Singelberg Clinic

The perverse funding of the Asbestos Fund in Belgium


24 Oct 2011 : Today starts the first Belgian asbestos trial against the former asbestos factory Eternit from Kapelle-op-den-Bos.

In principle, asbestos victims are entitled to compensation by the  Asbestos Fund, but if they want to claim, they must refrain from legal proceedings. This is stated in Article 125 of the Asbestos Fund.

Senator Louis Ide (N-VA) does not agree with the way that this asbestos fund is replenished. This fund is funded by all other belgian companies and the taxpayer, by tax revenues.

Ide  is convinced that Eternit is the only responsible for  the compensation of victims.The principle : the polluter pays.

Exposure to asbestos may cause  cancer (mesothelioma), an incurable form of cancer.

Asbestos  use continued in Belgium long after it was halted in other parts of the world. Individuals who have been exposed to airborne asbestos fibers are at risk for developing mesothelioma or other forms of asbestos-related disease. Scientists have recently stated that no amount of asbestos exposure is safe, and inhalation of even the smallest amounts has the potential to cause lasting damage to delicate lung tissue.