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The Chrysotile Institute, a Canadian advocacy group promoting the use of asbestos, has announced its plan to dissolve. The group was formed in 1984 (originally named the Asbestos Institute) and was funded by the Canadian government. The Institute has been controversial, because it has promoted the “safe use” of asbestos, […]

On December 14, 2011, Arthur A. Elkins, Jr., the Inspector General of the EPA, issued an Early Warning Report concerning the use of unapproved and potentially unsafe asbestos demolition methods. The EPA itself had been using a quicker and less expensive method for asbestos removal than was allowed in its […]

The 12th Report on Carcinogens was released by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on June 10, 2011. The Report on Carcinogens is prepared by the National Toxicology Program. The purpose of the congressionally mandated and science-based document is to identify substances and exposure circumstances that […]

While most (but not all) uses of asbestos have been banned in the United States, the mineral is still used heavily in some countries, including India and China. According to a new study, 64 percent of the world’s usage of asbestos occurs in Asia. Because of this, officials expect a […]

Thanks to a resolution passed by the US Senate, the first week of April 2011 has been designated as National Asbestos Awareness Week. Senate Resolution 63 is intended to raise awareness about the prevalence of asbestos-related diseases among the population of people who have been exposed to the fiber, and […]

In response to a safety inspector’s admission to falsifying hundreds of reports regarding the presence of asbestos in New York City buildings, the Department of Environmental Protection has recently undertaken measures to improve the scrutiny of local inspectors who assess asbestos in the city’s buildings. Read more in the New […]

For decades, Garlock manufactured a range of asbestos containing products, including gaskets and compression packing. Over the years, many people have been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related cancers and diseases as a result of exposure to Garlock asbestos gaskets. Garlock has therefore been named in lawsuits by a […]

Bondex International manufactured a range of asbestos containing products for many years. The products included joint compounds and various other home improvement products. As years have passed, many people have been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related cancers and diseases as a result of exposure to Bondex asbestos products. […]

According to a recent article in The Lancet, India will likely be facing an epidemic of asbestos-related diseases in future years. While most developed countries have banned the use of asbestos in the construction industry, India’s usage of asbestos has actually increased dramatically in the last decade. The leading health […]

One of the confounding characteristics of asbestos disease is the latency period. A latency period of a disease is the time between the exposure to the disease-causing substance and the actual manifestation of the disease. In asbestos-related diseases, the latency period is exceptionally long, typically measured in decades. The typical […]