IOHSAD at ABAN 2026: PROTECT FILIPINOS FROM ASBESTOS NOW!

Asbestos continues to threaten the lives and health of Filipino workers and communities, even as more countries move toward banning this deadly carcinogen.

Dr. Leonard Javier of the Institute for Occupational Health and Safety Development (IOHSAD) presented the Philippines’ national challenges and future campaign directions toward a total asbestos ban at the Asian Ban Asbestos Network (ABAN) Conference 2026, held on October 21.

Following discussions and consensus-building with fellow Philippine delegates, Dr. Javier highlighted three major barriers to eliminating asbestos in the country:

1. Limited awareness and research on asbestos exposure and asbestos-related diseases (ARDs), contributing to underrecognition and underdiagnosis;

2. Fragmented policies and regulations that fail to comprehensively protect workers and communities from asbestos exposure; and

3. Precarious employment and working conditions that leave workers vulnerable to hazardous exposures and limit their ability to demand safer workplaces.

The urgency cannot be overstated. An estimated 643 Filipinos die annually from mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer strongly associated with asbestos exposure. Meanwhile, the Philippines remains among the world’s leading importers of asbestos, despite the growing number of countries that have banned its use.

Beyond strengthening public awareness and scientific research, IOHSAD underscores the need for stronger occupational disease surveillance, improved diagnosis and compensation for affected workers, safer alternatives, and comprehensive legislation banning all forms of asbestos.

No worker should have to trade their health or life for a livelihood. No community should continue to bear the deadly legacy of asbestos exposure.

𝗕𝗔𝗡 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗠𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗔𝗦𝗕𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗦! 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗧𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗘𝗦! 𝗨𝗣𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗧𝗛 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗦𝗔𝗙𝗘 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞!

#IOHSAD #ABAN2026 #BanAsbestosNow #AsbestosFreePhilippines #OccupationalHealthAndSafety #WorkersHealth #RightToHealth