Eternit Trial Update by Silvana Mossano, La Stampa Journalist

Posted on July 17, 2011 by admin

Note: For the ease of global sharing, we have posted the La Stampa article in Italian and English

“Sunday July the 17th, 2011 Alessandria edition of La Stampa by Silvana Mossano, Torino, Italy

Arrivano i francesi. Saranno i 5 legali d’Oltralpe a chiudere, domani, lo spazio della discussione riservato alle parti civili. Sono stati rappresentati, finora, dall’avvocato Sergio Bonetto, ma nel finale saranno presenti per sancire l’impronta internazionale del processo Eternit, contro gli imputati stranieri – Louis de Cartier e Stephan Schmidheiny -accusati di aver commesso, in Italia, uno dei più grandi disastri ambientali e umani.

Here come the French: five lawyers from the other side of the Alps will be closing the claimants’ sessions tomorrow. So far they had been represented by Lawyer Sergio Bonetto , but they will be present in person in the final session to underscore the international nature if the Eternit trial against the foreign defendants Louis de Cartier e Stephan Schmidheiny – who stand accused of having caused one the largest environmental and human disasters. Continue reading →

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ETERNIT TRIAL UPDATE: 20 Years in Jail for Asbestos Billionaire

Posted on July 5, 2011 by admin

Turin, Italy, July 4th, 2011

Statement by the asbestos victims’ association of Casale Monferrato, Associazione Famigliari e Vittime dell’Amianto (AFEVA)

“In a criminal trial in Turin, prosecutor Raffaele Guariniello delivered a closing statement in the trial of asbestos magnates Stephan Schmidheiny and Belgian Baron Jean Louis Marie Ghislain De Cartier de Marchienne.

‘An appalling disaster’ this is how PP Guariniello described the events involving the asbestos multinational in the court room today.

The owners of the Eternit group, the asbestos-cement enterprise with plants in Europe, Africa and South America, are charged with wilful failure to protect their employees and factory neighbors, resulting in thousands of deaths from asbestos. Specifically, the charges are wilful and deliberate environmental disaster (for pollution and the scattering of the asbestos killer fibres) and deliberate and wilful failure to implement precautions in the work place. Continue reading →

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Canada Refused to Allow Asbestos to be Put on United Nations List of Hazardous Substances by Kathleen Ruff

Posted on June 28, 2011 by admin

At the UN Conference in Geneva June 20 to 24, the more than a hundred countries present were on the point of achieving consensus to add chrysotile asbestos to the Rotterdam Convention’s list of hazardous substances. Countries can still export substances on the list, but they must first obtain Prior Informed Consent. This enables countries in the developing world, who are being targeted by hazardous industries, to make informed decisions so that they can better protect the health of their people. They also have the right to refuse shipment into their country of a hazardous substance if they believe they do not have the means to handle it safely. The Convention is thus an important, practical tool to protect people in the developing world from being harmed by asbestos.

The asbestos lobby has used its political power over the past several years to prevent chrysotile asbestos from being put on the list of hazardous substances, as they deny that chrysotile asbestos is hazardous. So when at the meeting in Geneva, both India and the Ukraine withdrew their opposition and said they would support the listing of chrysotile asbestos, it seemed that the battle had been won. Tragically, this was not the case. After staying silent on the issue for the previous days, Canada suddenly intervened and said it would not agree to letting chrysotile asbestos be put on the Convention’s list of hazardous substances. Since there has to be consensus in order for a substance to be put on the list, this meant that Canada, single-handedly, destroyed consensus and prevented action. Canada refused to give any reason for its immoral and destructive conduct in sabotaging the Convention. As a consequence, the asbestos industry can continue selling asbestos to developing countries, without giving any information of its hazards. Continue reading →

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“ROCA CONGRATULATES INDIA FOR CHANGING ITS POSITION ON CHRYSOTILE ASBESTOS”

Posted on June 22, 2011 by admin

Below is an important statement from the Rotterdam Convention Alliance (ROCA). The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization congratulates ROCA and our colleagues in Geneva on their momentous efforts to secure India’s support to include Chrysotile (white) asbestos in the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) list.

“Members of the Rotterdam Convention Alliance, an alliance of more than 500 environmental, health and labour groups from across the globe, join the governments and parties to the Rotterdam Convention on Prior Informed Consent in congratulating India for supporting the inclusion of Chrysotile (white) asbestos in Annex III (PIC list). Continue reading →

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Groups Ask Harper to Put Global Health ahead of Interests of Asbestos Lobby

Posted on June 14, 2011 by admin

More than two hundred environmental and health groups, labor unions, asbestos victims’ organizations, and scientists from around the world to urge Prime Minister Harper to support the listing of Chrysotile asbestos on the United Nations Rotterdam Convention’s “prior informed consent” (PIC) list.

On June 20, 2011, the 143 countries that have ratified the United Nations Rotterdam Convention will meet in Geneva to once again attempt to add Chrysotile asbestos to the PIC list which requires countries to obtain consent prior to shipping hazardous substances that are on the Rotterdam Convention’s list to another country.

Chrysotile asbestos must be added to the “prior informed consent” list to protect public health and dispel asbestos industry propaganda. More than 107,000 people die annually from a preventable asbestos-caused diseases.

We urge you to educate yourself and your communities about this lethal fiber, and to share the link below and these recent news articles on your Facebook and Twitter pages.

