Britain: Family receives asbestos payout
The family of a former UNISON member has received more than £140,000
in compensation following his death from the asbestos cancer mesothelioma.
Jim Crowe died aged 79 in June 2007 after developing the incurable disease.
UNISON
news release • Risks
362 Hazards news, 28 June 2008
USA:
New committee to push a US asbestos ban
US public health advocates have launched a Committee to Ban Asbestos in
America (CBAA). The new group, created by the Asbestos Disease Awareness
Organization (ADAO) and The John McNamara Foundation say many people wrongly
believe asbestos is already banned in the US. CBAA
news release • ADAO
website • BanAsbestos.us
• International
Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS) • Risks
360 Hazards news, 14 June 2008
Britain: Pressure
wins pleural plaques review
A government consultation into a House of Lords ruling on the asbestos-related
condition pleural plaques will begin this month. The commitment came in
an adjournment debate in parliament on 4 June, initiated by Labour MP
Michael Clapham. Thompsons
Solicitors news release • Risks
360 Hazards news, 14 June 2008
Britain:
MP savages insurance industry jackals
Insurers have been accused of being hypocrites and “jackals”
because of their ongoing efforts to evade liability for asbestos compensation
payouts. Labour MP Michael Clapham, the chair of the Commons all party
asbestos sub-committee, was speaking in a 4 June Westminster Hall adjournment
debate about the ongoing fight to restore compensation to victims of pleural
plaques. UCATT
news release • Hansard
report of the 4 June Westminster Hall debate • Risks
360 Hazards news, 14 June 2008
Britain:
Court challenge to cancer payouts
A nine-week battle started this week in the High Court and will see insurance
companies seek to evade liability for a large number of asbestos compensation
payouts. The court will decide whether insurers are liable for damages
from sufferers’ first exposure to asbestos, or from when they become
ill. Unite
news release • The
Guardian • BBC
News Online • The
Times • Risks
359 Hazards news, 7 June 2008
Canada: Pro-asbestos
lobby gets caught out
Canada’s pro-asbestos lobby has faced stern criticism for wrongly
implying a long-delayed government commissioned report opposes a ban on
asbestos. Critics including the chair of the Health Canada panel of experts
that prepared the report have denounced both the delay and the misrepresentation
of their findings. CBC
News • Ottawa
Citizen • International
Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS) • Ban
Asbestos Canada • Risks
358 Hazards news, 31 May 2008
Britain: Former
nurse's shock at asbestos illness
Another former nurse has fallen victim to the asbestos cancer mesothelioma.
Diane Coote, 57, believes she was exposed to the deadly dust in her 10
years nursing at hospitals in Norwich. Norwich
Evening News • Risks
358 Hazards news, 31 May 2008
Australia: Union
launches asbestos probe
An Australian union has organised the largest asbestos survey and research
programme to ever be undertaken at a single work site in the country.
The Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) says the Cement Australia site
at Railton, Tasmania, contains asbestos building products and the company’s
predecessor on the site, Goliath Cement, manufactured and distributed
asbestos-containing materials between 1947 and 1986. AWU
news release • Risks
357 Hazards news, 24 May 2008
Britain: Court
rules asbestos causes lung cancer
A High Court ruling has confirmed the lung cancer and asbestos link. Although
it has long been accepted asbestos causes lung cancer, proving the link
in court has been difficult because, unlike mesothelioma, the condition
can be caused by a wide range of other factors, including smoking. Irwin
Mitchell news release • John Shortell (executor of the estate
of John Joseph Shortell deceased and litigation friend of Eileen Shortell)
v BICAL construction Ltd (sued as successor to BIC Construction Ltd),
in the High Court of Justice (Queen’s Bench Division), Liverpool
District Registry, Case No: 7LV30059, 28 April – 1 May 2008 •
Risks
357 Hazards news, 24 May 2008
Britain: Dead at 50 from
T&N’s asbestos
A widow’s seven year wait for compensation for her husband’s
death has finally come to an end after she received a six figure payout.
The unnamed woman from Bolton received £218,000 from the trustees
of Turner and Newall (T&N). Thompsons
Solicitors news release • Risks
357 Hazards news, 24 May 2008
Britain: Energy
worker gets cancer payout
A retired power station worker has received £120,000 in compensation
after developing an incurable asbestos cancer. Lionel Waldridge, 78, from
Ipswich, was awarded the damages from energy firm E.ON Plc after he was
diagnosed with mesothelioma. Thompsons
Solicitors news release • Risks
357 Hazards news, 24 May 2008
Britain: Yet another
meso widow
The widow of a Unite member has received over £115,000 in compensation
after her husband died from the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma.
The grandmother of one, who does not wish to be named, received the damages
after her husband was exposed to asbestos while working for Young, Austen
& Young heating engineers in Sussex. Thompsons
Solicitors news release•Risks
357 Hazards news, 24 May 2008
Britain: Insurers
threaten Scots asbestos payout plans
Insurance companies have threatened legal action against the Scottish
government if it passes legislation allowing people with certain asbestos-related
health conditions but who are not seriously ill as a result to sue for
damages. The
Times • Risks
356 Hazards news, 17 May 2008
Britain: Turner
and Newall kills again
The family of a former Turner and Newall (T&N) employee has received
compensation of over £28,000 after their sister died from the lung
disease asbestosis. The unnamed 83-year-old from Cheshire developed the
disease after working at T&N’s Widnes factory for 40 years.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release • Risks
356 Hazards news, 17 May 2008
Britain: ICI did not
warn of asbestos danger
An employee of chemicals giant ICI was exposed to asbestos dust at work
for more than 20 years – but was never warned of the risks. Brian
Raw, who died of the asbestos cancer mesothelioma in October 2007, was
never given a mask or safety advice an inquest was told. Cheshire
Today • Risks
355 Hazards news, 10 May 2008
Britain: Widow gets
six figure asbestos payout
The widow of a Unite member has secured £120,000 in an out of court
compensation settlement after her husband died from the asbestos related
cancer, mesothelioma. The unnamed 71-year-old from Mold in Wales was exposed
to asbestos while working for the Metropolitan Vickers Electrical Company
in Trafford Park, Manchester, now known as AEI. Thompsons
Solicitors news release • Risks
354 Hazards news, 3 May 2008
Global: Unions
call for asbestos ban support
Global union federations representing tens of millions of workers in the
construction and metal sectors have renewed their call for a global asbestos
ban. The Building and Woodworkers’ International (BWI) has written
to the Canadian Labour Congress appealing for help from Canadian trade
unions to end the export of Canadian chrysotile asbestos to the developing
world. BWI
news release • Canadian
asbestos: One killer export, Ban Asbestos Canada Network • Risks
353 Hazards news, 26 April 2008
Britain: Shipyard
exposures caused asbestosis
A Unite member has been awarded £20,000 in provisional damages after
exposure to asbestos in a shipyard wrecked his health. Peter Guy developed
asbestosis after being exposed to the dangerous dust while working for
Harland & Wolf shipyard during the 1960s. Thompsons
Solicitors news release • Risks
353 Hazards news, 26 April 2008
Britain: Family members
face asbestos peril
Asbestos exposure is so dangerous it is killing the family members of
workers who brought home the dust on their clothes. Evening
Post • Gazette
and Herald • Risks
352 Hazards news, 19 April 2008
Britain:
More white collar asbestos victims
A former benefits officer and a nurse are the latest workplace victims
of mesothelioma, the incurable asbestos cancer. Thompsons
news release • Irwin
Mitchell news release • Risks
352 Hazards news, 19 April 2008
Britain:
Rail worker gets asbestos payout
A former British Rail worker has been awarded £180,000 in compensation
after developing the incurable asbestos cancer mesothelioma. ASLEF member
Kenneth Chapman, 74, worked for New Southern Railway, part of British
Rail, from the 1950s until he retired in 1996 and was exposed to asbestos
while working as a fireman, boiler cleaner and train driver. Thompsons
Solicitors news release • Risks
352 Hazards news, 19 April 2008
Britain: Lung
cancer survivor gets payout
A man who developed lung cancer after being exposed to asbestos in the
workplace has been compensated by his former employers. Widower, Joseph
Douglas, 66, from Ellesmere Port has received £65,000 in damages
after he was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2004. Thompsons
Solicitors news release • Risks
351 Hazards news, 12 April 2008
Japan: Government
releases asbestos firms list
The Japanese government has grudgingly released the names of 2,167 companies
and offices around the nation where workers had received compensation
for asbestos-related illnesses. Campaigners say the list will enable those
who lived near the companies or who had family members who worked there
to get checked for diseases such as the asbestos cancer mesothelioma.
