Asbestos ban celebrated

October sees trade unionists and safety campaigners marking the 20th anniversary of the UK ban on asbestos at an event in Sheffield. 


The long-awaited Asbestos (Prohibitions) (Amendment) Regulations 1999 were laid before Parliament on 24 August 1999 and came into force three months later. The new law followed years of campaigning by asbestos victims, trade unionists and environment and safety campaigners and banned the supply and use of asbestos. 


This ended what the campaign group, the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat, described as “the UK’s asbestos century”. 


South Yorkshire Asbestos Victim Support Group (SARAG) and Derbyshire Asbestos Support Team are holding an anniversary event for trade unionists in Yorkshire and the East Midlands to mark the victory and highlight the ongoing risk.


SARAG coordinator Andy Turner said: “In these times of political instability, the repeal of the asbestos ban is not beyond the realms of possibility.”


The event is at the Showroom Cinema in Sheffield on 25 October and includes a screening of Breathless, a film about the global asbestos industry.

http://saragasbestossupport.org/2019/08/07/asbestos-anniversary-event

https://asbestossupport.co.uk/event/420