asbestos in the environment
HSE launches new campaign, ‘Asbestos & You’
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has launched a new campaign aimed at tradespeople, their managers and supervisors. The campaign material also contains useful information for homeowners, landlords and DIYers. The HSE says: Any job, any day of the week, can potentially release lethal asbestos fibres. It’s not like dust – you can’t see, smell,…
Read MoreThe number of women with asbestos related diseases is growing
After asbestos was banned in the UK in 1999 it was assumed that the number of people with an asbestos related disease would reach a peak and then start to decline. This still isn’t happening. One reason is that asbestos related diseases mostly affect older people. Life expectancy has increased by six years since 1990.…
Read MoreWe need to learn the lessons from asbestos
The story of asbestos is a warning of worse to come. Industry enthusiastically embraced asbestos after World War II. It was cheap and plentiful. It was easy to use and ideal for insulating things or making them more flexible. Despite warning signs, no one stopped to consider its impact on the environment or on human…
Read MoreJohnson & Johnson decide to stop selling baby powder made from talcum
The pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson, also known as J&J, has decided to stop making and selling baby powder containing talcum. From 2023 J&J will switch to using corn starch instead. Two years ago the company withdrew talcum from the baby powder they sell in the USA and Canada. This followed a barrage of lawsuits.…
Read MoreFatalities Caused By Work Related Accidents are Completely Over-shadowed by Fatalities from Work Related Asbestos Diseases
The news media, (TV, Radio, Newspapers and News websites), regularly report work-related accidents, especially those which end in a fatality. However, the number of fatalities at work caused by accidents is very small compared to the number of fatalities caused by exposure to asbestos at work. Just over 200 people died least year in work…
Read MoreMore than 30,000 council buildings contain asbestos
A law firm, Stephensons Solicitors LLP, has discovered that more than 30,000 Council run buildings in England contain asbestos. They found out by using freedom of information requests.253 out of 333 councils have responded to the requests so far. There was at least one building containing asbestos in every local authority.Danielle Callaway, one of the…
Read MoreSign the new petition: Cape Must Pay
Cape Intermediate Holdings (formerly Cape PLC) was one of the largest asbestos companies in the world. They had mining interests in South Africa as well as factories in the UK. Their asbestos products were widely used in construction in this country, especially Asbestolux and Marinite insulation boards. These products are at the heart of the…
Read MoreAn interview with Mavis Nye
Mavis Nye has lived with mesothelioma for 13 years. Since her diagnosis she has been raising funds for research into mesothelioma and treatments for it. She also campaigns to raise awareness about the dangers of asbestos. Mavis believes it is never safe to leave asbestos in place, especially in schools. She would like to see…
Read MoreMPs’ inquiry into the management of asbestos
MPs on the Work and Pensions Committee have launched an inquiry into how asbestos is managed in the workplace. We have submitted written evidence to the inquiry. The Asbestos Victims Support Groups’ Forum will be giving live evidence at one of the committee’s hearings. Who is at risk? Traditionally the people deemed to be at…
Read MoreEverton Clarke from Nechells was caught on camera dumping asbestos
People who dump asbestos seem to think they will never be caught. But Everton Clarke from Cromwell Street, Nechells, was photographed unloading six sacks of asbestos from a white van in Hockley. He dumped them in the road. Mr Clarke was sent to the Crown Court. He was given a suspended prison sentence, ordered to…
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