The Asbestos Grave: Chronicle of a disaster foretold

The archives of programs produced for RTBF between 1977 and 2003 paint a picture of a crucial period in the use of asbestos in Belgium and Europe. All the risks were known to manufacturers, but workers gradually discovered them through illness and death. The 20 years leading up to its ban in Belgium in 1998 were won by the industry through denial and lies, and also thanks to the passivity of the public authorities. In 1995, the removal of asbestos from the Berlaymont building, home to the European Commission, opened the eyes of the general public to the dangers of asbestos. The long fight for compensation for the victims could finally begin. In 2017, the Brussels Court of Appeal confirmed that Eternit, the former champion of asbestos cement, had been aware of its dangers since at least the 1960s and had done everything in its power to conceal them. But the story of asbestos does not end there, as it is still present in our environment and continues to claim victims.