Asahi
Shimbun • Risks
350 Hazards news, 5 April 2008
Britain: MPs vow
support for meso sufferers
Members of parliament have vowed support for a campaign for better compensation
for sufferers of the asbestos cancer mesothelioma. The members of the
All Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety and Health’s
asbestos sub-committee made the promise after watching a short film calling
on the government to amend the law on government asbestos payouts. Thompsons
Solicitors news release • Risks
350 Hazards news, 5 April 2008
South Africa: Lobbyists
fail to block asbestos ban
A new law banning asbestos in South Africa took effect in late March.
Environmental affairs and tourism minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said
the regulations prohibit the use, processing, manufacturing, and import
and export of any asbestos or asbestos-containing materials (ACMs).
South African government
news release and asbestos
regulations webpage • Mail
and Guardian • International
Ban Asbestos Secretariat • Risks
350 Hazards news, 5 April 2008
Britain: Experts
urge action on asbestos plaques
A panel of experts convened by construction union UCATT has advised MPs
the government should overturn the Law Lords decision blocking compensation
for pleural plaque sufferers. Top medical and legal experts addressed
a 26 March seminar held in the House of Commons to brief MPs. UCATT
news release and campaign postcard [pdf]
• UCATT
campaigns webpages • Risks
349 Hazards news, 29 March 2008
Britain: Consultation
on pleural plaques payouts
Top personal injury lawyers have welcomed a pledge by prime minister Gordon
Brown to produce a consultation paper on the plight of victims of pleural
plaques, an injury caused by exposure to asbestos. In October last year
the highest court in the UK, the House of Lords, announced that it would
not overturn a ruling of the Court of Appeal in January 2006, which now
prevents sufferers of pleural plaques from claiming compensation. Irwin
Mitchell news release • Sign
the e-petition to the prime minister calling for the reinstatement of
pleural plaques compensation • Risks
349 Hazards news, 29 March 2008
Britain: Six figure
payout for asbestos death
A Yorkshire widow has received a six-figure compensation payout after
her husband died of an asbestos cancer. Sylvia Worth, 54, was awarded
£122,000 in damages.
Thompsons Solicitors news
release • Find
your local asbestos group on the Asbestos Forum website • Risks
349 Hazards news, 29 March 2008
Britain:
Survey call after teacher’s asbestos death
Teaching union NUT has called for all schools in Wales to be checked for
asbestos after the death of a retired teacher from an asbestos cancer.
Renee Blodwen Eden, 69, from Anglesey, was most likely to have died from
exposure to asbestos in a school building, an inquest heard. Western
Mail• BBC
News Online• Risks
348 Hazards news, 22 March 2008
Global: Toxics
trade convention in jeopardy
A treaty intended to ensure the worst industrial poisons aren’t
traded globally without health and safety warnings is in jeopardy because
of lobbying by vested interests. A global alliance of environmental, labour
movement and health groups is sounding the alarm, saying “industry
interference and political sabotage by a handful of countries, led by
Canada, is strangling the Rotterdam Convention”. Rotterdam
Treaty campaign statement• RightOnCanada
asbestos webpage• Risks
347 Hazards news, 15 March 2008
Britain: Kings
College not so clever on asbestos
Kings College, Cambridge, has been prosecuted after painters were exposed
to asbestos containing materials while working at the college. It was
fined £16,000 with £14,500 costs at Cambridge Magistrates
Court after pleading guilty to eight breaches of the Control of Asbestos
Regulations 2006. HSE
news release• Risks
347 Hazards news, 15 March 2008
Britain: Clothing
company work led to cancer
A woman who was exposed to asbestos while working for a clothes factory
when she was a teenager is to receive more than £135,000 in compensation.
Pauline Cade, 65, was exposed while working as a junior clerk for Thomas
Marshall (Marlbeck) Ltd, a clothing company in Leeds that made items for
small drapers and department stores. Thompsons
Solicitors news release• Risks
347 Hazards news, 15 March 2008
Canada: Government
continues death fibre defence
Health Canada has quietly begun a study on the dangers of chrysotile,
the last remaining variety of the asbestos in widespread commercial use.
It is believed it is undertaking the research “to help further Canada’s
knowledge of chrysotile asbestos fibres in relation to human health”
– code for an effort to defend the deadly fibre from event limited
right-to-know measures on asbestos exports. ETUI-REHS
news report • Risks
345 Hazards news, 1 March 2008
Britain: Workers
unaware of asbestos dangers
Most tradespeople are unaware of the health risks linked to asbestos,
a survey has found. The British Lung Foundation said just 12 per cent
of the 399 building trades workers it questioned knew asbestos exposure
could kill them and less than a third were aware asbestos can cause cancer.
BLF
news release • Risks
345 Hazards news, 1 March 2008
Australia: Ford
pays mechanic for asbestosis
A mechanic from Perth has made Australian legal history by successfully
suing the Ford Motor Company for Aus$840,000 (£396,000) after he
proved that his job caused his asbestosis. The Supreme Court of Western
Australia ruled that Ford was responsible for the asbestosis now crippling
Antonino Lo Presti, 58, and awarded him damages. The
Australian and related
story • Risks
344 Hazards news, 23 February 2008
Britain: Trades
alerted to youth asbestos risk
Every week 20 workers in construction trades die simply because they have
breathed in asbestos fibres during the course of their work, a Health
and Safety Executive (HSE) campaign is warning. The safety watchdog says
its research shows young plumbers, electricians and other site tradespeople
know that asbestos is dangerous but just don't believe that they are personally
at risk. Risks
344 Hazards news, 23 February 2008
Britain: Search
for asbestos victim’s workmates
The family of a Scarborough repairman who died as a result of exposure
to asbestos has launched an appeal to trace his former colleagues. Geoff
Edmonds, who worked for engineering company Brogden and Wilson for almost
30 years, died aged 79 from the asbestos cancer mesothelioma last year.
