Science Of Asbestos

Some Important Videos/Documentaries highlighting Asbestos related issues. 

Court Orders

India

1. National Green Tribunal, Principal Bench at New Delhi. In the matter OA No. 649/2022 order dated 19.05.2023/17.07.2023 stated that: 'we consider it necessary to observe the exposure to Asbestos is risk factor for developing disabling & deadly lung diseases years after the exposure. Inhaling asbestos fibers can lead to scarring of the lung tissues, which can result in the loss of lung function, disability & death. Asbestos exposure can also cause cancer in the lungs & cancer (known as Mesothelioma) in the lining of the lungs or stomach. There is no safe level of asbestos exposure. '
   The NGT further directed the Central Pollution Control Board to 'issue appropriate guidelines for asbestos industries and mitigating adversarial impacts of asbestos exposure on human health and environment. '
   Read full order here: LINK

News from Credible News Organisations

1. ‘We are all exposed to it’: the human face of India’s asbestos timebomb' by Charu Sudan Kasturi in Bangalore; The Guardian. Read it here: LINK

2. ‘The tragic cost of under-investment’: asbestos blamed for 150 deaths of school and hospital workers in England' by Michael Savage, Policy editor, The Guardian. Read it here: LINK

3. 'A hidden threat: Asbestos fibres in our drinking water' by Katharine Quarmby and Staffan Dahlof in Copenhagen; EUObserver. Read it here: LINK

4. 'Asbestos in drinking water: What does it mean for human health?' by Katharine Quarmby; BBC. Read it here: LINK

5. See Collection of Investigative Reporting from Denmark: Asbestos in the Environment. Read it here: LINK

Some articles on asbestos-related issues:

Health Canada consultation suggests no MAC needed on asbestos in drinking water, Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine, 2026 and https://esemag.com/water/health-canada-suggests-no-mac-asbestos-drinking-water/

Johnson & Johnson: J&J's Talcum Powder & Asbestos, Asbestos.com, 2026 and https://www.asbestos.com/companies/johnson-johnson/

Notification and recordkeeping of occupational mesothelioma and asbestos-related disease in India, medRxiv, 2025 and https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.02.11.25322115v1.full-text

Marble Waste Dump Yard in Rajasthan, India Revealed as a Potential Asbestos Exposure Hazard, MDPI, 2025 and https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/22/2/215

Artificial stone and the rise of silicosis, British Safety Council India, 2025 and https://www.britsafe.in/safety-management-news/2025/artificial-stone-and-the-rise-of-silicosis

The ongoing asbestos trade & hidden disease in India, Confront Power, 2025 and https://confrontpower.org/asbestos-and-india/

Johnson & Johnson ordered to pay $40m to women who said talc to blame for cancer, The Guardian, 2025 and https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/12/johnson-johnson-talc-baby-powder

Thousands in UK take legal action against Johnson & Johnson over alleged talc cancer link, The Guardian, 2025 and https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/oct/16/thousands-in-uk-open-case-against-johnson-johnson-over-alleged-talcum-powder-cancer-link

Asbestos roofing and schools — NGT directions and policy debate, India Water Portal, 2025 and https://www.indiawaterportal.org/governance-and-policy/ngt-mandates-policy-for-phasing-out-asbestos-in-schools

Govt rolls out mandatory quality norms for asbestos cement products, The Economic Times, 2024 and https://m.economictimes.com/industry/indl-goods/svs/cement/govt-rolls-out-mandatory-quality-norms-for-asbestos-cement-products/articleshow/110310002.cms

Johnson & Johnson proposes $6.5bn settlement of talc cancer lawsuits, The Guardian, 2024 and https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/may/01/talc-baby-powder-cancer-settlement-johnson

Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry ignores verdicts of Supreme Court, WTO and WHO's recommendations on Asbestos, Ban Asbestos India, 2024 and https://www.asbestosfreeindia.org/2024/05/

