Le fait qui frappe
Le premier avertissement a plus de 2'000 ans. L'exploitation, elle, a continué jusqu'à la fin du XXe siècle.
L'OMS attribue encore plus de 200'000 décès annuels aux maladies liées à l'amiante.
Dossier
Asbestos: the history
of a public health scandal
Translation — the French version prevails.
From the « miracle mineral » to the greatest industrial scandal of the 20th century. A material whose dangers were known since antiquity, yet whose exploitation was deliberately continued at the cost of human lives. The facts — documented and verifiable.
200'000+deaths per year worldwide (WHO)
Pourquoi ça compte encore dans le bâti
- Fibrociment et plaques de toiture
- Colles, dalles et faux-plafonds
- Calorifugeages et réseaux techniques
Antiquity — 1800s
A danger known for 2,000 years
Asbestos is not a modern product. Fibres have been found in Finnish ceramics dating back 4,500 years. The Greeks called it asbestos (« indestructible ») and the Romans wove fireproof shrouds for imperial funerals.
Yet as early as antiquity, lethal effects were being observed. Pliny the Elder, in the 1st century AD, described the « lung disease » among slaves working with the mineral and advised against buying them. The first warning dates back over 2,000 years.
Industrial exploitation began in the 1870s with the opening of the Thetford mines in Quebec and in the Russian Urals. Asbestos was celebrated as a « miracle mineral »: fire-resistant, insulating, flexible, and extraordinarily cheap.
~4500 av. J.-C.Découverte
Earliest known uses
Traces of asbestos fibres are found in pottery in Finland. The mineral was used to reinforce ceramics.
Source : Archives archéologiques
AntiquitéAlerte
Pliny the Elder describes the 'lung disease'
In his Natural History, Pliny the Elder observes that slaves working with asbestos develop a 'lung disease'. He recommends against buying such slaves. The hazard has been known for more than 2,000 years.
Source : Pline l'Ancien, Histoire naturelle, livre XXXVI
1870sIndustrie
Onset of industrial exploitation
Industrial extraction begins in Quebec (Thetford mine) and in the Russian Urals. Asbestos is marketed as a 'miracle mineral': fire-resistant, insulating, inexpensive.
1900 — 1970
The « miracle mineral » of construction
In the 20th century, asbestos invaded the construction sector. Its exceptional properties — fire resistance, thermal and acoustic insulation, mechanical strength — made it ubiquitous. In 1978, world production reached its peak: 4.8 million tonnes extracted in a single year.
In Switzerland, asbestos was used massively in construction from the 1950s to the 1990s. The Eternit factories in Niederurnen (GL, founded 1904) and Payerne (VD, founded 1957) produced thousands of tonnes of fibre cement. In 1980, Switzerland consumed 3.3 kg of asbestos per capita — one of the highest rates in the world.
Asbestos-containing materials in construction
Fibre-cement sheets (roofing, facades)
Vinyl-asbestos floor tiles
Tile adhesives and mastics
Fire-protection sprayed coatings (flocking)
Sealing gaskets and rope packings
Ventilation ducts
Textured paints and render coatings
Thermal insulation on pipework
Brake and clutch linings
Fireproof textiles
1898 — 1969
Warnings deliberately ignored
For nearly a century, scientific evidence accumulated. Doctors, inspectors and epidemiologists raised the alarm. Industry responded with silence, disinformation and lobbying. Every study was fought, every report buried.
1898Alerte
First official report on the hazards
Lucy Deane, British factory inspector, publishes the first official report documenting the harmful effects of asbestos dust on workers' health.
Source : Annual Report of the Chief Inspector of Factories, 1898
1904Suisse
Founding of Eternit Niederurnen (Switzerland)
The Eternit plant is founded in Niederurnen in the canton of Glarus. It will become one of Europe's largest producers of asbestos-cement (fibre-cement). Thousands of workers will be exposed there for decades.
1906Alerte
50 deaths in a French factory
Dr Denis Auribault reports 50 deaths among workers at an asbestos spinning mill in Condé-sur-Noireau (Calvados, France). His report is ignored by the authorities and the industry.
Source : Bulletin de l'Inspection du travail, 1906
1930Alerte
Merewether & Price report — formal proof
British physicians Edward Merewether and Charles Price publish a thorough study proving irrefutably that inhaling asbestos fibres causes fatal pulmonary fibrosis — asbestosis. The industry chooses to downplay these findings.
Source : Report on Effects of Asbestos Dust on the Lungs, HMSO, 1930
1935Scandale
The industry organises silence
Sumner Simpson, president of Raybestos-Manhattan, writes in internal correspondence: 'The less said about asbestos, the better off we are.' The industry funds biased studies and lobbies to suppress unfavourable scientific publications.
