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ASBESTOS NEWS 2004-2005
Recent news
Britain:
Asbestos killed youngest mesothelioma victim
An inquest has found that a 32-year-old father of three was killed as
a result of childhood exposure to asbestos in the home.
Risks 237, 17 December 2005
Britain:
Sufferers win drugs for asbestos cancer
A high profile campaign in north-east of England has won asbestos cancer
victims the right to a life-extending treatment on the NHS. Mesothelioma
sufferers from the region had faced paying £24,000 to a private
hospital to get the Alimta drug treatment, or travelling down to Liverpool
or London, where the drug is already available.
Risks 237, 17 December 2005
Britain:
Asbestos campaigner received top honour
A woman whose search for the true cause of her husband’s death has
helped protect thousands of workers’ health and ensured adequate
compensation for victims of asbestos-related disease, has had her work
honoured. Nancy Tait MBE, the founder of the Occupational and Environmental
Diseases Association (OEDA), is this year’s recipient of the prestigious
Institution of Occupational Safety and Health/Sypol Lifetime Achievement
Award.
Risks 237, 17 December 2005
Britain:
MPs raise concerns about asbestos law changes
Dozens of MPs have joined legal and safety campaigners to raise concerns
about proposed changes to asbestos safety regulations which “could
put workers, home owners and families at risk”. As of 14 December,
70 MPs had signed an Early Day Motion (EDM) critical of Health and Safety
Commission proposals and calling for more research.
Risks 237, 17 December 2005
Britain:
No job is safe from asbestos risk
The true extend of Britain’s asbestos disease epidemic is becoming
fully apparent as more and more workers with incidental exposure to asbestos
are being struck by asbestos cancers. Latest reports include a teacher
and a shopfitter killed by the deadly fibre.
Risks 236, 10 December 2005
Global:
Canadian union threatens James Hardie ban
A Canadian construction union leader is threatening to ban James Hardie
products ahead of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver unless the company
settles an agreement to compensate victims of asbestos-related diseases.
Risks 235, 3 December 2005
Britain:
Abattoir asbestos killed man
A Merseyside man died as a result of asbestos exposure in an abattoir.
Liverpool's Coroner's Court ruled last week that John Jackson, 78, had
died of the asbestos cancer mesothelioma as a result of exposure to asbestos
from lagged pipes in the building he rented for a pet food business in
the 40s, 50s and 60s.
Risks 235, 3 December 2005
South
Africa: No worker is safe, says asbestos expert
Workers exposed to chrysotile (white) asbestos are developing deadly diseases,
discrediting industry “safe use” claims, a South African asbestos
industry expert has said.
Risks 234, 26 November 2005
Britain:
Britain’s continuing asbestos cancer crisis
Two things are certain in occupational health and safety – asbestos
is a potent workplace killer and negligent employers will make sure it
remains so.
Risks 234, 26 November 2005
Australia:
Asbestos giant Hardie faces fresh boycott threat
Australian unions have warned James Hardie, the company that prompted
a damaging global campaign after it tried to evade asbestos compensation
payouts, it will face another round of boycotts if it doesn’t deliver
on its promises to dying Australians.
Risks 233, 19 November 2005
Britain:
Past asbestos exposures killing thousands
Britain’s biggest industrial killer is still claiming thousands
of lives every year – and the toll is still rising.
Risks 233, 19 November 2005
Britain:
Asbestos crimes leave a new generation at risk
Criminal neglect of safety laws is placing a new generation of workers
at risk of asbestos disease.
Risks 233, 19 November 2005
Britain:
Insurers bid to stop asbestos payouts
Thousands of people who were exposed to asbestos at work could lose the
right to compensation if three senior judges overturn a ruling in a test
case before the appeal court this week. At stake is more than £1bn
in compensation for pleural plaques over the next few decades which insurers
argue they should not be obliged to pay.
Risks 233, 19 November 2005
Britain:
Workplace asbestos exposure linked to colon cancer
Men who've been exposed to asbestos run a greater risk of developing colorectal
cancer. Writing in the American Journal of Epidemiology, researchers say
men in the asbestos-exposed group were 36 per cent more likely to develop
colorectal cancer than were men in the heavy-smoker but not asbestos-exposed
cohort.
Risks 233, 19 November 2005
Britain:
Public at risk from new asbestos rules
A planned relaxation in the law protecting the public from asbestos, announced
by the government, will see families and workers facing an increased risk
of asbestos-related illness, contractors, unions and experts have warned.