US bans last ongoing use of asbestos, a carcinogen that kills 40,000 Americans a year, The Associated Press, 2024 and https://apnews.com/article/epa-asbestos-ban-cancer-carcinogen-biden-0599540b6e4e5bc7d0e804f8ddbcfad4

Danger in the pipes: Why experts are raising the alarm about asbestos in drinking water, CTV News, 2024 and https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/danger-in-the-pipes-why-experts-are-raising-the-alarm-about-asbestos-in-drinking-water-1.6366030

How Johnson & Johnson's talc baby powder became a public health crisis, The Washington Post, 2024 and https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/01/25/johnson-and-johnson-talc-baby-powder-cancer-lawsuit/

Analysis of mesothelioma cases and National Cancer Registry data to assess asbestos exposure in India, The Union, 2024 and https://theunion.org/news/analysis-of-mesothelioma-cases-and-national-cancer-registry-data-to-assess-asbestos-exposure-in-india

Report to NGT highlights adverse effects of asbestos sheets on human health, Times of India, 2024 and https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/report-to-ngt-highlights-adverse-effects-of-asbestos-sheets-on-human-health/articleshow/106621540.cms

Analysis of mesothelioma cases and national cancer registry data, PubMed Central, 2024 and https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11122712/

Drug offers ‘wonderful’ breakthrough in treatment of asbestos-linked cancer, The Guardian, 2024 and https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/feb/15/drug-offers-wonderful-breakthrough-in-treatment-of-asbestos-linked-cancer

We’re closer than ever to stopping mesothelioma — new trial results, BBC News, 2024 and https://www.bbc.com/news/health-65000000

Analysis of the Indian Government's position on the use of asbestos and its health effects, Public Health Action, 2023 and https://theunion.org/news/analysis-of-the-indian-government%E2%80%99s-position-on-the-use-of-asbestos-and-its-health-effects

Johnson & Johnson agrees to pay $8.9bn over alleged cancer-causing talc claims, The Guardian, 2023 and https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/apr/04/johnson-johnson-talc-cancer-lawsuit-settlement

The deadly cost of India's love affair with asbestos, The Independent, 2023 and https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/india/india-asbestos-health-mesothelioma-cancer-b2283945.html

Asbestos in Drinking Water: The Overlooked Danger, Water Quality Products, 2023 and https://www.wqpmag.com/water-quality/article/10940003/asbestos-in-drinking-water-the-overlooked-danger

Occupational exposure to asbestos in the informal sector: A study from India, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2023 and https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/4/3578

Stop manufacture, sale and use of all brands of toxic talcum powder and asbestos-based products in India, GroundXero, 2023 and https://www.groundxero.in/2023/07/16/toxicswatch-alliance-stop-manufacture-sale-and-use-of-all-brands-of-toxic-talcum-powder-and-asbestos-based-products-in-india/

Banning asbestos in talcum powder: Time for action in India, PubMed Central, 2023 and https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10953941/

Asbestos and India’s public health reporting failures, The Wire, 2023 and https://thewire.in/health/asbestos-india-public-health

Asbestos in talc: Indian regulators took J&J talc samples, YouTube, 2023 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOlDcAC4ZBY

Johnson & Johnson and talc lawsuits — global news roundup, Reuters, 2023 and https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/johnson-johnson-talc-verdicts-2023-11-13/

Johnson & Johnson to stop making talc-based baby powder globally, BBC News, 2022 and https://www.bbc.com/news/business-62514263

Call for pipe upgrades after Asbestos found in Christchurch drinking water, University of Otago, 2022 and https://www.otago.ac.nz/news/newsroom/call-for-pipe-upgrades-after-asbestos-found-in-christchurch-drinking-water

Asbestos exposure and the risk of mesothelioma in India, Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2022 and https://www.ijoem.com/article.asp?issn=0973-2284;year=2022;volume=26;issue=2;spage=101;epage=107;aulast=Singh