Thompson’s
Solicitors news release • Anybody who worked for Brogden and
Wilson between 1941 and 1969 and remembers Geoff Edmonds should contact
Marion
Voss on 0113 2056300 • Risks
344 Hazards news, 23 February 2008
Britain:
Call for schools asbestos survey
Teaching union ATL is urging the government to carry out a survey of all
schools to check whether asbestos is present. It is warning that putting
a drawing pin into a classroom wall or slamming a classroom door “could
be enough to sign a death warrant” and is calling for asbestos to
be removed from all schools by 2010. HSE
news release • Risks
344 Hazards news, 23 February 2008
Britain: Postcard push
for pleural plaques payouts
Unions and asbestos groups have launched a campaign to press for compensation
for pleural plaques. Alan Ritchie, general secretary of construction union
UCATT, presented an oversized postcard to secretary of state for justice
Jack Straw to mark the latest push to overturn the October 2007 Law Lords
decision to end compensation for pleural plaques, a scarring of the lungs
caused by heavy and long term exposure to asbestos UCATT
news release and pleural plaques postcard [pdf]
• Risks
344 Hazards news, 23 February 2008
Global:
Governments told to act on asbestos
Governments must take urgent action to ban asbestos worldwide and to head
off a massive asbestos industry promotional push, campaigners have said.
Eighty delegates from unions, asbestos groups and international tripartite,
enforcement and expert bodies from 33 countries met in Vienna this month
to devise an effective response to the occupational and public health
menace posed by asbestos. BWI
news release • Vienna Declaration from the Building and Woodworkers
International Asbestos Conference, made in Vienna, February 2008 [pdf]
• Risks
343 Hazards news, 16 February 2008
Britain: Former
nurse gets asbestos cancer
A former nurse should get compensation for her asbestos-related illness
after a health authority accepted liability for having caused her disease.
Mary Artherton, 59, was exposed to the dust while working at a sequence
of Norwich hospitals. Risks
343 Hazards news, 16 February 2008
Britain: Payout too
late for asbestos poster girl
The family of a poster girl for the former asbestos giant Turner and Newall
has won a five figure settlement from the company after she died from
the asbestos cancer mesothelioma. Martha Charlson, from Rochdale, was
enlisted to promote the image of T&N in its heyday, when her photo
appeared in a booklet detailing the firm's history. Thompsons
Solicitors news release • Risks
343 Hazards news, 16 February 2008
Britain: Action Mesothelioma
Day, 27 February 2008
Action Mesothelioma Day, on 27 February involves local activities nationwide
to raise awareness of mesothelioma, an incurable cancer caused by exposure
to asbestos, and to campaign for prevention of asbestos exposures today
and better treatment and benefits for those affected by past exposures.
Join a local event – or if there isn’t one, consider organising
your own.
Asbestos Forum Action
Mesothelioma Day webpage and events
listing • Action
Mesothelioma website • Risks
343 Hazards news, 16 February 2008
Britain: Scotland
makes asbestos disease move
Victims of several asbestos-related conditions will benefit from Scottish
legislation allowing them to claim damages, even if they do not suffer
ill-health as a result, the Scottish government justice secretary Kenny
MacAskill has said. People with pleural plaques, asymptomatic asbestosis
or pleural thickening will be able to seek compensation if they have been
negligently exposed to asbestos, under a proposed bill published by the
Scottish government. Scottish
Government news release •Risks
342 Hazards news, 9 February 2008
Britain:
Asbestos sufferers in pleural plaques protest
Trade unionists and asbestos support groups from across the country have
called for compensation for asbestos related pleural plaques to be reinstated.
A 29 January lobby of parliament set out to convince the government the
October 2007 decision by the Law Lords to stop payouts must be overturned. Risks
341 Hazards news, 2 February 2008
Britain:
Asbestos groups welcome drugs decision
Groups supporting families affected by asbestos disease have welcomed
the approval of the most effective drug treatment for the cancer mesothelioma.
On 23 January drug approvals agency NICE announced it had cleared the
use of Alimta for the treatment of mesothelioma.
Asbestos Forum news
release and website
• NICE
decision • Risks
340 Hazards news, 26 January 2008
Britain:
Mesothelioma families want fairness
A group of mesothelioma sufferers and their families have released a short
film with a hard-hitting message calling on the UK government to amend
the law on asbestos compensation. The North East Mesothelioma Self Help
Group wants the bereavement compensation paid to families of mesothelioma
victims in England and Wales to be on a par with payments made in Scotland.
Thompsons
Solicitors news release, including link to the short film
• Risks
339 Hazards news, 19 January 2008
Britain:
Top asbestos campaign relaunches
A campaign group set up in memory of a Leeds mother who died of an asbestos-related
cancer has won charitable status. The June Hancock Mesothelioma Research
Fund has now officially relaunched itself as an independent charity.
June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund news
release and mesothelioma charter and website
• Asbestos
Victims Support Groups Forum UK Hazards news, 22 December 2007
Canada: Asbestos epidemic
‘made in Canada’
A prominent Canadian politician has said the country deserves international
derision for imposing a made-in-Canada asbestos disease epidemic on the
rest of the world. In an opinion piece in the National Post, Pat Martin,
an MP with the New Democratic Party, said the Canadian government’s
backing for the industry was “corporate welfare for corporate serial
killers.” National
Post • NDP
news release Hazards news, 8 December 2007
Britain: Asbestos
case settled in four months
Former shipyard worker Charles Cochran, 67, has been awarded more than
£150,000 in compensation after developing the asbestos cancer mesothelioma.
This case was settled just four months after the claim was made. Thompsons
Solicitors news release Hazards news, 8 December 2007
Britain:
No one is safe from asbestos
A hairdresser and a theatre worker are among the latest victims of asbestos.
Carol Heaton, 60, died from the asbestos cancer mesothelioma after working
in a hair salon for 33 years and theatre worker Gloria Dawson, 69, was
killed by a crumbling fire safety stage curtain. Daily
Mail • The
Times Hazards news, 8 December 2007
Britain: Unions
welcomes pleural plaques move
Construction union UCATT have given a “cautious welcome” to
the UK government’s commitment to examine a recent decision of the
Law Lords that asbestos campaigners have labelled a “travesty of
justice” and “a disgrace”. UCATT
news release • Oldham
Chronicle Hazards news, 8 December 2007
Australia: Death of
Bernie Banton, asbestos hero
Bernie Banton, an Australian factory worker who became a nationwide symbol
for labour rights in Australia, died on 27 November after suffering with
asbestosis for years and more recently developing the asbestos cancer
mesothelioma. Mr Banton, who was 61, fought until the very end, managing
this month to give court evidence in a landmark compensation case from
his hospital bed, as well as delivering a petition to the government in
the run-up to last Saturday’s federal election pressing for and
winning improved drug treatments for mesothelioma sufferers. ACTU
condolence book • The
James Hardie scandal Hazards news, 1 December 2007
Canada:
Asbestos exports on the increase
A major sales drive by Canada’s asbestos industry has seen asbestos
exports to some developing nations increase dramatically. Seventy-five
per cent of Canadian asbestos exports go to Asian countries, the analysis
shows; the top five regional markets are India – which imported
C$25,196,357 (£12,420,000) worth of Canadian asbestos between January
and August 2007, followed by Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand and Bangladesh.