Source : Correspondance Sumner Simpson, archives judiciaires
1949Scandale
Johns-Manville conceals diagnoses
An internal memo from Johns-Manville, the world's largest asbestos producer, reveals that the company was diagnosing asbestosis in its workers but not informing them. Dr Kenneth Smith explicitly recommends against telling the sick employees.
Source : Mémo interne Johns-Manville, révélé lors des procès
1955Alerte
Richard Doll proves the link to cancer
British epidemiologist Sir Richard Doll publishes a study demonstrating that asbestos workers face a lung-cancer risk ten times higher than the general population. This finding is contested for years by industrial lobbies.
Source : British Journal of Industrial Medicine, 1955
1957Suisse
Founding of Eternit Payerne (Switzerland)
The Eternit plant in Payerne opens in the canton of Vaud. Within a few decades, 61 out of 953 workers will die from asbestos-related diseases. Not a single worker born after 1933 will reach retirement age.
1960Alerte
Proof of the asbestos-mesothelioma link
Wagner, Sleggs and Marchand publish a study establishing the direct link between asbestos exposure and malignant pleural mesothelioma, an incurable cancer of the pleura. Even low-level exposures can be fatal.
Source : British Journal of Industrial Medicine, 1960
1969Suisse
SUVA recognises mesothelioma
The Swiss National Accident Insurance Fund (SUVA) officially recognises mesothelioma as an occupational disease. Switzerland finally acknowledges that asbestos is killing its workers — but bans nothing.
The scandal
Industry knew.
Industry lied.
Internal documents revealed during the trials of the 1970s–80s are damning. Asbestos industry executives knew the deadly dangers of their product and deliberately chose to conceal them — exactly as the tobacco industry would do decades later.
« Let them keep on working until they drop dead. »
« The less said about asbestos, the better off we are. »
« As a matter of company policy, we prefer not to tell workers diagnosed with asbestosis about their disease. As long as they are not disabled, they are not compensated. There is no point in frightening them. »
Parallel with the tobacco industry
Asbestos
- Funding biased studies to sow doubt
- Pressure on scientists and the media
- Diagnoses hidden from sick workers
- Massive lobbying against any regulation
Tobacco
- Creation of « independent » research institutes
- Large-scale disinformation campaigns
- Concealment of addiction and cancer risks
- Systematic contestation of unfavourable studies
The strategies are identical. In both cases, industries deliberately sacrificed human lives to protect their profits.
Swiss context
Switzerland and asbestos: a heavy toll
Switzerland was one of the largest per-capita consumers of asbestos in the world. The Eternit factories in Niederurnen (GL) and Payerne (VD) produced hundreds of thousands of tonnes of fibre cement, exposing thousands of workers to massive fibre doses.
The ban only came into force in 1989, and existing stocks could be sold until 1994. The health consequences are still felt today: the SUVA estimates that up to 3,900 deaths will occur by 2040 due to past exposures.
« We were buried in asbestos. Visibility dropped to a few metres. We breathed that dust eight hours a day, with no protection. »
« 61 deaths out of 953 workers. Not a single worker born after 1933 reached retirement age. »
The Schmidheiny trial
2009
Start of the Schmidheiny trial in Italy
Stephan Schmidheiny, former head of Eternit, is indicted in Italy for the deaths caused by the Eternit plants in Casale Monferrato and Cavagnolo. This is the largest criminal trial related to asbestos in history.
2023
Schmidheiny sentenced to 12 years in prison
The Turin court sentences Stephan Schmidheiny to 12 years' imprisonment for voluntary manslaughter. The judgment cites 392 fatal victims. A landmark conviction, which the defence immediately contests.
2025
Sentence reduced on appeal for Schmidheiny
In April 2025, the Turin Court of Appeal reduces Stephan Schmidheiny's sentence from 12 to 9.5 years' imprisonment. At that date, 72 countries have banned asbestos — but more than 120 still use it.
2026
Conviction quashed by the Supreme Court
Italy's Supreme Court (Corte di Cassazione) quashes Schmidheiny's conviction on procedural grounds. The victims' families denounce a denial of justice. The case could be referred to another court.
150+
Annual deaths in Switzerland
including ~120 mesotheliomas
3'900
Projection to 2040
estimated deaths (SUVA)
CHF 650 mio
Total SUVA cost
compensation paid out
1972 — 2024
The bans: too little, too late
It took a century of evidence, hundreds of thousands of deaths and countless trials before countries began banning asbestos. And in 2025, over 120 countries still use it.
