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/ 13 February 2012
A Swiss billionaire and a Belgian baron have been found guilty and sentenced to 16 years in prison by an Italian court in a ground-breaking trial.
Penge started out as a short stopover for
Kevin Davie while on a cycling trip. But he was drawn back by the inhabitants living amid poisonous dust.
Scientists have warned that carbon nanotubes could pose a cancer risk similar to that of asbestos, saying the government should restrict the use of the materials to protect human health. Carbon nanotubes were developed in 1991 and have proved extremely useful, conferring great strength while being very light.
Final regulations for the banning of asbestos will come into effect on Friday, Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said on Thursday. Van Schalkwyk said the regulations would prohibit the use, processing, manufacturing, and import and export of any asbestos.
The Asbestos Relief Trust, set up to compensate asbestosis claimants, paid out more than R91-million in 1 378 claims in the past two years. Trust chairperson John Doidge said in his report on Monday: ”The manager’s report shows that to date we have been able to compensate 1 378 people suffering with an asbestos related disease.
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/ 16 January 2006
Egyptian technicians on Monday were to inspect an old French aircraft carrier, heading for an Indian scrapyard, ahead of its planned transit through the Suez canal after a delay caused by controversy over the warship’s asbestos insulation. In a further potential legal snag, India’s Supreme Court on Monday banned the ship from entering Indian waters before February 13.
It was once embraced as the answer to the construction industry’s prayers: a cheap, light and easily obtainable substance that would make buildings stronger, warmer and more resistant to fire. A quarter of a century has passed since the world was emphatically warned that asbestos was also a killer.
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/ 14 October 2004
More than R16-million has been paid out to claimants who suffer from asbestos poisoning, the Asbestos Relief Trust said on Wednesday. More than 100 claims had been paid out, while 150 more were ready to be finalised, chairperson of the trust, John Doidge, said in a statement.
Travellers know they are approaching the Australian town of Wittenoom from the health warnings posted every few kilometres along the roadside. By law, tourist maps must warn you away from the town before you reach it. When you arrive, the signs advise you to keep doors and windows closed.
South Africa is to publish regulations this year to prohibit the use of asbestos, according to Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk. Van Schalkwyk said that according to the law, government was now empowered to control products even before they become waste.