Canadian
asbestos: The naked truth, IBAS, November 2007 • New
International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS) website Hazards news, 24 November 2007
Britain: Port
worker receives asbestos settlement
A retired Port of London Authority (PLA) worker has received £23,500
compensation after being diagnosed with asbestos-related pleural thickening.
Unite secured the compensation for Terence O’Connell, 84, who worked
for the PLA from 1937 until 1975, save for the wartime years when he served
in the RAF. Pattinson
& Brewer news release Hazards news, 24 November 2007
Australia:
Campaigner wins asbestos drug fight
Thousands of victims of asbestos cancer in Australia will be able to get
an expensive palliative care drug at next to no cost by January or even
sooner. Both major political parties promised to subsidise the drug Alimta
for sufferers of the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma after the government's
drug advisory body recommended that it be listed on the Pharmaceutical
Benefits Scheme, which means it is available with most costs borne by
the government. The
Age • The
Daily Telegraph Hazards news, 17 November 2007
Britain: Cancer
payout for asbestos hug woman
A Devon woman who developed an incurable asbestos-related cancer from
hugging her father as a child has settled a damages claim. The Ministry
of Defence (MoD), which owned Devonport Dockyard when Debbie Brewer's
father worked there in the 1960s, settled with a six-figure sum. BBC
News Online • Daily
Mail Hazards news, 17 November 2007
Britain: Cancer
payouts offer little comfort
The widow of a Unite member has been awarded a substantial compensation
payment after her husband died of an asbestos cancer caused by exposures
at work. David Hines from Birkenhead was 73 when he died just two months
after he was diagnosed with mesothelioma. Thompsons
Solicitors news release Hazards news, 17 November 2007
Britain:
Teacher’s testimony to asbestos dangers
A teacher who has developed the asbestos cancer mesothelioma as a result
of exposures in a school has issued an online video warning about the
dangers of the deadly fibre. Elizabeth Bradford was informed after an
inspection by her local authority employer she had been exposed to asbestos,
but it was white asbestos so there wasn’t a problem. ATL
YouTube video clip • Also on YouTube: Mesothelioma:
The human face of an epidemic • Other
safety related videos on YouTube Hazards news, 17 November 2007
Britain: Company
fined £20,000 for asbestos breach
Bedford magistrates have fined Galamast Ltd £20,000 for exposing
workers to asbestos. The prosecution comes as new figures show record
numbers are dying of asbestos cancers. HSE
news release• Thompsons Solicitors
news release Hazards news, 10 November 2007
Global: Tell Canada
to stop deadly asbestos exports
A major petition to Canadian premier Stephen Harper by campaign organisation
RightsOnCanada is calling for an end to Canadian support for asbestos
exports and is attracting thousands of signatures. Two of the country’s
leading asbestos exporters this week combined their marketing efforts
to “maximise our sales and minimise our costs,” said Simon
Dupéré, president of LAB Chrysotile, which operates two
mines in Thetford, Quebec. Sign
the RightsOnCanada petition for an end to Canada’s promotion of
asbestos trade Hazards news, 3 November 2007
Canada: Asbestos
pushers face new attack
Canada’s promotion of asbestos trade in the developing world is
turning into a major national controversy. National press coverage has
revealed the real-life circumstances of asbestos use in India, Canada’s
biggest asbestos client. Global
and Mail • Asbestos
abuse photofile Hazards news, 3 November 2007
Australia:
Minister apologises to asbestos campaigner
Australia’s federal health minister Tony Abbott has phoned anti-asbestos
campaigner Bernie Banton to apologise for accusing him of conducting a
political stunt and suggesting he is “not necessarily pure of heart”.
Mr Banton, who has suffered for years from asbestosis and was this year
diagnosed with the asbestos cancer mesothelioma, led a group this week
trying to present a petition to Mr Abbott calling for government subsidies
on a drug, Alimta, that treats the condition. ABC
News and TV
interview with Tony Abbott • CFMEU
news release • Sky
News coverage of the Abbott insult and apology Hazards news, 3 November 2007
Britain:
Contractors warned on asbestos risks
A Preston building contractor has been fined after safety lapses led to
two workers from another company being exposed to asbestos. Mustaq Bargit,
trading as M and B Builders, was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay
costs of £5,137.73 after being found guilty at Preston Magistrates
Court of safety offences. He had allowed work on a construction site to
take place without an asbestos survey being completed. HSE
news release Hazards news, 27 October 2007
Britain:
Hospital trust fined for asbestos blunders
A South London NHS trust has been fined after failing to take proper precautions
to manage asbestos in their buildings, resulting in workers being exposed
to asbestos dust. St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust was fined £5,000
and ordered to pay costs of £6,432 at the City of London Magistrates’
Court, after it pleaded guilty of breaching the Control of Asbestos at
Work Regulations 2002. HSE
news release Hazards news, 27 October 2007
Britain: Asbestos
payout after dad’s death
The two daughters of a York man who died of the asbestos cancer mesothelioma
are to receive compensation. CWU member Leslie Kenneth Bailey died on
23 March 2003, aged 48, having been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma
in November 2002. Pattinson
& Brewer news release Hazards news, 20 October 2007
USA: Senate
passes asbestos ban
After seven years of stalling the ‘Ban Asbestos in America Act’
has been passed by the US Senate, bring a formal ban on asbestos a major
step closer. Senator
Patty Murray’s news release • Asbestos Disease Awareness
Organisation (ADAO) news release [pdf] Hazards news, 13 October 2007
Britain: Seafarer’s
overalls caused wife’s cancer
A former seafarer whose wife died as a result of washing his asbestos
covered work overalls has received an out-of-court settlement of £62,500
from British Rail. David Parker, who was employed by British Rail Ferries
on the SS Sarnia ship in 1966,took home asbestos fibres on his clothing.