Risks 232, 12 November 2005
Britain:
Call for action on asbestos cancer
A new “Action Mesothelioma Charter” from the British Lung
Foundation (BLF) is calling for urgent measures to give more rights to
people with the fatal asbestos cancer mesothelioma and for the government
to make the issue a top public health priority. The organisation says
every five hours someone in the UK dies from mesothelioma.
Risks 232, 12 November 2005
Britain:
Amicus targets the “silent” asbestos epidemic
Private sector union Amicus is stepping up its campaign to compensation
asbestos disease victims and says it has seen a marked upturn in calls
from affected workers.
Risks 232, 12 November 2005
Britain:
Britain’s remorseless asbestos epidemic
The asbestos cancer mesothelioma is killing five people every day in the
UK – and the daily toll is rising.
Risks 231, 5 November 2005
South
Korea: New restrictions on asbestos
The South Korean government is reported to be introducing new tighter
regulations on asbestos. Once designated, the import, manufacture and
use of asbestos will be strictly limited.
Risks 230, 29 October 2005
Britain:
Husband fights to prove asbestos killed his wife
Stewart Littlemore has launched a desperate bid for help proving his wife
was killed by deadly asbestos. Mr Littlemore is fighting to claim compensation
after his wife Margaret died in July aged 54 of the asbestos cancer mesothelioma.
Risks 229, 22 October 2005
Japan:
Asbestos deaths doubled in last decade
Deaths from the asbestos cancer mesothelioma almost doubled to a record
953 in 2004 from 500 in 1995, according to latest Japanese government
statistics. The statistics highlight an enormous discrepancy between the
number of cases and the relatively small number receiving compensation.
Risks 228, 15 October 2005
USA:
Seven figure payout to carpenter with asbestosis
A San Francisco jury has awarded over $2.8 million (£1.6m) in damages
to a carpenter with asbestosis, a disabling scarring of the lungs caused
by asbestos exposure.
Risks 228, 15 October 2005
Australia:
Asbestos, cancer and caring
Lorraine Kember watched her husband, Brian, deteriorate over two years
from a healthy, active man in his early 50s, to being pain wracked and
feeble, destined to die aged 54 from the asbestos cancer mesothelioma.
In ‘Lean on me: Cancer through a carer’s eyes’ she chronicles
their life together and how both she and Brian dealt with his illness,
caused by exposure as a child to asbestos dumped around the town of Wittenoom,
Australia.
Risks 228, 15 October 2005
Britain:
Mesothelioma continues its deadly course
The asbestos cancer mesothelioma is claiming 40 lives a week in the UK
and the deaths show no sign of abating.
Risks 228, 15 October 2005
Britain:
Asbestos victims robbed of compensation
Asbestos cancer victims of Turner and Newall (T&N), once the world’s
largest asbestos company, are to be paid less than a quarter of the compensation
they are due. Federal Mogul, the US owners of the company, is responsible
for hundreds of cases of cancer linked to asbestos but will pay out just
24p for every pound to which victims are entitled.
Risks 228, 15 October 2005
Britain:
Asbestos widow gets six figure payout
A Worcestershire woman whose carpenter husband died after being exposed
to asbestos dust at a jail is to receive a six-figure payout from the
Home Office. Barry Price, 67, died in 2002 from the asbestos-related cancer
mesothelioma, which he contracted through his job at Hewell Grange Prison
in Redditch.
Risks 226, 1 October 2005
Global:
Unions protest at Canada’s asbestos exports
Unions around the world protested on 9 September at Canada’s dangerous
asbestos export drive.
Risks 224, 17 September 2005
Australia:
Smokers can sue for asbestos disease payouts
Thousands of people in New South Wales
stand to benefit from a landmark NSW District Court ruling that opens
the way for former smokers to be compensated for asbestos-related lung
cancer.
Risks 224, 17 September 2005
Canada:
Asbestos push makes country a global “pariah”
News that a leading Conservative MP in Canada has been struck with the
asbestos cancer mesothelioma has led to renewed calls for an end to the
country’s energetic global promotion of the killer fibre. Tory MP
Chuck Strahl's announcement that he has cancer, the result of workplace
asbestos exposures in his youth, should be a wake up call for the government
to support a global ban on asbestos, said New Democrat (NDP) MP Pat Martin.
Risks 222, 3 September 2005
Britain/USA:
Equitas pays £167m to settle US asbestos claims
Equitas, the company set up to assume Lloyd's of London's massive liability
exposures, said this week it had settled some of its largest remaining
direct liabilities with a $300 million (£167.1 million) payout to
six major policy holders to settle US asbestos-related claims.