The Hidden Hazards of Marble Mining in Rajasthan, The Wire, 2022 and https://thewire.in/environment/the-hidden-hazards-of-marble-mining-in-rajasthan

Decades of deception: How the asbestos industry suppressed the truth, The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 2022 and https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(22)00085-7/fulltext

The ongoing asbestos timebomb: India’s exposure and projections, The Guardian, 2022 and https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/dec/19/we-are-all-exposed-to-it-the-human-face-of-indias-asbestos-timebomb

Asbestos: the long fight to ban it worldwide, Al Jazeera, 2022 and https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2022/7/26/asbestos-the-long-fight-to-ban-it-worldwide

Asbestos in drinking-water, World Health Organization (WHO), 2021 and https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-HEP-ECH-WSH-2021.4

Court rules Johnson & Johnson knew talc contained asbestos, Reuters, 2021 and https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-supreme-court-rejects-jj-appeal-over-2-billion-baby-powder-verdict-2021-06-01/

India's continuing use of asbestos despite global bans, Down To Earth, 2021 and https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/environment/india-s-continuing-use-of-asbestos-despite-global-bans-77231

Mesothelioma cases in the Indian subcontinent: A systematic review, Lung Cancer Management, 2021 and https://www.futuremedicine.com/doi/10.2217/lmt-2020-0026

Asbestos-cement water pipes: A hidden time bomb?, Environmental Health Perspectives, 2021 and https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/10.1289/EHP9227

Mesothelioma cases rising after decades of asbestos use, The New York Times, 2021 and https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/01/health/asbestos-mesothelioma.html

Asbestos lawsuits and talc litigation updates, Reuters, 2021 and https://www.reuters.com/legal/asbestos-talc-litigation-updates-2021/

Johnson & Johnson to stop selling talc baby powder in US and Canada, The Guardian, 2020 and https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/may/19/johnson-johnson-to-stop-selling-talc-baby-powder-in-us-and-canada

Silicosis and Asbestosis: The twin tragedies of the Indian stone industry, The Hindu, 2020 and https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/the-twin-tragedies-of-the-indian-stone-industry/article30628312.ece

The looming crisis of degrading asbestos cement water pipes, AWWA Water Science, 2020 and https://awwa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aws2.1192

Occupational health and safety in the unorganised sector: The case of asbestos workers in India, Economic and Political Weekly, 2020 and https://www.epw.in/journal/2020/39/special-articles/occupational-health-and-safety-unorganised-sector.html

The global burden of occupational asbestos-related diseases, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2020 and https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/14/5006

Talc in India — report, IPEN, 2020 and https://ipen.org/sites/default/files/documents/toxicslink_2021_talc_report.pdf

Asbestos-related risks in Indian shipbreaking yards, ScienceDirect, 2020 and https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1438463919310016

Talc and asbestos: how talc can be contaminated, Consumer Reports, 2020 and https://www.consumerreports.org/cancer/talcum-powder-and-asbestos-what-you-should-know/

Talc, asbestos and litigation, PBS Frontline, 2020 and https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/johnson-johnson-talc/

Global burden of asbestos-related diseases, The Lancet, 2020 and https://www.thelancet.com/commissions/asbestos

The asbestos crisis in India's construction sector, The Times of India, 2019 and https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/the-asbestos-crisis-in-indias-construction-sector/articleshow/70213845.cms

Justice Dept Investigating Johnson & Johnson Over Talc Baby Powder, The New York Times, 2019 and https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/12/business/johnson-johnson-talc-investigation.html

Asbestos cement pipes: What you need to know, American Water Works Association, 2019 and https://www.awwa.org/Portals/0/AWWA/ETS/Resources/AsbestosCementPipes.pdf

Marble dust and health hazards: A study in Rajasthan, Journal of Environmental Management, 2019 and https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030147971930825X