Swindon
Advertiser Hazards news, 13 October 2007
Global:
Global asbestos ban plan
Top international agencies are pushing forward with a plan for a worldwide
asbestos ban. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the World
Health Organisation (WHO) have prepared an ‘Outline for the development
of national programmes for elimination of asbestos-related diseases,’
which ILO says “is a tool for increasing policy coherence for reducing
and finally phasing out the use of asbestos and asbestos-containing materials.” ILO
publication alert • Outline for the development of national
programmes for elimination of asbestos-related diseases [pdf]
• ILO 2006 resolution on asbestos [pdf]• WHO
position paper on elimination of asbestos related diseases, [pdf] Hazards news, 6 October 2007
Britain: Relatives
step up asbestos fight
A campaign set up in memory of Prospect member Roger Lowe is drawing attention
to the deadly dangers posed by asbestos exposure. The daughters and wife
of the dockyard electrical fitter, who died aged 68 from the asbestos-related
cancer mesothelioma in December 2005, have founded a support group in
his name. Prospect
news release • Roger
Lowe Campaign Hazards news, 6 October 2007
Britain:
Woman tells of asbestos disease nightmares
A 55-year-old woman from Retford, whose father and two brothers died from
asbestos related diseases, is taking legal action after discovering she
has the illness pleural plaques, associated with asbestos exposure. Valerie
Pask, 55, was diagnosed with the condition in April 2006. Irwin
Mitchell news release • The
Mirror Hazards news, 22 September 2007
Australia:
Ex-James Hardie boss in criminal probe
The former managing director of James Hardie, Peter Macdonald, has been
revealed as the target of a criminal investigation over compensation to
asbestos victims. He is first to be named as being investigated by the
Australian Securities and Investments Commission since it flagged a criminal
investigation in February into the scandal that cost Mr Macdonald his
job. Sydney
Morning Herald • ASIC
James Hardie webpage Hazards news, 8 September 2007
Britain: Union ups school
asbestos campaign
Teaching union ATL is ramping up its awareness campaign on the dangers
posed by asbestos in school buildings. The union says over 400 ATL members
have so far signed its asbestos register, to indicate they may have been
exposed at work, and the number on the register “is growing daily”. ATL
news report Mesothelioma: The human face of an asbestos epidemic,
YouTube video
Britain:
Asbestos blamed for man’s death
A carpenter’s death was caused by his working exposure to asbestos
- even though no asbestos could be found in his lungs, a Gloucester inquest
has ruled. Coroner Alan Crickmore recorded a verdict that Gerard Thorley
died aged 69 from an industrial disease. Gloucester
Citizen Hazards news, 1 September 2007
Britain: NUT lessons
on school asbestos
Schools should conduct thorough asbestos surveys and headteachers, governors
and premises staff must have better knowledge of asbestos management,
teaching union NUT has said. The union’s briefing, prepared after
teachers and staff were placed at risk when asbestos was disturbed at
a Derby school and the city’s council was prosecuted successfully
in May, says visual inspections of schools for a potential asbestos risk
are not enough. NUT health
and safety briefings webpage • NUT briefing: Asbestos –
lessons to be learned report [word] Hazards news, 1 September 2007
Asia:
Asbestos plague reaches Asia
As asbestos markets shrink in Europe, the cancer-causing product is finding
new markets in developing countries. A new report, ‘Killing the
future: Asbestos use in Asia’, warns that although major international
agencies agree that exposure to asbestos is deadly, the consumption of
white asbestos (chrysotile) is increasing throughout Asia. IBAS news release [pdf]
• Killing the future: Asbestos use in Asia, IBAS, 2007 [pdf]
• Further
information Hazards news, 18 August 2007
Global: Killing
the future – exporting an asbestos epidemic to Asia
As asbestos markets shrink in Europe, the cancer-causing product is finding
new markets in developing countries. A new report, ‘Killing the
future: Asbestos use in Asia’, warns that although major international
agencies agree that exposure to asbestos is deadly, the consumption of
white asbestos (chrysotile) is increasing throughout Asia. It says half
of current asbestos consumption is in Asian countries.
Further details on Killing the future Hazards news, 14 August 2007
USA: Boss used homeless
to remove asbestos
A US contractor who hired homeless men to remove asbestos without proper
protective gear has been sentenced to 21 months in prison. John Edward
Callahan, 56, had pleaded guilty earlier this year to a Clean Air Act
violation – but because he doesn’t have the resources was
not fined or required to pay for medical monitoring and treatment of the
men he'd exposed to asbestos. Roanoke
Times Hazards news, 11 August 2007
Global: Asbestos
pushers dealt serious blows
LAB Chrysotile Inc started bankruptcy proceedings on 25 July, a move that
should see the closure of Canada’s last asbestos mine. The end of
asbestos mining in Quebec could have a dramatic knock-on effect for the
industry worldwide; the Quebec-based Chrysotile Institute, the global
asbestos industry’s main lobbying organisation is financed by the
Canadian industry and money from the federal Canadian and provincial Quebec
governments. Earth
Times • ADAO
news release and website Hazards news, 4 August 2007
USA: Industrial
brakes caused steelworker cancers
The families of three former Bethlehem Steel workers have been awarded
$3.97 million (£1.93m) in an asbestos settlement. The former steelworkers
had sued General Electric in Baltimore Circuit Court over exposures from
asbestos-lined industrial brakes used in cranes and other equipment at
the mill. Channel
13 Baltimore Hazards news, 28 July 2007
Canada:
Support for asbestos, but not for victims
The Canadian government spends millions promoting its asbestos exports,
but isn’t so forthcoming when it comes to its own victims of asbestos
disease. Almost 1,000 of the 1,500 people in Ontario who developed the
asbestos cancer mesothelioma between 1980 and 2002 weren't compensated,
according to a new research paper, which says this allowed the province's
Workplace Safety and Insurance Board to shortchange victims of the disease,
and taxpayers, out of hundreds of millions of dollars. The
Global and Mail • James T Brophy, Margaret Keith, Jenny Schieman.
Canada’s asbestos legacy at home and abroad, IJOEH, volume
13, pages 236-243, 2007 [pdf] Hazards news, 21 July 2007
Britain:
Accountant’s visits led to asbestos cancer
A chartered accountant died as a result of exposure to asbestos, an inquest
has heard. Raymond Dunn, 73, died on 9 May this year after developing
pneumonia as a result of the asbestos cancer mesothelioma; he contracted
the condition even though he had visited a factory's offices only a couple
of days a year – more than 50 years ago. Blackpool
Gazette Hazards news, 21 July 2007
Canada:
Cancer society wants asbestos stopped
The Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) has called for an end to Canada’s
export of asbestos and believes the federal government should stop blocking
international efforts to curb the trade in the dangerous mineral. Although
asbestos is internationally recognised as one of the worst cancer-causing
materials ever to have been in widespread use, the society's decision
is controversial because it undermines the national government’s
long-standing contention that chrysotile (white) asbestos can be used
safely and should be promoted. Canadian
Cancer Society news release • James T Brophy, Margaret Keith,
Jenny Schieman. Canada’s asbestos legacy at home and abroad,
IJOEH, volume 13, pages 236-243, 2007 [pdf]
• Hazards asbestos
webpages Hazards news, 14 July 2007
Britain:
Payouts at last for T&N asbestos victims
A six-year block on asbestos disease payouts from the notorious asbestos
manufacturer Turner & Newall (T&N) had ended, with the first settlements
coming through. Unite’s Amicus section says its members are at last
receiving compensation from the defunct asbestos company more than six
years after their claims were first lodged. Unite-Amicus
news release Hazards news, 14 July 2007
Britain: Campaigners
win asbestos drug fight
NHS drugs advisers have reversed their proposal to block a drug for people
with an asbestos-related cancer after a high profile campaign by asbestos
groups and unions. Chair of the Asbestos Victims Support Groups' Forum,
Tony Whitston, said: “We would like to thank all those who have
campaigned for this treatment for mesothelioma, a disease caused almost
exclusively by asbestos exposure and which was, and is, entirely preventable.”
NICE
decision • Hazards
asbestos webpages Hazards news, 14 July 2007
Britain: Lords
urged to deliver asbestos justice
A legal bid backed by the union Unite is seeking to secure compensation
for people with the asbestos related condition pleural plaques. The case
being considered by the Lords started on 25 June and follows a Court of
Appeal ruling last year, which overturned a decision by the High Court
in 2005 which said pleural plaques should continue to receive compensation.
Amicus
news release Hazards news, 30 June 2007
South Africa:
Asbestos victims face poverty
Even after being paid compensation, South Africa’s asbestos disease
victims remain desperately poor and many have already exhausted their
once-off lump sum compensation, according to a study by the Asbestos Relief
Trust (ART). The fund was set up after South African investment holding
company Gencor and British multinational Cape settled litigation for damages
by paying R587.5 million (£41.7m at the 2007 exchange rate). Business
Report Hazards news, 23 June 2007
Britain:
Payout after asbestos destroys kidney
An asbestos exposed worker who developed a serious kidney disease is thought
to be the first in the country to win compensation for the condition.