Risks 222, 3 September 2005
Britain:
Asbestos killing more before their time
An engineer who was suing Yorkshire Water for their negligence in exposing
him to deadly asbestos has died of mesothelioma. Jonathan Kay died knowing
he had won his legal fight after Kelda Group plc – formerly Yorkshire
Water Authority – admitted liability, and is one of a new generation
of younger workers succumbing to asbestos cancers.
Risks 222, 3 September 2005
Australia:
Row erupts over asbestos payouts
Fears that Australian multinational James Hardie Industries may abandon
an asbestos compensation scheme have led to angry exchanges.
Risks 220, 20 August 2005
Britain:
Hospital asbestos killed nurse
The family of a nurse who died after being exposed to asbestos dust in
a hospital has been awarded £175,000 in damages from the Department
of Health. Rebecca Little, 53, of Catterick, died in February 2002 from
the asbestos cancer mesothelioma.
Risks 220, 20 August 2005
Japan:
Industry lobbying blocked asbestos ban
At least a part of Japan’s unfolding asbestos disease tragedy might
have been averted if the asbestos industry had not successfully blocked
a ban on the deadly fibre 13 years ago.
Risks * Number 216 * 23 July 2005
Britain:
Hazard warning on asbestos scan vans
The TUC is warning that the arrival in the UK of US-style “scan
vans” that screen workers for occupational lung disease is not the
best way to deal with Britain’s asbestos disease epidemic.
Risks * Number 216 * 23 July 2005
Japan:
Asbestos deaths scandal prompts ban by 2008
Japan’s health ministry has said it plans to ban all use of asbestos
by 2008 after recent revelations that hundreds of workers have died from
asbestos-related diseases. The government is facing criticism for not
acting sooner.
Risks 215, 16 July 2005
Britain:
Asbestos cancer killed teacher
A teacher has died of the asbestos cancer mesothelioma. He had been exposed
during building work at a school in the 1970s.
Risks 215, 16 July 2005
Britain:
Cape aims to cap asbestos liabilities
Asbestos campaigners have warned UK multinational Cape plc not to railroad
through a proposed £40m asbestos fund to cap its asbestos disease
liabilities. Campaigners say all previous schemes to cap companies’
asbestos disease liabilities have disadvantaged asbestos victims.
Risks 215, 16 July 2005
Japan:
Asbestos massacre revealed at factories
The deadly impact of widespread asbestos use in Japan is becoming apparent
as major Japanese manufacturers admit scores of asbestos-related deaths
amongst former employees, customers and local communities. The tragedy,
revealed by asbestos victims' groups and safety campaign organisations,
follows a surge in asbestos campaign activity following the Global Asbestos
Congress in Japan in November last year.
Risks 214, 9 July 2005
Australia:
Government fines threat to asbestos protesters
The Australian government is threatening to fine workers who marched in
a rally that led to an Aus$1.5 billion (£633.5m) settlement for
asbestos disease victims. A letter to workers at packaging giant Visy
informs them they face an Aus$6,600 (£2,790) fine for breaching
orders not to join the anti-James Hardie rally last year.
Risks 213, 2 July 2005
Cancer
report slams Canada on asbestos
A new report from the Canadian Cancer Society says: “Canada’s
promotion and sale of asbestos worldwide compromises our ability to be
taken seriously regarding cancer prevention, and exports environmental
exposure and cancers to those countries with the least resources to control
them. Transition programmes for asbestos mining communities are needed
and the sale and use of this potent carcinogen should be banned.”
Risks 213, 2 July 2005
Britain:
The deadly cost of asbestos
The asbestos disease epidemic is continuing to exact a heavy price in
communities across the UK.
Risks 212, 25 June 2005
Britain:
Remorseless progress of the asbestos epidemic
The extent of Britain’s asbestos cancer epidemics continues to reveal
itself in press reports nationwide. The combined toll of asbestos-related
lung cancers and mesotheliomas is estimated to be killing in the region
of 10 people a day, and the number is rising.
Risks 211, 18 June 2005
Global:
Unions demand an end to the asbestos carnage
Unions worldwide have embarked on a global campaign to end “the
asbestos carnage”. Global building unions’ federation IFBWW
handed a statement to the ILO director general Juan Somavia demanding
ILO takes a clear health-based position in favour of the elimination of
the use of all forms of asbestos and asbestos containing materials.
