Asbestos-related diseases (ARDs), including asbestosis and mesothelioma, are among the most severe yet preventable occupational health conditions. There is no safe level of exposure to asbestos. Yet workers in construction, manufacturing, maintenance, transport, textile and garment and other industries continue to face exposure to asbestos and asbestos-containing materials.
For workers and their unions, eradicating exposure to asbestos is key. The Building and Wood Workers International (BWI), Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA’s asbestos campaign partner in the Philippines, is working with union members and affiliates to raise awareness of the hazards of asbestos, strengthen workers’ knowledge and organising, and push for stronger protections and a total ban on asbestos, including chrysotile or ‘white asbestos’.
Their advocacy is helping drive important changes. In July 2026, the Philippine Department of Health launched a new National Framework for the Prevention of Asbestos-Related Diseases, establishing a national policy direction for preventing asbestos-related diseases, strengthening awareness of asbestos regulations, and promoting coordinated efforts to prevent them.
The Framework reflects many of the priorities workers and unions have been pushing for: preventing exposure rather than simply treating disease; stronger regulation and coordination; protection for vulnerable workers, including informal economy workers and their communities; and support for workers and industries to transition to safer materials.
One of the most important elements is the commitment to better long-term monitoring of asbestos exposure and workers’ health. Asbestos-related diseases can take decades to develop, often long after a worker has left the job where they were exposed. Keeping reliable records of workers exposed and monitoring their health over time is critical, as it helps workers access appropriate medical care and establish the connection between illness and workplace exposure when seeking workers’ compensation and other entitlements. Without proper documentation, workers can be left carrying the consequences of an occupational hazard without the evidence needed to prove how they became sick.
The Framework also recognises that the transition away from asbestos must be just. Shifting towards safer materials and practices will protect workers’ livelihoods and health, with workers supported throughout the transition, especially for workers who may currently depend on jobs involving asbestos-containing materials.
Implementation will require action across government. The Department of Health will work with the Departments of Labour and Employment, Environment and Natural Resources, Public Works and Highways, and Trade and Industry for coordinated efforts to prevent asbestos-related diseases.
But unions know that a framework alone will not make workplaces safe. They will continue organising, educating and advocating to make sure the commitments translate into real protections on the ground.
BWI and its Philippine affiliates continue to raise awareness of asbestos hazards and challenge the notion that some forms of asbestos can be used safely. In particular, they are pushing back against the continued use of ‘white asbestos’ and calling for a complete ban. The message is clear: no asbestos is safe, and there is no safe level of exposure.
The new Framework is an important step, but the goal is bigger: workers should not have to choose between a job and their health. Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA and BWI are pushing for a future in which asbestos exposure is eliminated, workers are protected during the transition. We fully support the National Framework and urge the Ministry to clarify a date of full transition to safer materials as soon as possible.
This project is supported by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) through its IPEF Fund for Technical Assistance and Economic Cooperation.