Ex-motor mechanic Graham Mansfield, 67, has been awarded £135,000
after losing the use of his right kidney to retroperitoneal fibrosis,
a rare condition which causes damage to the kidneys and other organs.
Irwin
Mitchell Solicitors news release Hazards news, 23 June 2007
Britain: Union
push for pleural plaques payouts
As a bid gets underway to persuade the Law Lords to reverse a Court of
Appeal decision last year to deny compensation to people with pleural
plaques caused by asbestos exposures, around 200 construction workers
from all over the UK will assemble outside parliament. To coincide with
the start of the House of Lords case on 25 June, the demonstrators - including
thermal insulation engineers, welders and fabricators - will urge the
Lords to restore compensation for sufferers of pleural plaques. GMB
news release Hazards news, 23 June 2007
Britain: Payout
‘will give me time with my family’
A woman who contracted a terminal asbestos-related cancer by hugging her
dockyard worker father says she will use a compensation payout to spend
quality time with her family. Plymouth mother-of-three Debbie Brewer,
47, has received an interim compensation amount of £25,000 from
the Ministry of Defence, which admitted liability in February. Plymouth
Herald • Mesothelioma
and me, Debbie Brewer’s website • Hazards
asbestos news and resource • Action
Mesothelioma Hazards news , 16 June 2007
Britain: Hospital
fined for asbestos risk to staff
A hospital trust has been fined more than £7,000 after admitting
three charges of exposing staff to asbestos. Two workers were put at risk
during the incident at the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton, North Yorkshire,
in 2004. Northern
Echo • Hazards
asbestos webpages Hazards news, 9 June 2007
Britain: Doctor
gets ‘industrial’ asbestos cancer
Hospital consultant Andrew Lawson was diagnosed with the asbestos cancer
pulmonary mesothelioma three weeks ago, a condition increasingly reported
in hospital workers. Writing in the Times, he said: “It seems that
there may have been a lot of asbestos in the tunnels at Guy’s hospital
where I spent six years training,” adding: “One wonders how
many of my contemporaries will get the same disease?” The
Times Hazards news, 2 June 2007
Britain: Asbestos
cancer from nuclear sub work
A former electrician's mate who worked on the UK's first nuclear submarine
has been awarded a six-figure sum in cancer compensation. Ken McDonald,
67, developed mesothelioma after being exposed to asbestos while working
at Vickers shipyard in Barrow. Thompsons
Solicitors news release Hazards news, 2 June 2007
Britain:
Shipyard worker in £1m asbestos payout
A former Tyneside shipyard worker has been awarded almost £1m damages
after developing a deadly asbestos-related lung cancer. GMB member Raymond
Shanks, 59, sued Newcastle-based Swan Hunter, where he worked as an electrician
for four years from 1965. GMB
news release Hazards news, 2 June 2007
Britain: Last
push for asbestos drug approval
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) is soon to announce
its recommendation on NHS availability of the mesothelioma drug Alimta;
it is anticipated that NICE will say authorisation should be refused.
Michael Clapham MP has introduced an early day motion (EDM) calling on
NICE to rethink its approach and on the government to “acknowledge
that, in this case, she has a wider social responsibility that goes beyond
the NICE definition of cost-effectiveness.” Check
to see if your MP is signed up to Mesothelioma and access to Alimta, EDM
2848 • Find
your MP - you just need to know your postcode Hazards news, 26 May 2007
Britain:
NUT pushes asbestos action in schools
Teaching union NUT is calling for action to remove asbestos from schools.
The NUT circular says: “The purpose of this guidance is to support
the work of divisions and associations in terms of seeking to bring about
the removal of asbestos from all schools which contain it.” NUT
health and safety factsheets NASUWT
news release Hazards news, 26 May 2007
Britain: Fines for
school asbestos blunders
Derby City Council has been fined £50,000 with costs of £20,000
after admitting asbestos safety breaches. The Health and Safety Executive
(HSE) prosecution followed an incident when a Mickleover school was closed
for several weeks after asbestos was disturbed during window replacement
work, exposing staff and pupils; both the council and the contractor were
aware of the presence of asbestos, but failed to take appropriate precautions BBC
News Online
Britain: UCATT demands
better asbestos treatment
Construction union UCATT is demanding official approval for a drug experts
say is the best treatment for people with the asbestos cancer mesothelioma.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has indicated
that it will advise that the chemotherapy drug Alimta should not be used The
Observer • Daily
Mail • Action Mesothelioma Hazards news, 12 May 2007
Britain:
Childhood exposure caused asbestos disease
A woman exposed to asbestos when she played as a child in the basement
of a London council flat has received a six-figure payout after developing
the incurable cancer mesothelioma. As a teenager Cheryl Marsh, 49, played
in the boiler rooms in the basement of her parent's council flat in the
Brecknock Estate, Islington. Risks 302, 21 April 2007
Australia:
Asbestos cancer deaths under-estimated
A deadly asbestos cancer sparked by exposure to asbestos will strike far
more Australians and peak years later than first predicted, a new report
has concluded. The study by Dr Mark Clements, from the National Centre
for Epidemiology and Population Health, predicts that 6,430 cases of the
fatal disease would be recorded over that period, and it won't peak until
as late as 2017. Risks 301, 7 April 2007
Britain:
Dockers win asbestos appeal
Hundreds of former dock workers can sue the government for compensation
for asbestos-related illnesses, thanks to court victory. The Court of
Appeal upheld a High Court test case decision last year that the government
is liable to compensate former dock workers. Risks 301, 7 April 2007
Britain:
New asbestos victims didn’t do dirty jobs
A retired teacher and a retired housewife are among the latest victims
of an asbestos cancer which is affecting people with relatively low exposures
to the deadly fibre. Risks 300, 31 March 2007
Denmark:
Union study exposes work cancer tragedy
A trade union study has identified high levels of occupational cancers
in construction workers in Denmark and has prompted immediate government
action. Danish Confederation of Construction Workers Unions (BAT-Cartel)
researchers analysed found a range of jobs had a statistically significant
risk for a range of cancers, many associated with asbestos exposure. Risks 299, 24 March 2007 • Hazards
occupational cancer webpages
Britain:
No-one is safe from asbestos
Over three decades of warnings from unions and campaigners that use of
asbestos would lead to a disease epidemic have been proven tragically
correct. Hundreds of cases are emerging of people developing asbestos
related cancer after very short or low level exposures – including
the children and grandchildren of exposed workers and, increasingly, younger
people. Risks 299, 24 March 2007
Britain:
Pair jailed for asbestos crimes
Two demolition men from Bradford have been jailed for asbestos-related
crimes – but another repeat offender has escaped with community
service for a second time. William Reidy, 59, who had previous convictions
for similar offences, was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court to 16 months
in prison for depositing asbestos waste in contravention of environmental
and special waste laws and his foreman, 61-year-old Leonard Imeson, was
jailed for four months. Risks 299, 24 March 2007
Global:
Asbestos use study supports global ban
The findings of a major study which correlated asbestos usage with asbestos
related diseases “strongly” supports a global asbestos ban.