Risks 210, 11 June 2005
Britain:
Esso pays dying man £90,000
A man dying of an asbestos cancer has been awarded a £90,000 payout.
Gerald Read, 80, worked as a scaffolder at the Esso oil refinery at Fawley
from 1968 until he retired in 1981 and is now suffering the fatal asbestos-related
cancer mesothelioma.
Risks 210, 11 June 2005
Britain:
£140,000 payout to plasterer’s widow
A woman who watched her husband “suffer terribly” before his
death four years ago from an asbestos cancer, has received a £140,000
payout. Community member Robert Brown died aged 57 in May 2001 from mesothelioma
after being exposed to asbestos dust whilst working as a plasterer for
Corby Borough Council.
Risks 210, 11 June 2005
Global:
More calls for a global asbestos ban
Union and public health organisations worldwide are increasing the pressure
for a global asbestos ban. Unions worldwide are to launch their campaign
on 8 June in Geneva, with a ban now being supported by both the Collegium
Ramazzini and the World Federation of Public Health Associations.
Risks 209, 4 June 2005
USA:
The new generation of asbestos claims
A new wave of asbestos cancers is being seen in people who contracted
the disease simply by being a family member of an asbestos-exposed worker.
Research in the United States has identified a growing number of claims
for compensation from these “paraoccupational” victims of
the incurable lung cancer mesothelioma.
Risks 209, 4 June 2005
New
Zealand: Asbestos victims must die poor - official
New Zealand’s official compensation agency is challenging the right
of those dying from asbestos exposure to claim lump sum compensation.
If successful, the bid to bar claims from people exposed before April
2002 would bar almost every asbestos cancer victim from claiming for years
to come because of the time lag between initial exposure and the development
of an asbestos cancer.
Risks 208, 28 May 2005
Britain:
Asbestos claims more lives
Britain is one of the worst hit countries in the world for asbestos deaths.
Cases are so commonplace in the UK these days they only merit a few lines
in local newspapers.
Risks 208, 28 May 2005
Global:
Metalworker unions push for global asbestos ban
The International Metalworkers’ Federation (IMF), representing metalworker
unions from 100 countries around the world launched a high-powered campaign
this week for a global ban on asbestos. A “death counter”
at its global congress ticked off the number of asbestos deaths occurring
as the event progressed – one additional death every five minutes.
Risks 208, 28 May 2005
Global:
James Hardie sees profits surge
A multinational asbestos giant that failed last year in its bid to evade
much of its compensation liability has seen its profits soar. James Hardie
Industries agreed in December 2004 to a £0.62bn compensation deal
after an unprecedented global campaign by unions and asbestos disease
victims’ organisations.
Risks 207, 21 May 2005
Britain:
Asbestos epidemic hits people of working age
The perception that deadly asbestos cancers only affect people in old
age is being challenged by recent tragedies. In the latest case, civil
engineer John Kay, 40, has been given just months to live after being
diagnosed with the asbestos cancer mesothelioma.
Risks 207, 21 May 2005
Britain:
“Cavalier” asbestos firm escapes justice
A Bradford building firm accused of a “cavalier” attitude
to the deadly risks of asbestos has evaded prosecution by going into liquidation.
A-One Insulation Ltd had been due to appear in court this week to face
eight charges of breaching asbestos regulations, including failure to
ensure the health and safety of its employees.
Risks 207, 21 May 2005
Global:
Experts back global asbestos ban
An international conference of top experts on workplace lung diseases
has backed calls for a global asbestos ban. The tenth International Conference
on Occupational Respiratory Diseases (ICORD) held in April in Beijing,
agreed a recommendation promoted by global union federations and other
bodies that all parties should pursue a global ban and reduction in the
use of asbestos.
Risks 203, 7 May 2005
Britain:
Palace widow gets asbestos payout
The widow of a man who died after exposure to asbestos at Buckingham Palace
has been awarded nearly £180,000 in compensation by the High Court.
Mary Costello's husband John died aged 58 in September 2001 of mesothelioma,
an asbestos-related cancer.
Risks 203, 7 May 2005
Britain:
Asbestos cancer kills 32-year-old
A man thought to be one of the youngest person in the UK to contract asbestos-related
cancer has died. Barry Welch, a 32-year-old father of three from Leicester
who has never worked with asbestos, was diagnosed with mesothelioma last
year – thought to be caused by childhood exposure to the fibre on
his stepfather’s overalls.