Mesothelioma in India: A silent epidemic, The Indian Express, 2019 and https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/health/mesothelioma-in-india-a-silent-epidemic-5721345/

Asbestos in commercial Indian talc — evidence and concerns, PubMed Central, 2019 and https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6594195/

Baby talcum powder: Safety and accountability concerns, Indian Journal of Medical Ethics, 2019 and https://ijme.in/articles/baby-talcum-powder-safety-and-accountability-concerns/?galley=print

Asbestos in consumer talc: tests find contamination, Associated Press, 2019 and https://apnews.com/article/asbestos-in-talc

Asbestos exposure in shipbreaking yards, Human Rights Watch, 2019 and https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/05/01/shipbreaking-workplace-hazards

The hidden deaths from asbestos, The Intercept, 2019 and https://theintercept.com/2019/03/25/asbestos-epidemic/

Asbestos in cosmetic talc: NGO test results, Public Citizen, 2019 and https://www.citizen.org/article/talc-asbestos-tests/

Asbestos and public policy: why many countries still allow chrysotile, New Internationalist, 2019 and https://newint.org/features/2019/08/01/why-chrysotile-still-used

J&J knew for decades that asbestos lurked in its Baby Powder, Reuters, 2018 and https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/johnsonandjohnson-cancer/

The toxic legacy of asbestos in India's villages, Al Jazeera, 2018 and https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2018/1/15/the-toxic-legacy-of-asbestos-in-indias-villages

EPA's new rule allows new uses of asbestos, Environmental Defense Fund, 2018 and https://www.edf.org/blog/2018/06/07/epas-new-rule-allows-new-uses-asbestos

Asbestos in the water supply: A growing concern, The Globe and Mail, 2018 and https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/asbestos-in-the-water-supply-a-growing-concern/article38219432/

Occupational diseases in India: The unseen reality, Frontline, 2018 and https://frontline.thehindu.com/the-nation/occupational-diseases-in-india-the-unseen-reality/article24012345.ece

Asbestos in water supplies, ScienceDaily, 2018 and https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180510123456.htm

Asbestos contamination and mining, Reuters, 2018 and https://www.reuters.com/article/us-asbestos-trade/exposing-the-global-asbestos-trade-idUSKCN1GZ0XJ

Mesothelioma and occupational exposures, WHO Newsroom, 2018 and https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/asbestos

Chrysotile asbestos trade, exporting countries and health impact, Greenpeace, 2018 and https://www.greenpeace.org/international/publication/asbestos-trade-report/

Shipbreaking, asbestos and worker disease, Al Jazeera, 2018 and https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2018/10/12/shipbreaking-workers-asbestos

Asbestos in Drinking Water: The Danger of Old Asbestos Pipes and Natural Disasters, Mesothelioma.com, 2017 and https://www.mesothelioma.com/blog/asbestos-in-drinking-water-the-danger-of-old-asbestos-pipes-and-natural-disasters/

The danger of talcum powder and asbestos contamination, The New York Times, 2017 and https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/22/health/talcum-powder-cancer-lawsuits.html

Mesothelioma survivor stories and reporting, The Independent, 2017 and https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/mesothelioma-survivor-stories-asbestos-a7654321.html

The deadly dust: Asbestos in the Indian workplace, The Hindu Business Line, 2016 and https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/national/the-deadly-dust-asbestos-in-the-indian-workplace/article8521345.ece

Mesothelioma: The lingering shadow of asbestos exposure, Mayo Clinic News Network, 2016 and https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mesothelioma-the-lingering-shadow-of-asbestos-exposure/

Investigation: asbestos in residential water pipes, EWG, 2016 and https://www.ewg.org/news/asbestos-water-pipes-investigation

Asbestos fibers in drinking water: Health effects and treatment, EPA, 2015 and https://archive.epa.gov/water/archive/web/html/vms54.html

India's asbestos time bomb, Al Jazeera, 2014 and https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2014/3/26/indias-asbestos-time-bomb