Posted on March 2, 2023
Congratulations to Fernanda, ABREA, and all worked on this important legal action!
Olin, OxyChem, and Westlake — You can’t import asbestos from Brazil and will have to continue importing from China or turn to Russia, again. Time to transition to non-asbestos technology!
The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) is thrilled that after facing appeals to its recent asbestos ban, the Brazilian Federal Supreme Court (STF) has successfully upheld its ban on asbestos. This ban will save lives not only in Brazil, but globally, as there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos, and workers and communities alike can be exposed through mining, transport, and more.
In November 2022, Brazil’s Federal Supreme Court (STF) ordered the immediate closure of asbestos mining, processing, and export. This was a huge win for the public safety of Brazilian workers and has been in the works for years. A motion for clarification and modulation of the ban was filed, but on Thursday, February 23, the Plenary confirmed the continued broad and binding effect of the prohibition of chrysotile asbestos mining and distribution.
The landmark step is reflective of the work done by Fernanda Giannasi, Associação Brasileira dos Expostos ao Amianto, and former Labor Inspector for the Ministry of Labor and Employment in Brazil, as well as many other advocates, workers, unions, victims and families, activists, and lawyers in both Brazil and the United States. For their hard work and dedication, we are grateful.
To celebrate this standing landmark achievement and honor the thousands who have been adversely impacted by asbestos mining, export, and use memorials are being put up all over Brazil. Including, the “Lung Tree Monument” which honors lives lost in Brazil and around the world and you can even watch the construction of the Asbestos Victims Memorial in Osasco and its inauguration is now available on the ABREA website.
Since asbestos hearings began in Brazil in 2012, the ban asbestos movement has gained global support with nearly 70 countries banning asbestos. The United States, however, still allows the importation and use of this deadly toxin. In 2021, ADAO and ABREA jointly called for a ban on asbestos imports and use.
It has been known for a long time by both the Brazilian and American governments that asbestos is a known carcinogen that causes cancers of the lung, larynx, and ovaries, as well as mesothelioma and asbestosis. In the US, over 40,000 people die from asbestos-related diseases each year. There is no safe level of exposure or controlled use. Tragically, these facts have not stopped the U.S. from importing large quantities of it.
For years, Brazil had been the world’s third largest asbestos producer for decades. The chlor-alkali industry has been the sole importer of chrysotile asbestos in the U.S. since 2015, gaining much of it from Brazil.
There is still a of of work to do, and the work to protect global citizens from asbestos exposure is far from over, as proven by the recent sinking of a toxic ship filled with asbestos off the coast. Still, ADAO, ABREA, and our community of advocates are excited about this huge step from the Brazilian Federal Supreme Court toward protecting the health and safety of Brazilians and Americans.
Linda Reinstein