Risks 203, 7 May 2005
Britain:
CWU backs community asbestos campaign
CWU health and safety department is backing a community asbestos campaign
in a bid to stop a deadly airborne risk to workers and the public. Following
a recent meeting between “Save Spodden Valley” community campaigners
and local CWU reps from the Rochdale area the union has thrown its weight
behind the campaign to halt the development of a former Turner and Newell
asbestos textile factory site.
Risks 203, 7 May 2005
Britain:
More ex-rail staff die of asbestos cancer
A former British Rail employee died of cancer caused by asbestos, an inquest
has heard. The report came the same week a widow who emigrated to Australia
more than 40 years ago won substantial damages from British Rail following
the death of her husband from exposure to asbestos.
Risks 202, 16 April 2005
Asia:
TUC gets assurance on tsunami "asbestos aid"
The UK government has committed itself to help ensure that asbestos is
not used in materials used in reconstruction work in South East Asia following
the Boxing Day tsunami.
Risks 200, 2 April 2005
Britain:
Asbestos sheets killed joiner
A Newbury joiner died after years of prolonged contact with sheets of
asbestos which he would cut "like planks of wood," an inquest
has been told. Melvin Raymond, 63, worked with the asbestos sheets without
protective gear.
Risks 199, 19 March 2005
Britain:
Insurers in "shameless" appeal in asbestos case
Aviva and Zurich Insurance are to appeal against a legal decision which
found insurance firms are liable to pay compensation for pleural plaques
caused by exposure to asbestos. Colin Ettinger, the president of the Association
of Personal Injury Lawyers, called the legal challenge "nothing but
a shameless and greedy attempt by insurers to save yet more money at the
expense of injured people."
Risks 199, 19 March 2005
Britain:
Factory produces over 100 asbestos claims
Hundreds of former employees of a south Wales factory are taking legal
action after developing asbestos-related illnesses. More than 100 people
who worked at the Dunlop Semtex factory in Brynmawr have been awarded
compensation, with payouts ranging from £5,000 to £36,000.
Risks 198, 12 March 2005
Britain:
Plight of asbestos cancer victims "ignored"
People suffering from a cancer caused by asbestos exposure are being neglected,
campaigners say. The British Lung Foundation (BLF), which is calling for
more research and improved access to compensation, says the asbestos cancer
mesothelioma kills 1,800 people a year - more than cervical cancer - but
there is no cure and treatment only relieves the symptoms.
Risks 198, 12 March 2005
USA/Australia:
Hardie's compensation dealings span continents
Australian asbestos exporter James Hardie is lobbying the US Congress
for cut-price "no fault" legislation in a bid to limit its US
compensation liabilities. The building products company has hired Washington
influence peddling firm Shea and Gardner to push its powerful Republican
contacts to back legislation establishing a capped $140 billion (£73bn)
scheme to eliminate asbestos lawsuits.
Risks 197, 5 March 2005
Britain:
Asbestos dust kills daughter
A widower whose wife died of asbestos disease caused by her exposure as
a little girl has received a £107,500 compensation payout. When
Sylvie Tapley was a child she used to sit on her father's knee when he
returned from the asbestos factory where he worked.
Risks 197, 5 March 2005
Sri
Lanka/Australia: MP seeks to stop asbestos tsunami "aid"
An Australian politician has appealed to the country's federal government
to intervene and stop the use of asbestos products in Sri Lanka's tsunami
rebuilding programme.
Risks 195, 19 February 2005
Britain:
Asbestos ruling supports pleural plaques payouts
A move by insurers to stop paying out to people diagnosed with a condition
showing asbestos exposure has failed. A High Court judge ruled thousands
of people with pleural plaques - scarring on the lung lining - were still
entitled to compensation.
Risks 195, 19 February 2005
Global:
Hardie's world of asbestos victims
James Hardie Industries is under pressure to extend its $1.5 billion (£0.62bn)
Australian compensation deal to thousands of asbestos victims in Asia
and the Pacific.
Risks 193, 5 February 2005
Britain:
Widower loses damages for wife's asbestos death
A former shipyard worker whose wife died from an asbestos cancer has been
stripped of his £82,000 compensation payout. James Maguire's wife
Teresa, 67, contracted mesothelioma through secondary exposure to asbestos
dust on his work clothes.
Risks 192, 29 January 2005
Egypt:
Workers fight employer and asbestos disease
Ninety employees, many suffering from debilitating asbestos disease, have
been laid off by Aura-Misr, an Egyptian asbestos company. The sick workers
say a month's supply of basic medicine, that allows them to continue breathing
properly, costs about 70 per cent of a worker's salary.
