbestos consumption within a global framework highlighting the toll paid by workers and their families for industry's asbestos profits. See: Fibras grises de muerte, el silencio del mayor genocidio industrial en Chile [Deadly grey fibers, the silence of the largest industrial genocide in Chile].

Following up on a recent pro-asbestos event in the Philippines, industry apologists will take part in a sham conference in New Delhi on December 3 & 4, 2013. Once again, the chrysotile lobby's favourite spokesman David Bernstein is heading the agenda; his back-up consists of speakers from Russia, Ukraine, Brazil, Canada and Vietnam [see: Agenda]. Asbestos manufacturing is a growing industrial sector in India. In 2012, the use of chrysotile asbestos was just under 500,000 tonnes; this was a 53% increase in one year. See: Global asbestos lobby organizes events in the Philippines and India to promote continued use of asbestos in Asia.

An article just published in The Scientist, "the magazine for life science professionals," references the ongoing scandal under investigation by the New York Supreme Appellate Court whereby hired gun scientists disguise their financial links to corporate paymasters, in this case U.S. asbestos defendant Georgia-Pacific, in journal articles. Author Philippe Grandjean points out that "when the billing records were reviewed, it became clear that the company's authors had completed more than five drafts of one particular manuscript before any external co-authors were approached." See: Opinion: Problems with Hidden COI.

It comes as no surprise to learn that as independent Asian scientists were preparing for the 6th Asian Asbestos Initiative International Seminar (November 13-15, 2013) in Manila, on October 25 the asbestos industry held a spoiler conference (see: Agenda) to reinforce corporate propaganda that the use of chrysotile asbestos is safe. This is a well-known industry strategy; in 2008, chrysotile lobbyists organised a pro-asbestos conference at the same time and in the same venue as the Building and Woodworkers' International Trade Union Asbestos Conference. Speakers at Friday's event included David Bernstein, an industry-linked scientist at the center of an alleged judicial scandal being investigated in New York.

Plans to build a highly controversial asbestos factory in the Vaishali district of Bihar State were advanced by a decision handed down on October 28 by the Patna High Court. Justice Jayant Singh ordered the Bihar State Pollution Control Board to green light construction of Utkal Asbestos Limited's new plant despite widespread opposition by local people who are concerned about the proximity of the site to a village and school. Vaishali opponents of this scheme plan to appeal this week's decision. See: High court orders renewal of permit to Utkal asbestos plant in Bihar

The State of Geneva has today launched a high-profile campaign to raise awareness of the asbestos hazard among professionals in the construction sector with a particular focus on smaller companies. The authorities have found asbestos – banned in Switzerland since 1991 – in 80% of Geneva real estate. The multilingual initiative, with material in French, Italian, Spanish, Albanian, Portuguese, and Polish will continue for three years and features brochures, online resources and a mobile information unit. See: L'Etat de Genève déclare la guerre à l'amiante [The State of Geneva declares war on asbestos].

Even as French asbestos victims get ready to take to the streets in protest over judicial inaction on a notorious asbestos scandal, Indian court officials have sanctioned the construction of yet another Rajasthan asbestos factory despite vocal and active protests by local people. The use of asbestos in France has led to thousands of deaths every year, a situation which may be replicated in India. It seems that even in the 21st century no amount of knowledge is enough to curtail the unbridled use of a substance that is commercially viable even if it is also deadly dangerous. In India, as was the case in France, powerful behind-the-scenes operators are manipulating the national asbestos agenda. [Read full article]

The death was reported on September 21, 2013 of Professor Dr. Y. İzzettin Bariş, the pioneering medical researcher who investigated the causes of malignant mesothelioma clusters in the "Cancer Villages" of Anatolia, Turkey. Through his research and through research founded on results he had achieved, huge strides were made in understanding the nature of mesothelioma including: the non-occupational risks posed by exposure to asbestos, the existence of a genetic disposition in some families to contract mesothelioma and the prevalence of malignant mesothelioma mortality in areas where environmental exposure to erionite was high. [Read full article]