The authors concluded: “Historical asbestos consumption alone explained
the bulk of the variance in subsequent death rates from such diseases.
Our results lend support to the notion that all countries should move
towards eliminating the use of asbestos.” Risks 298, 17 March 2007 • Ro-Ting
Lin, Ken Takahashi and others. Ecological association between asbestos-related
diseases and historical asbestos consumption: an international analysis,
The Lancet, volume 369, pages 844-849, 2007 [abstract]
Britain:
Car mechanic gets asbestos payout
A car mechanic has been awarded £300,000 compensation from former
employers after he contracted the asbestos cancer mesothelioma as a result
of working on cars with asbestos brake and clutch pads. Jonathan Hutchinson,
50, was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2003, after working as a garage
mechanic for a range of firms in the 1970s and 1980s and stripped out
brake pads which contained asbestos dust. Risks 298, 17 March 2007 • Action
Mesothelioma • Hazards asbestos
webpages
Britain:
More payouts and faster for asbestos disease
Government proposals that will speed up government payouts to people suffering
from the asbestos cancer mesothelioma and that for the first time will
include compensation for those not exposed while working, have been welcomed
by unions. The proposals would provide up-front financial support to people
who were previously not eligible, including those who were: exposed to
asbestos from a relative (for example, from their overalls); exposed to
asbestos environmentally (for example, lived near a factory using asbestos);
the self-employed; and those who can't trace their exposure to asbestos.
Risks 298, 17 March 2007 • Action
Mesothelioma
Canada:
New law allows asbestos use in toys
New Canadian federal regulations allow asbestos to be used in children’s
toys. Pat Martin and Catherine Bell, members of parliament from the left
of centre party NDP used hand puppets dubbed Toxic Timmy and Ms. O'Thelioma,
named after an asbestos-related cancer, to raise their concerns at a news
conference in Ottawa. Risks 297, 10 March 2007
Britain:
Asbestos victims 'getting younger'
Asbestos-related cancers are affecting more and more young people and
women, according to a top occupational disease lawyer. Geraldine Coombs,
who heads Irwin Mitchell's Manchester-based asbestos team, is representing
a 27-year-old woman who is thought to be the youngest-ever victim of mesothelioma,
an incurable cancer caused by asbestos exposure. Risks 297, 10 March 2007
Britain:
Widow gets £355,000 asbestos payout
The widow of a former Vickers employee who died from mesothelioma has
received a £355,000 payout. Jean Allen, 69, secured the compensation
following the death of her husband Keith from the asbestos-related cancer
in 2004. Risks 297, 10 March 2007
Britain:
Companies fined for asbestos crimes
Two Lancashire companies have been fined a total of £25,000 and
ordered to pay total costs of £11,788 after pleading guilty at Blackpool
Magistrates Court to criminal charges brought by the HSE after employees
were exposed to asbestos during refurbishment work. Risks 296, 3 March 2007
Britain:
Government acts on mesothelioma care
The government has launched a new framework for improving the care of
people with the asbestos cancer mesothelioma. On Action Mesothelioma Day,
27 February, health minister Rosie Winterton announced the new framework,
providing advice to the NHS on how to organise services for mesothelioma
patients in order to improve quality of care. Risks 296, 3 March 2007
Britain:
Union secures shipyard asbestos compensation
Amicus has secured compensation for the family of a former shipyard worker
on Tyneside who died from mesothelioma. Stephen Addison worked on a number
of shipyards on the River Tyne from 1939 until the 1960s where he was
exposed to asbestos. Risks 296, 3 March 2007
Latin
America: Unions push for asbestos bans
Sixteen trade union confederations in five Andean countries - Bolivia,
Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela – have taken up the campaign
for an asbestos ban. The unions have helped compile a report, based on
a survey of trade union leaders, and looks at asbestos use in the different
countries involved. Risks 295, 24 February 2007
Global:
New push for global asbestos ban
A global trade union organisation has called for a renewed push for a
global asbestos ban. Building unions’ global federation BWI is asking
all trade unions to write to their national governments, asking for a
meeting to discuss a national action plan to prevent asbestos related
diseases. Risks 295, 24 February 2007
Australia:
Asbestos scandal claims Hardie scalps
James Hardie chair Meredith Hellicar has fallen on her sword after Australia’s
corporate watchdog ASIC launched a lawsuit to ban her from running a company.
Ms Hellicar, and the two remaining directors who signed off on Hardie's
plan in 2001 to separate the company from its asbestos liabilities, Michael
Brown and Michael Gillfillan, resigned, all protesting their innocence.
Risks 295, 24 February 2007
Britain:
MoD admits asbestos ‘cancer hug’ liability
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is to compensate Debbie Brewer, 47, who
said she developed an asbestos-related cancer from hugging her father,
who worked as a docker at the Navy’s Devonport Dockyard. In November
last year, 45-year-old Michelle Campbell, who developed mesothelioma as
a result of exposure to asbestos from her grandfather's work clothing,
was awarded a £145,000 MoD payout. Risks 295, 24 February 2007
Britain:
Asbestos - hundreds of thousands more will die
Latest estimates suggest this could mean at least 120,000 people and probably
substantially more are still to die as a result of Britain’s asbestos
disease epidemic – an epidemic predicted by unions and campaign
groups, who have for decades called for stricter controls on asbestos.
The price paid by working people is spelled out in a new YouTube video
from the Forum of Asbestos Victim Support Groups.
Mesothelioma: The human face of an asbestos epidemic, YouTube
video • Forum of Asbestos Victim Support Groups ActionMeso
website • Risks 295, 24 February 2007
Australia:
Unions win asbestos compensation campaign
A multinational that had resisted finalising an asbestos compensation
deal has finally put pen to paper, after a high profile trade union campaign.