Risks 191, 22 January 2005
Britain:
Hairdresser killed by asbestos in old driers
A former hairdresser died as a result of years of exposure to asbestos
in old hood-style hair-driers. Janet Watson, 59, contracted the asbestos
cancer mesothelioma through exposure to dust produced as asbestos linings
in the equipment crumbled with time.
Risks 191, 22 January 2005
USA:
Gridlock in asbestos compensation battle
The US Congress will probably have to decide the size of a proposed trust
fund to compensate asbestos victims, due to a lack of agreement among
affected groups, the senator drafting the measure said this week. Unions
warn that the current proposals would see some asbestos victims lose out.
Risks 190, 15 January 2005
Britain:
Equitas agrees £107 million asbestos payout
Equitas, the reinsurer set up to deal with Lloyd's of London's multibillion-pound
asbestos liabilities, has settled more than £107 million of claims
with four policyholders.
Risks 190, 15 January 2005
USA: Asbestos
cowboys get lengthy jail terms
A US federal judge has sentenced an asbestos company boss to 25 years
in prison, his father to 19 years and has ordered them to pay about $25
million (£13.3m) in restitution and fines. Alex Salvagno, 38, and
his father, Raul, 71, were found guilty of racketeering and conspiracy
to violate environmental laws for rushing asbestos abatement jobs, placing
staff at deadly risk.
Risks 189, 8 January 2005
Australia:
Campaigners secure James Hardie asbestos agreement
Unions and campaigners in Australia have signed a deal with former asbestos
products manufacturer James Hardie for what is believed to be the largest
personal injury settlement in Australia's history.
Risks 188, 24 December 2004
Global:
US turns up heat in Hardie scandal
The powerful US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has joined the
growing pack of watchdogs in the hunt to bring actions against James Hardie
Industries and its executives and directors.
Risks 187, 18 December 2004
Britain:
Amicus speaks up for asbestos victims
Amicus has condemned insurers who it says are attempting to shirk their
responsibility to compensate up to 75 per cent of asbestos claims. The
union says insurers are this week challenging in the High Court the right
of workers to claim compensation for pleural plaques, a calcification
of the lungs that can be caused by exposure to asbestos.
Risks 187, 18 December 2004
Australia:
James Hardie asbestos fund could fold
Disgraced Australian asbestos multinational James Hardie Industries is
facing fresh controversy after a foundation set up to compensate its asbestos
disease victims this week started proceedings to go into liquidation.
Risks 184, 27 November 2004
Global:
Unions up pressure for total asbestos ban
The world's construction unions are to step up the campaign for a global
asbestos ban. A joint declaration from the international building trade
union federations says they are "committed to actively promote the
global ban of all forms of asbestos from the construction industry and
from all other industrial sectors, and to promote the effective regulation
of work with in-situ asbestos in demolition, conversion, renovation and
maintenance works by law."
Risks 184, 27 November 2004 • Full
declaration
USA:
Asbestos industry the winner in the US election
Insurance companies have been cheered by the re-election of President
Bush, a move many believe could lead to the introduction of a new compensation
deal capping asbestos compensation liabilities.
Risks 183, 20 November 2004
USA:
Asbestos company's very profitable bankruptcy
A multinational which filed for bankruptcy in 2000 in the face of asbestos
disease liabilities estimated at $2 billion (£1.08bn) had sales
in the most recent quarter of over $1.5 billion (£0.8bn). Owens
Corning's net income for the quarter rose 71 per cent, to $94 million
(£50.6m), according to company reports.
Risks 182, 13 November 2004
Australia:
Company backs a loser in the asbestos stakes
James Hardie Industries may come to rue to day it decided to skip Australia,
leaving asbestos disease victims in the lurch. The company, now headquartered
in the Netherlands, is reeling in the face of very creative attacks from
unions and campaigners.
Risks 182, 13 November 2004
Britain:
"Cynical" insurers seek to dodge asbestos payouts
The insurance industry has been accused of a "cynical attempt"
to dodge its responsibility to some workers affected by asbestos exposure.
For the past twenty years, the courts have awarded compensation to people
with "pleural plaques", a scarring of the lungs caused by asbestos
- but this now being challenged in court by insurers.
Risks 182, 13 November 2004
Britain:
Insurance industry worried by growing asbestos claims
Insurance industry researchers have issued a dire warning about the escalating
costs of asbestos claims immediately ahead of a legal test case that seeks
to determine whether workers with early signs of asbestos damage should
receive payouts.