In unity, Linda Reinstein

Open Letter to Prime Mister Harper: Continue reading →

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Memorial Day – Remembering our Brave Veterans Who Gave Their Lives for Our Country

Posted on May 30, 2011 by admin

The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization is remembering the brave men and women who lost their lives fighting for our country and those who also lost their lives from asbestos-caused diseases as a result of being exposed to asbestos during their service.

Let us renew our commitment to ending the deadly legacy of asbestos through education, advocacy.

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Eternit Press Release

Posted on May 23, 2011 by admin

JUSTIÇA OU IDEOLOGIA?

ETERNIT S.A. a vista da matéria veiculada no site do TST, em 16/05/2011 na seção “Notícias do Tribunal Superior do Trabalho” e replicada em diversos veículos de comunicação sob o título de TST mantém indenização de R$ 300 mil a vendedor da Eternit afetado com amianto. Continue reading →

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UPDATE: Canada’s Deadly Asbestos Exports by Kathleen Ruff

Posted on May 22, 2011 by admin

In spite of the political support of both the Quebec government and the Canadian government http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-notebook/canada-labeled-immoral-asbestos-pusher-as-harper-visits-quebec-mining-town/article1999035/, the asbestos industry has still not succeeded in its plan to open up the Jeffrey underground mine in the town of Asbestos and revive Quebec’s dying asbestos trade.

The Jeffrey open-pit mine (which for most of the past century was the Johns Manville mine) was the largest open-pit asbestos mine in the world, but is now closed, having exhausted its asbestos deposit. The only operating asbestos mine left in Canada is run by LAB Chrysotile Inc. at Thetford Mines, Quebec. It is under bankruptcy protection and it too is about to exhaust its asbestos deposit. It has already started laying off workers. Luckily, the town of Thetford Mines has successfully diversified its economy over the past decades and is seeking to attract workers to the area to fill the jobs available. The government should assist the last 300 asbestos miners, whose average age is over fifty years, with either a decent early retirement pension or with transition assistance into new employment. Continue reading →

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“Crossing Paths” by Noel Colina

Posted on May 16, 2011 by admin

A guest blog post by Noel Colina

Art, visual art in particular, can be used and is being used to compress messages and even narratives into short, powerful images, thus the quote “A picture is worth a thousand words”. Advertisers have cashed in using this medium, often times creating demand from nothing at all. Such is the power of this medium that it has created a multi-trillion dollar industry, regular churning out works with speed and stamina that could out-box Manny Pacquiao. Continue reading →

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Statement from the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization Regarding International Joint Opposition Letter to Zimbabwean Government on Re-Opening of Asbestos Mines

Posted on May 13, 2011 by admin

For Immediate Release:
May 13, 2011

Statement from the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization Regarding International Joint Opposition Letter to Zimbabwean Government on Re-Opening of Asbestos Mines

Global Effort to Protect Public Health

Redondo Beach, CA … May 13, 2011 — The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) issued the following statement today from ADAO President/CEO and Co-Founder Linda Reinstein:

“ADAO shares the horror of other asbestos victims groups, doctors, engineers, scientists, labour leaders, and public health organizations at the Zimbabwean government’s announcement to craft a revival plan for the Shabanie and Mashaba asbestos mines. ADAO joined forces with over 40 associations, institutions, and organizations from across the globe to send an urgent opposition letter to leaders within Zimbabwe spearheading this effort.

The letter states:

‘Your government’s announcement echoes recent attempts to reopen the Jeffery asbestos mine in Canada. The only support for this reprehensible and retrogressive action is from those who work for and with the asbestos industry. National and international medical and health authorities and concerned citizens around the world have long stood up in opposition to this mine project, and groups such as ours pledge a relentless commitment to a global ban of asbestos.

The time is now – as you rebuild Zimbabwe – to embrace a policy that protects public health. The Zimbabwean government has the opportunity, the moral responsibility and the duty to end the deadly asbestos legacy. We understand that asbestos is a sensitive political and economic issue and that your government might be tempted by expected profits. But the short and long term effects of pursuing this strategy are simply not worth the cost to humanity, as people will be exposed to this deadly carcinogen and will die as a result.

Global borders are indistinguishable and the world is watching you make history through your local and international decisions. For the sake of humanity, we urge you not to reopen the Shabanie and Mashaba asbestos mines and, instead, to prevent the painful disabilities and deaths of thousands of innocent people around the world.’

Efforts have been long underway to rid Zimbabwe of asbestos – including a large protest dating back to 1974 calling for an end to imports. To consider re-opening mines now is unconscionable. ADAO is hopeful that the joint letter will have a significant impact on the decision of the Zimbabwean government to do the right thing and help foster an asbestos-free environment in that nation.

The World Health Organization, The Environmental Protection Agency, International Labour Organization, and U.S. Surgeon General agree: all forms of asbestos are carcinogenic and there is no safe level of asbestos exposure.”

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View the three different petition letters sent:

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About Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO)

Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) was founded by asbestos victims and their families in 2004. ADAO seeks to give asbestos victims and concerned citizens a united voice to raise public awareness about the dangers of asbestos exposure. ADAO is an independent global organization dedicated to preventing asbestos-related diseases through education, advocacy and community. ADAO’s mission includes supporting global advocacy and advancing asbestos awareness, prevention, early detection, treatment, and resources for asbestos-related disease. For more information visit www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org.

Media Contact:

Doug Larkin

Director of Communications

Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO)

Phone: (202) 391-1546

doug@asbestosdiseaseawareness.org

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