The IMIG Board of Directors is pleased to announce that 3 Young Investigator Awards will be given at the upcoming IMIG meeting in Kyoto.
The funding for these three awards has been donated in honor of 3 important advocacy organizations that work to ban asbestos:

BANJAN (Ban Asbestos Network Japan) Young Investigator Award ($2000)
ADAO (Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization) Young Investigator Award ($1500)
IBAS (International Ban Asbestos Secretariat) Young Investigator Award ($1500)

Awardees will be selected by the IMIG Board from submitted abstracts for the Kyoto meeting.

Submit your abstracts here by June 1st.

An article from the Collegium Ramazzini on the need for asbestos ban regulations worldwide.
The first call for a universal ban on asbestos by the Collegium Ramazzini was made in 1999. Still, asbestos is though still mined and used in several countries across the globe.
This newsletter provides an update on the topic.

Suggested by Dr Jim teWaterNaude MBChB, MPhil (MCH), FCPHM

The U.K. recognizes that society’s obligation and moral responsibility to remedy the tragic legacy of decades of asbestos use requires funding research to develop effective medical treatments. Will the United States follow?
Santa Barbara, CA (PRWEB) March 5, 2010 — The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation today publicly praised the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Justice for its progressive and constructive new position on asbestos disease.

An article from the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat by Laurie Kazan Allen analyzing the effects of the increasing utilization of asbestos in Asia.

The most common forms of asbestos disease are pleural plaques, asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma. Asbestosis is a chronic, prolonged lung disease that is caused by continuous inhalation of asbestos particles. However, asbestosis is not cancerous. The second form, mesothelioma is a cancer that attacks mesothelium and is most commonly found in the lung. Mesothelioma is rare or nonexistent in non-asbestos exposed populations but is becoming more common among asbestos-exposed individuals.

A comprehensive report curated by Laurie Kazan-Allen on the asbestos-related diseases in India. An economical and political evaluation of the asbestos industry and its implications in society and healthcare stream. Prevention is key, especially in mesothelioma, where the carcinogen, asbestos, is well known and exposure to it can be controlled. Acting now will prevent the inevitable increase of deaths in a near future. India is the third largest user of asbestos after China and Russia (countries where it’s still produced too).