Risks 181, 6 November 2004
Britain:
TGWU calls for inquiry carpet factory asbestos deaths
The asbestos-related deaths of at least three former employees of a Bradford
carpet factory has prompted union calls for an urgent official investigation.
Peter Booth, national organiser with textiles union TGWU, said there should
be a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inquiry into the deaths of former
workers from the Associated Weavers mill.
Risks 181, 6 November 2004
Australia:
Millions for ousted bosses as asbestos fund runs dry
Seven figure pay-offs to two bosses forced to resign in a major asbestos
scandal have been condemned by unions. A fund set up to compensate asbestos
disease victims of James Hardie Industries, meanwhile, faces a Aus$2bn
(£815m) shortfall and could run dry as early as April next year.
Risks 180, 30 October 2004
Australia:
Landmark award for asbestos fears
A former asbestos mine worker has won a landmark court ruling in Australia.
The Supreme Court in Perth has ruled that a former worker at the Wittenoom
asbestos mine in Western Australia, who has a psychiatric disability caused
by fear of dying from asbestos disease, is entitled to compensation from
his former employer.
Risks 179, 23 October 2004
Australia/Canada
Construction workers protest at asbestos peddlers
Construction workers in Australia have protested outside the Canadian
High Commission in Canberra in a bid to highlight Canada's global marketing
push for the deadly asbestos industry.
Risks 178,
16 October 2004
Australia
Beleaguered asbestos giant sinks further
An asbestos scandal that has already
dislodged two top executives of James Hardie Industries, prompted a national
product boycott and has led to worldwide protests, looks set to become
to become more serious still. The company may soon be facing contempt
charges in Australia and criminal investigation in the US.
Risks 178,
16 October 2004
Global
Asbestos scandal claims top bosses' scalps
The growing international scandal engulfing Australian multinational James
Hardie Industries has claimed its first boardroom scalps. The company's
chief executive and chief financial officer have stood aside after an
official inquiry into the troubled building products company, which lots
set to become the "asbestos Enron" as it faces investigation
by financial watchdogs in Australia and the USA.
Risks
176, 2 October 2004
Britain
Mersey fire chiefs sue government over asbestos
The government is being sued by a fire service for not warning firefighters
about the dangers of asbestos. Merseyside Fire Service has confirmed that
it has started legal proceedings against the government.
Risks
176, 2 October 2004
Australia
Inquiry leads to jail calls for James Hardie
boss
A company boss is facing the threat of the sack and jail time for misleading
the stock market in a bid to evade asbestos disease compensation liabilities.
Besieged James Hardie Industries faces intense pressure to pay its full
asbestos disease liabilities of up to $2.24 billion (£0.9bn) and
sack its chief executive Peter Macdonald after a damning report by a special
inquiry.
Risks 175,
25 September 2004
Global
Asbestos interests block global safety move
Asbestos producer nations have blocked the addition of chrysotile (white)
asbestos to the UN list of highly dangerous substances that cannot be
exported to developing countries without their knowledge and agreement.
Hazards PIC
news, 18 September 2004
Global
Unions unite to fight for asbestos justice
Global trade union organisations are stepping up international pressure
on the Australian building supplies company James Hardie to compensate
thousands of victims of asbestos diseases.
Risks
174, 18 September 2004
Brazil
Asbestos victims win £90m payout from
EU multinational
A European multinational is facing an asbestos disease compensation bill
in excess of £90 million as a result of a Brazilian court ruling.
The landmark ruling against Eternit, and found the company responsible
for the ill-health of affected workers and directed the company to pay
compensation and medical costs.
Risks
174, 18 September 2004
Britain
Hospital asbestos blamed for death
A 60-year-old woman died after being exposed to asbestos dust while working
as a hospital cleaner, an inquest has heard. The West Yorkshire coroner
ruled that Vanda Johansson-Corcoran's death was caused after years of
being exposed to asbestos while cleaning a boiler room at Airedale Hospital,
Steeton, near Keighley.
Risks
172, 4 September 2004
Global
Bid to stop asbestos company going Dutch
on compo
An Australian asbestos giant that jumped ship to Holland could face court
action in the Dutch courts. Dutch justice minister Piet Hein Donner said
in answer to questions from federal MPs that his government would consider
any request for a judicial treaty with Australia which would allow asbestos
diseases victims of the James Hardie company to pursue compensation claims
in Holland.
Risks 172,
4 September 2004
Global
Asbestos myths resurface as ban vote looms
Frantic industry efforts to present white asbestos in a safe light are
underway, as September's Rotterdam Treaty move to restrict the deadly
fibre draws closer.