Seventeen years ago, Yale University bestowed an honorary degree upon Swiss billionaire Stephan Schmidheiny. Since that time, Schmidheiny has been tried and convicted by two courts for his role in the asbestos deaths of thousands of Italian citizens. Calls being made for this honor to now be rescinded have been reported in a feature length article in the Yale Daily News by undergraduate reporter Jack Newsham. Yale has never revoked an honorary degree and, according to comments by Yale spokesman Tom Conroy, it seems unlikely that the University will reconsider Schmidheiny's 1996 award. [Read full article]

During the five-day high-profile World Health Promotion Conference in Pattaya, Thailand, that took place in August, a paper was presented entitled: Social Media Advocacy to Counteract Propaganda on Safe Use of Chrysotile Asbestos in Thailand which considered a campaign by Thai vested interests to promote the sale of asbestos products. The speaker, Dr. Vithaya Kulsomboon, discussed the dissemination by the industry lobby of false information minimizing the risk of asbestos exposures in order to forestall the government from taking action to prohibit the import, sale and use of asbestos. His presentation has been uploaded to this website as a PDF article. [Read full article]

Since the formation of the Indonesian Ban Asbestos Network in 2010, activities have been ongoing to raise public, occupational and medical professional awareness of the asbestos hazard. A recent asbestos initiative was an informal evening seminar held on September 5, 2013 on Bali entitled "Asbestos in our Homes and Workplaces." Keynote speaker Alex Ryan said that the purpose of the meeting was to raise awareness of the hazard posed by Indonesia's use of this carcinogen. Judging by the questions asked by participants, it was clear that there is a serious information vacuum regarding the threat posed by asbestos to workers and the public. [Read full article]

It has been announced today that an innovative grassroots project to help tackle the symptoms of asbestos disease has been awarded an IBAS bursary. The winning project is a community-based healthcare programme pioneered by Indian and UK doctors that aims to offer low tech, low cost techniques to help people with advanced asbestosis to deal with the suffering caused by breathlessness in Mumbai and Ahmedabad, well-known asbestos hotspots. Consultation and research for this project has been ongoing since 2011; an interview study is currently proceeding. The initial interview study results will be reported at a meeting in December 2013 of key stakeholders. [Read full article]

Members of the "No More Asbestos in Hong Kong Alliance" (the Alliance) have today reported recent actions taken to expose widespread asbestos contamination in rural areas. Following on from the disclosure of environmental contamination in Ma Tong Village earlier this year comes news of asbestos pollution in Yin Kong Village where seriously damaged asbestos-cement sheeting has been found on roofs and hoardings. Following a protest by the Alliance, the Environmental Protection Department agreed to assist the community to identify hazardous material and implement measures to minimize the public health hazard. The Alliance is also calling for a national asbestos ban. [Read full article]

The 9th Labor Court in São Paulo has ruled that Eternit, S.A. must pay the healthcare costs of workers from its flagship asbestos-cement factory in Osasco, São Paulo. The total bill appears unlimited and is dependent solely on the claims submitted by eligible workers. In addition, the Court ordered the company to pay 1 billion reais (~US$420 million) in punitive damages. As the current market value of Eternit S.A. is 853.8 million reais (US$359m), this verdict could have a huge impact on Eternit's future. News of the lawsuit, led to a drop in the company's share price. The company can appeal the judgment. [Read full article]

Although a comprehensive asbestos ban was introduced in the UK in 1999, government authorities are considering plans for exemptions to EU restrictions on the sale of second-hand articles containing asbestos. A short consultation mounted this summer by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) seems to have taken place with little advanced notice or publicity. DEFRA estimates that introducing the proposed exemptions will save Britain PLC £29 million. Clarification sought by MEP Stephen Hughes about this situation elicited an uninformative response from the European Commission on August 27, 2013. [Read full article]