Year
Country
Note
1983
Islande
First total ban
1984
Norvège
1986
Danemark
Total ban
1986
Suède
1989
Suisse
Sale permitted until 1994
1990
Autriche
1991
Pays-Bas
1992
Italie
1993
Allemagne
1996
France
Following the Jussieu scandal
1999
Royaume-Uni
2003
Australie
2004
Japon
Progressive ban
2005
Union européenne
EU-wide ban
2024
États-Unis
Chrysotile only
Countries still using asbestos in 2025
Russia (world's largest producer)
Kazakhstan
China
India
Brazil (partial ban)
Indonesia
Thailand
Vietnam
Mexico
Zimbabwe
More than 120 countries have still not banned asbestos. Russia remains the world's largest producer.
The human toll
Behind every figure are workers, families, shattered lives. Asbestos kills today — and will continue to kill for decades.
200'000+
deaths per year worldwide (WHO)
Global health impact
Deaths per year worldwide (WHO)0 morts/an
Annual deaths in Switzerland0 morts/an
Projection to 2040 (SUVA)0 décès
Total SUVA cost (millions CHF)0 mio CHF
World
200’000+
Annual deaths attributable to asbestos according to the WHO (low estimate)
Global mesotheliomas
29’619
Cases in 2021, doubled since 1990 (15’084). The peak has not yet been reached in many countries.
Europe
70’000+
Annual deaths linked to asbestos. 4 to 7 million European workers remain exposed.
Switzerland
150+
Annual deaths. Approximately 120 new cases of mesothelioma diagnosed each year.
SUVA projection
3’900
Estimated number of deaths in Switzerland by 2040, due to past exposures.
SUVA cost
CHF 650 mio
Total amount of compensation paid by SUVA for asbestos-related diseases.
Today
And today? The danger is still here
Asbestos has been banned in Switzerland since 1989, but it is still present in our buildings. Around 75% of buildings constructed before 1990 potentially contain asbestos in some form: floor tiles, adhesives, seals, spray coatings, pipes, façade claddings.
As long as these materials are not disturbed, the risk remains limited. But as soon as drilling, breaking, sanding or demolition begins, microscopic fibres are released into the air. A single inhaled fibre can, decades later, cause mesothelioma — an incurable cancer.
Mandatory diagnosis before renovation, but NOT before sale
In Switzerland, an asbestos survey is mandatory before any renovation or demolition work (OLED, art. 16). However, no law requires a survey before the sale of a property. A buyer can inherit a contaminated building without knowing it.
10-year limitation period vs. 40–50 year latency
The limitation period for occupational diseases in Switzerland is 10 years after the last exposure. Mesothelioma has a latency period of 30 to 50 years. Result: many victims are deprived of any legal recourse.
Thousands of unlisted buildings
There is no national register of asbestos-containing buildings in Switzerland. Each owner is responsible for having their property surveyed, but many are unaware of this or postpone it out of ignorance or fear of costs.
Have your building surveyed
A professional diagnosis identifies asbestos and allows safe management planning. Our SUVA-trained surveyors cover all of French-speaking Switzerland.
Request a diagnosis →Complete timeline
From antiquity to 2026: all the key events in the history of asbestos.
AntiquitéFirst uses and warnings
1870sStart of industrial exploitation
1930Medical evidence of the cancer–asbestos link
1978Production peak: 4.8 million tonnes
1989Ban in Switzerland
2005Ban in the EU
2024US ban (EPA)
Antiquité
First uses and warnings
1870s
Start of industrial exploitation
1930
Medical evidence of the cancer–asbestos link
1978
Production peak: 4.8 million tonnes
1989
Ban in Switzerland
2005
Ban in the EU
2024
US ban (EPA)
~4500 av. J.-C.Découverte
Earliest known uses
Traces of asbestos fibres are found in pottery in Finland. The mineral was used to reinforce ceramics.
Source : Archives archéologiques
AntiquitéAlerte
Pliny the Elder describes the 'lung disease'
In his Natural History, Pliny the Elder observes that slaves working with asbestos develop a 'lung disease'. He recommends against buying such slaves. The hazard has been known for more than 2,000 years.
Source : Pline l'Ancien, Histoire naturelle, livre XXXVI
1870sIndustrie
Onset of industrial exploitation
Industrial extraction begins in Quebec (Thetford mine) and in the Russian Urals. Asbestos is marketed as a 'miracle mineral': fire-resistant, insulating, inexpensive.
1898Alerte
First official report on the hazards
Lucy Deane, British factory inspector, publishes the first official report documenting the harmful effects of asbestos dust on workers' health.
Source : Annual Report of the Chief Inspector of Factories, 1898
1904Suisse
Founding of Eternit Niederurnen (Switzerland)
The Eternit plant is founded in Niederurnen in the canton of Glarus. It will become one of Europe's largest producers of asbestos-cement (fibre-cement). Thousands of workers will be exposed there for decades.
1906Alerte
50 deaths in a French factory
Dr Denis Auribault reports 50 deaths among workers at an asbestos spinning mill in Condé-sur-Noireau (Calvados, France). His report is ignored by the authorities and the industry.