Risks 171,
28 August 2004
Gibraltar
Shipyard workers receive asbestos disease
payouts
Spanish workers employed 50 years ago in British shipyards renovating
US ships on the island of Gibraltar have received payouts for asbestos
disease. The claims were made to a trust fund set up by defunct US shipping
companies.
Risks
170, 21 August 2004
Britain
Scots asbestos compensation move urged
An asbestos campaign group is pressing the Scottish parliament to speed
up compensation for victims of the disease and their families. Clydeside
Action on Asbestos says that while the courts have been prepared to speed
up the process, too few claims are settled while victims are still alive.
Risks
170, 21 August 2004
Australia
ACTU condemns asbestos firm's cut price
compo plan
Australia's top union body has condemned a proposal by multinational firm
James Hardie as an attempt to evade its liabilities to asbestos disease
victims and their families. It follows a call that Hardie Industries chief
executive Peter Macdonald should face a jail sentence for his role in
a scheme that disadvantaged asbestos victims.
Risks
169, 14 August 2004
Australia
Unions ban products from asbestos fraud firm
An Australian company denounced for fraud, lies and asbestos disgrace
at an official inquiry is facing a union-led ban on its products.
Risks
168, 7 August 2004
USA
Surge in asbestos deaths
The use of asbestos may be declining in the United States, but asbestos
related deaths are on the rise and will continue to rise for at least
the next decade, according to a new study from the US government's Centers
for Disease Control (CDC).
Risks
167, 31 July 2004
Australia
Unions pursue asbestos firm worldwide
A company that skipped Australia for the Netherlands in a suspected bid
to evade tens of thousands of asbestos compensation claims is the target
of a global union campaign. Australian national union federation ACTU
has rejected a proposal by the board of the James Hardie company for a
statutory scheme that would limit the rights of asbestos disease victims.
Risks
166, 24 July 2004
Global
Everything you need to know about asbestos
The latest issue of the International Journal of Occupational and Environmental
Health is available online and is on the theme of asbestos. IJOEH provides
essential background material for the fight for a global asbestos ban.
IJOEH, volume 10,
Number 2, April-June 2004
South Africa
Government acts to ban asbestos
South Africa is to ban the manufacture and new use of asbestos. Environment
minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk told South African MPs the government
will "be publishing regulations this year to prohibit the use of
asbestos."
Risks
162, 26 June 2004
Global
Canada will fight asbestos trade controls
The Canadian government has confirmed it will try to block a global agreement
that aims to curtail trade in deadly chrysotile (white) asbestos. But
the global union umbrella group ICFTU says all forms of asbestos must
be banned, with "just transition" programmes introduced to provide
work and training for displaced workers.
Risks
161, 19 June 2004
India
White asbestos must be banned say campaigners
Health campaigners in India are demanding a ban on white asbestos, saying
the thousands die each year in the country from asbestos related diseases.
Risks
160, 12 June 2004
Brazil
New offensive against asbestos
Mining, production, sales and use of asbestos should be banned, the Brazilian
Ministry of Labour and Employment has confirmed.
Risks
154, 1 May 2004
USA
Republicans push for asbestos bail-out
US Republicans are attempting to push through a cut-price asbestos compensation
deal. Senior Republicans anticipate proposed law will fail - the proposed
$114bn (£64bn) cash-capped pot would be too small and is described
by critics as an asbestos industry "bail-out" or "corporate
welfare" - but are hoping to make it an election year issue anyway.
Risks
153, 24 April 2004
Canada
Stop "pretending asbestos safe" call
The Ban Asbestos Network (BAN) is demanding Canada stop pretending that
asbestos is safe. BAN members, which include CUPE and CAW, Canada's largest
public and private sector unions respectively, are also urging Canada
to support "prior informed consent" (PIC) requirements for all
forms of asbestos imported from Canada by other countries.
Risks
151, 10 April 2004
Brazil
One more step to a global asbestos ban
Brazil is to become the latest country to impose a ban on asbestos. Press
reports say the Brazilian government, which has been under considerable
and consistent pressure from the Canadian government to continue using
its chrysotile (white) asbestos, is to go ahead with a ban.
Risks
150, 3 April 2004
USA
Even asbestos epidemic figures are "kind of
low"
A top US occupational health expert has indicated that shocking figures
that earlier this month revealed a massive US asbestos disease epidemic,
may in fact be under-estimating the true extent of the problem.
Risks
149, 27 March 2004
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