In the last decade, the insurance industry has made several attempts to deflect responsibility for the harm their insured have caused to asbestos cancer claimants by taking a series of cases to the higher courts. The Mesothelioma Bill, which was drafted after protracted government consultation with insurers, is arguably another stratagem for minimizing compensation payouts to mesothelioma victims. Parliamentary debate about what percentage of the full award a dying man should receive, while inexorably and painfully his cancer progresses, diminishes us all. I believe society must do what is right. [Read full article]

During asbestos hearings at the Brazilian Supreme Court in 2012 Judge Marco Aurélio remarked: "Half of the people in this courtroom will be very glad when you retire next year." He was addressing Senior Labor Inspector Fernanda Giannasi who had just finished her impassioned testimony to the Court. Aurélio's quip caused a ripple of laughter from Ms. Giannasi's supporters and a groan of acknowledgment from her detractors amongst whom were asbestos stakeholders from industry and the government. Today, August 12, 2013, the retirement of Ms. Giannasi has been officially announced by the Labor Ministry. The news has been greeted by an avalanche of appreciation including comments in this short tribute. [Read full article]

For decades, Britain PLC did everything possible to avoid paying compensation to asbestos victims. In light of the fact that hundreds of millions of pounds of compensation have been retained by negligent companies and their insurers, it is really hard to view as anything other than window dressing attempts to rehabilitate the insurance industry's reputation by highly publicized initiatives that are, at best, ineffective and, at worst, insulting. Research funding for asbestos-related diseases and support for a voluntary tracing scheme for lost insurance policies promoted as evidence of the insurance industry's "commitment" to mesothelioma victims are, according to the author of this article, inadequate. [Read full article]

Asbestos contamination remains long after asbestos factories have shut down. Airborne pollution from processing as well as the dumping of asbestos waste have endangered generations of workers and members of the public. The health hazards endure even if the companies which caused them do not. A 2011 Israeli law which upheld the polluter pays principle was challenged by Eitanit Construction Products, a company which had operated an asbestos-cement factory in northern Israel for 45 years. The appeal was dismissed by Israel's Supreme Court. This precedent is discussed in this Summer's bulletin by the Israel Environment Ministry. [Read full article]

Historian and author Dr. Geoffrey Tweedale's review is a detailed reflection on the contents and themes discussed by multiple authors. The text, published in Belgium in June 2013 by the European Institute for Construction Labour Research, is, he says, "the most up-to-date publication available on global asbestos [issues]." Tweedale highlights the role of asbestos victims' groups, trade unions and labor federations and outlines the time scale over which progress, often achieved in a piecemeal fashion, has been achieved. Emphasizing the consensus that "enforcement and continued vigilance" are of paramount importance, he reminds us that "the fight against asbestos continues." [Read full article]

Increasing consumption of asbestos in Colombia and the refusal by government, medical and union officials to acknowledge the human health hazard posed by asbestos constitute conditions in which the occurrence of an epidemic of asbestos-related disease has become inevitable. Government-backed housing projects and a development project in a heritage site near Cartagena are being roofed with asbestos-cement tiles despite World Bank guidelines that the use of asbestos is not recommended. Plans are also progressing to recommence asbestos mining operations in Colombia in order to fulfil national demand for chrysotile asbestos. [Read full article]

The British campaign for asbestos justice gathered momentum throughout the summer with legislative lobbying, political action and grassroots activities across the country. The annual seminar of the Parliamentary Asbestos Sub-Group on July 3 was followed days later by activities to mark Action Mesothelioma Day (AMD). The participation of American medical experts at the Westminster event was informative as well as thought-provoking; the two speakers - Mary Hesdorffer and Dr. Daniel Sterman - highlighted the more aggressive action taken in the US to mobilize for a mesothelioma cure and urged closer collaboration between US and UK researchers. [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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