Source : Bulletin de l'Inspection du travail, 1906
1930Alerte
Merewether & Price report — formal proof
British physicians Edward Merewether and Charles Price publish a thorough study proving irrefutably that inhaling asbestos fibres causes fatal pulmonary fibrosis — asbestosis. The industry chooses to downplay these findings.
Source : Report on Effects of Asbestos Dust on the Lungs, HMSO, 1930
1935Scandale
The industry organises silence
Sumner Simpson, president of Raybestos-Manhattan, writes in internal correspondence: 'The less said about asbestos, the better off we are.' The industry funds biased studies and lobbies to suppress unfavourable scientific publications.
Source : Correspondance Sumner Simpson, archives judiciaires
1949Scandale
Johns-Manville conceals diagnoses
An internal memo from Johns-Manville, the world's largest asbestos producer, reveals that the company was diagnosing asbestosis in its workers but not informing them. Dr Kenneth Smith explicitly recommends against telling the sick employees.
Source : Mémo interne Johns-Manville, révélé lors des procès
1955Alerte
Richard Doll proves the link to cancer
British epidemiologist Sir Richard Doll publishes a study demonstrating that asbestos workers face a lung-cancer risk ten times higher than the general population. This finding is contested for years by industrial lobbies.
Source : British Journal of Industrial Medicine, 1955
1957Suisse
Founding of Eternit Payerne (Switzerland)
The Eternit plant in Payerne opens in the canton of Vaud. Within a few decades, 61 out of 953 workers will die from asbestos-related diseases. Not a single worker born after 1933 will reach retirement age.
1960Alerte
Proof of the asbestos-mesothelioma link
Wagner, Sleggs and Marchand publish a study establishing the direct link between asbestos exposure and malignant pleural mesothelioma, an incurable cancer of the pleura. Even low-level exposures can be fatal.
Source : British Journal of Industrial Medicine, 1960
1969Suisse
SUVA recognises mesothelioma
The Swiss National Accident Insurance Fund (SUVA) officially recognises mesothelioma as an occupational disease. Switzerland finally acknowledges that asbestos is killing its workers — but bans nothing.
1972Interdiction
Denmark — first partial ban
Denmark becomes the first country in the world to restrict the use of asbestos by regulation. A measure deemed 'excessive' by the industry, which continues to sell freely in the rest of the world.
1978Industrie
Peak of global production
Global asbestos production reaches its all-time high: 4.8 million tonnes extracted in a single year. The mineral is ubiquitous in construction: roofing, pipes, gaskets, adhesives, floor tiles, sprayed coatings.
1980Suisse
Switzerland, a major consumer
Switzerland consumes 3.3 kg of asbestos per capita, one of the highest rates in the world. Hundreds of thousands of buildings constructed between 1950 and 1990 contain asbestos in various forms.
1983Interdiction
First total ban
Iceland becomes the first country in the world to ban asbestos in all its forms. Other Nordic countries will follow rapidly.
1989Suisse
Switzerland bans asbestos
Switzerland bans the use of asbestos. However, the sale of existing stocks remains permitted until 1994. The ban comes after decades of industrial lobbying and thousands of preventable deaths.
2005Interdiction
Ban across the European Union
Asbestos is finally banned throughout the European Union. Some member states had already legislated individually, but the EU-wide prohibition takes more than 20 years to achieve.
2009Justice
Start of the Schmidheiny trial in Italy
Stephan Schmidheiny, former head of Eternit, is indicted in Italy for the deaths caused by the Eternit plants in Casale Monferrato and Cavagnolo. This is the largest criminal trial related to asbestos in history.
2023Justice
Schmidheiny sentenced to 12 years in prison
The Turin court sentences Stephan Schmidheiny to 12 years' imprisonment for voluntary manslaughter. The judgment cites 392 fatal victims. A landmark conviction, which the defence immediately contests.
Source : Tribunal de Turin, 2023
2024Interdiction
The United States finally ban chrysotile
The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) bans chrysotile asbestos in the United States, the last form still permitted. It took 35 years — the first attempted ban dated from 1989 and had been overturned by the courts under industry pressure.
Source : EPA Final Rule, mars 2024
2025Justice
Sentence reduced on appeal for Schmidheiny
In April 2025, the Turin Court of Appeal reduces Stephan Schmidheiny's sentence from 12 to 9.5 years' imprisonment. At that date, 72 countries have banned asbestos — but more than 120 still use it.
2026Justice
Conviction quashed by the Supreme Court
Italy's Supreme Court (Corte di Cassazione) quashes Schmidheiny's conviction on procedural grounds. The victims' families denounce a denial of justice. The case could be referred to another court.
Sources and references
This page is based on verifiable and recognised sources. The facts presented are documented in scientific literature, court archives and reports from official institutions.
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