As I dig into the published material for my research thesis focusing on the asbestos exposure arising from shipbreaking in Bangladesh, I think that a blog discussing the stark differences between developing countries and developed countries might be worthwhile. I have chosen the year 2000 for a comparison as England went asbestos free in 1999…
Read more
I started my weekly asbestos history blogs on December 16, 2020. Just over two years later, the total has reached 100. Hopefully, you find them interesting, informative, and thought provoking. For those of you who have joined me after the beginning or who have specific topics of interest, I am listing the blogs in the…
Read more
The article is entitled “Mobility of asbestos fibers below ground is enhanced by dissolved organic matter from soil amendments.” The importance of this 2021 article by Sanjay Mohanty and her co-authors published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials Letters is best stated in the Abstract as follows: “To prevent exposure of millions of people living…
Read more
I don’t know the Norway legal system and nor do I have any insights into the judges who sit on this appeal court. However, being familiar with many other courts and judges, I am duly impressed. The link to the entire 36 page, easy to read, decision is at https://theasbestosblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/2022-Norway-Court-Decision-Asbestos_10102022.pdf. The case involved a group…
Read more
Breaking ships at the end of their lives (versus sinking them to be a reef in the Ocean or turning them into museums) is big business with a lot of battles between purchasers/countries that want the business and steel against environmental and labor groups. Publicity matters; a lot. Just Google ” aircraft carrier San Paulo”…
Read more
As I dig into the historical research concerning these seemingly independent concepts and begin to conceptualize my analysis, I have found one scholar who’s work has directly touched on all three of these issues. R. Scott Frey authored a paper entitled “The International Traffic in Asbestos” in 2006 and authored “Breaking Ships in the World-System:…
Read more
What do you get when you combine asbestos, one of the most dangerous minerals in the world, https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/deadliest-minerals-and-gemstones.html (number 3 per this article) with ship breaking in Bangladesh, called by at least one article as “the most dangerous job on the plant.” Certainly a topic worth discussing and, for me, worth devoting the next 9…
Read more
As I begin to focus on my Master’s in History thesis number two, this one on asbestos exposure to ship-breaking workers, I am looking for any attorneys (let’s start off with United States based) who might have the time, desire, and inclination to help; help the overseas ship-breaking workers, that is, and not my thesis.…
Read more
Ship breaking (scrapping) is a classic situation of developed countries (in World Systems terminology, “core states”) sucking up the good parts of technology, production, capital, and profits, while exporting the bad parts to lesser developed areas of the world (“periphery states”) willing to accept what the core countries allow, in exchange for taking risks otherwise…
Read more
I am beginning my book project dealing with asbestos exposures arising from ship building, seafaring, and ship breaking (scrapping) that will be my focus for at least a couple of years. Fingers crossed on the detailed research and pulling it off informatively and with an interested readership. Right now, ship breaking is likely the most…
Read more
Recent Comments