asbestos information
Helplines Awareness Day 2023
February the 23rd is Helplines Awareness Day 2023. We provide a helpline for people with asbestos related diseases and belong to the Helplines Partnership (@HelplinesUK), which produced this youtube video.
Read MoreA plucky service user tells her story to The Daily Mail
Read the article about Susan Ellis (pictured) here.
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 MoreNearly half of UK tradespeople know someone in the trade who has an asbestos related disease or have one themselves
A survey carried out by ElectricalDirect has found that 72% of tradespeople have come across asbestos in their working lives. A quarter encounter it every week, over a third (35%) say every month, and one in 12 (8%) still come face to face with asbestos every day. This can have serious consequences. 44% said they had…
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 MoreEmployer who failed to manage asbestos faces £104,000 bill and a criminal record
An employer who failed to manage asbestos properly in his automotive workshop in Kidderminster faces fines and court costs totalling £104,000. He has also received a 12 month suspended prison sentence. Peter Gerard Parkes was found gulty Peter Gerard Parkes of Morville, Bridgnorth was aware that asbestos was present within the premises. He had previously…
Read MoreWe’re going blue for meso on Action Mesothelioma Day!
Mesothelioma kills more than 2,400 people each year so it’s time for action! Exposure to asbestos is virtually the only cause of the incurable cancer mesothelioma in the UK. Asbestos needs to be removed from as many schools, hospitals, public buildings and homes as possible. And it needs to be removed as soon as possible.…
Read MoreBack to meeting face-to-face
We’ve started meeting face-to-face again, although we’re still taking a cautious approach to visiting people at home. On International Workers’ Memorial Day, Thursday 28 April, we hosted a reception for our supporters at our new offices in The Warehouse. About 30 people attended. Celebrating contributions to our work One of our trustees, Neil Vernon, gave…
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 MoreLandmark battle for documents that show Asbestolux manufacturer Cape knew that asbestos insulation board was dangerous
Important historical documents have been saved from destruction thanks to a court battle waged by the Asbestos Victims Support Groups Forum UK (the Forum). They will be vital to future asbestos compensation cases. The documents would have been destroyed but for the timely intervention of the Forum. They provide extraordinary evidence that the asbestos manufacturing…
Read More