The Aus$4bn (£1.58bn) 40-year deal was ratified at an extraordinary
general meeting of the firm’s shareholders in the Netherlands; the
company will make an initial payment of around Aus$185 million (£73m)
into an Asbestos Injuries Compensation Fund with further regular payments
to be made over the life of the agreement. Risks 293, 10 February 2007
Britain:
Government challenges dockers' asbestos payouts
The financial future of hundreds of former dockers suffering from asbestos
related illness is hanging in the balance. At the Court of Appeal this
week lawyers for the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) made a bid
to block the dockers' compensation claims. Risks 292, 3 February 2007
Britain:
Payout after asbestos causes breathlessness
A North Yorkshire man has been awarded “substantial” compensation
developing a lung disease caused by exposure to asbestos fibres in his
youth. Geoffrey Stead, 65, received the payout from British Rail after
he was diagnosed with pleural thickening. Risks 292, 3 February 2007
Britain:
Mesothelioma Action Day, 27 February 2007
The second Mesothelioma Action Day will be held on 27 February 2007. As
well as a parliamentary reception at the House of Commons, there will
be events in Manchester, Chesterfield, Leicester, Liverpool, Glasgow,
Rotherham, Gateshead, Leeds and elsewhere, and a purpose produced short
video presentation to raise awareness of the UK mesothelioma epidemic
will be shown throughout February 27 on giant BBC TV screens in city centres
including Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester. Risks 291, 27 January 2007 • For further
information, see the International
Ban Asbestos Secretariat website • Also see Asbestos
Forum and Hazards
Campaign websites
Britain:
Concern over delay in asbestos drug decision
A final decision on whether a chemotherapy drug that could help sufferers
of the asbestos cancer mesothelioma should be available on the NHS may
not now be announced for months. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence
(Nice) says it does not envisage being in a position to give guidance
on the drug Alimta until September. Risks 291, 27 January 2007
Canada:
Bystander asbestos cases hit families
Many of the sons, daughters and spouses of Canadian workers sickened by
asbestos are now developing cancers, which doctors say have been triggered
by the dangerous dust brought home inadvertently by their fathers and
husbands. Risks 290, 20 January 2007
Britain:
The price of a life
Asbestos continues to kill in record numbers – at least 4,000 UK
deaths last year – and for many the best they can hope for is some
compensation before they die. Risks 290, 20 January 2007
USA:
Asbestos hazard warning survives challenge
An official warning to mechanics that exposure to asbestos in brakes can
cause deadly disease will not be removed from a US government website,
and official safety watchdog the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) will not now suspend a scientist who had refused to water down
the warning. Risks 288, 23 December 2006 • OSHA
asbestos brakes warning
Britain:
Victory for Scotland's asbestos families
Families of Scottish asbestos disease victims are celebrating an early
victory in their fight for compensation. Changes in Scottish law to help
people with asbestos-related cancer claim compensation have been brought
forward to this week, the Scottish Executive has announced. Risks 288, 23 December 2006
Britain:
New guide to the new asbestos regulations
The TUC and HSE have produced a brief guide for safety representatives
on asbestos and the new Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006. The online
resource, which does not cover the legal functions of safety representatives,
gives basic answers to the following questions: What is asbestos; why
is it dangerous; where do you find asbestos; who is likely to be exposed
to asbestos fibres; what’s new in the Control of Asbestos Regulations
2006; what is a licence; what do the Regulations say and what should I
do; what should I do if I suspect asbestos materials are present; and
how do I find out more? You can start by reading this guide. TUC
alert and full guide [pdf]
Britain:
Legal win for widow of youngest mesothelioma victim
The widow of a 32-year-old man who died after inhaling asbestos on his
stepfather's work clothing as a child, has succeeded in her legal battle
for compensation. Claire Welch from Braunstone in Leicester continued
the legal action originally launched by her husband Barry after he was
diagnosed with mesothelioma in May 2004. Risks 287, 16 December 2006
Britain:
Outrage at “terrible” school asbestos message
The union GMB has said the clearing of a former headmaster of safety charges
after a Derby school was contaminated with asbestos dust sends out a “terrible
message”. In a case brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE),
Phillip Robinson, 50, denied a charge of failing to ensure the health
and safety of others. Risks 286, 9 December 2006
USA:
DaimlerChrysler to make $20m asbestos payout
Global car giant DaimlerChrysler must pay $20 million (£10.3m) to
a retired police officer and brake repairer whose right lung was removed
because of cancer caused by asbestos. The automaker was responsible for
the amount owed by the now-defunct companies because the jury found it
acted with reckless disregard for the safety of others, the lawyer for
the victim said. Risks 285, 2 December 2006
Canada:
Government lied on asbestos motives
Canada uses its international prestige to promote asbestos worldwide in
an informal marketing deal which means low-cost foreign producers in exchange
don’t drive Canada’s asbestos producers out of business, according
to an official federal government document. The document was produced
by a group that included assistant deputy minister Gary Nash, the former
head of the Montreal-based Chrysotile Institute, the government-backed
industry association spearheading promotion of asbestos trade worldwide. Risks 285, 2 December 2006
Australia:
Hardie campaigners sign final compo deal
After six years of campaigning and two and a half years of intensive negotiations
with the James Hardie company, unions and asbestos victims groups have
secured a final deal from the company to compensate Australian victims
of its asbestos products. Greg Combet, secretary of the national union
federation ACTU, said the deal “is a final, open ended, un-capped
and importantly tax-office approved funding agreement from James Hardie
which will see the company pay in excess of $4.5 billion [£1.83bn]
into a fund to compensate current and future Australian victims of its
asbestos products.” Risks 284, 25 November 2006
Britain:
Warehouse worker, 45, killed by asbestos
A warehouse worker in hospital for surgery for a workplace lifting injury
was told he was suffering from a deadly asbestos cancer. Peter Nicholas
Wilkinson, 45, who died on 2 September, had been admitted to hospital
last July after tearing a hernia at work but tests revealed he had contracted
the asbestos cancer mesothelioma Risks 284, 25 November 2006
Britain:
Union calls for action on asbestos by post
Royal Mail union CWU has called for an end to the potentially illegal
use of the mail to send asbestos samples, a practice which could place
both the public and postal workers at risk. Royal Mail has launched an
investigation after it was revealed a South Wales company was encouraging
the public to take their own asbestos samples and stick them in the post.
Risks 284, 25 November 2006
Global:
Asbestos touts get official backing
The governments that blocked an October bid to get right-to-know warnings
on asbestos exports are ratcheting up their global promotional activities
for the deadly fibre. Canada, which led the campaign to derail a widely
supported push for more stringent export controls under the Rotterdam
Treaty, has now approved a continuation of the Can$250,000 (£116,000)
annual funding for the asbestos industry front organisation, the Chrysotile
Institute. IBAS
report • Risks 283, 18 November 2006
Britain:
Widows appeal for asbestos help
Widows who lost their husbands to asbestos-related disease are appealing
for help from their former workmates. Risks 283, 18 November 2006
Britain:
Granddaughter gets asbestos cancer
A 45-year-old woman dying as a result of exposure to asbestos from her
grandfather’s work clothing has been awarded a £145,000 payout.
Michelle Campbell said she loved sitting on granddad Charles Frost’s
knee and enjoying a chat when he popped in to visit on his way home from
his job at Portsmouth dockyards. Risks 282, 11 November 2006
Britain:
Coroner warning on school asbestos risks
A Cumbrian coroner has called for asbestos to be removed from all schools
to protect pupils and staff. Speaking at the inquest into the death of
a teacher killed by school asbestos exposure, David Osborne said it could
require the demolition and re-building of some schools – but the
huge amount of cash required should be found. Risks 281, 4 November 2006
Britain:
Government praised for asbestos payouts decision
The government will not clawback benefit payments made to victims of asbestos
giant Turner and Newall (T&N), part of US multinational Federal Mogul.
Compensation payouts were delayed for five years while administrator Kroll
negotiated a payout scheme. Amicus general secretary Derek Simpson, commented:
“People who are suffering and the families of people who have died
from this awful disease deserve to have peace of mind that they will not
lose a huge amount of their compensation payments to the government.”
Risks 281, 4 November 2006
USA:
Asbestos campaign goes into cyberspace
A top US asbestos disease campaign organisation has launched an online
awareness campaign designed to spread the word about the dangers of asbestos.
The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) says the initiative
is built around a “powerful” educational video that can be
easily forwarded via email. Risks 280, 28 October 2006 • ADAO
“Survivor” video • ADAO
website
Britain/USA:
Asbestos deal agreed - but who will pay?
A US company that has taken control of Equitas, the firm set up by the
Lloyd's insurance market to handle billions of pounds in asbestos claims,
has substantial interests in the asbestos industry it has been revealed.
Berkshire Hathaway is the owner of former US asbestos conglomerate Johns-
