A century of harm — and the people who fought back.
From the first medical recognition in 1898 to the present register, the UK story of asbestos is also the story of campaigners, families and unions who refused to let the industry bury it.
How to read this timeline
The chronology below mixes regulation, science, litigation, and campaigning. Each is colour-coded on the year marker. The pattern that emerges across more than a century is a slow recognition driven from outside the industry — by inspectors, doctors, journalists, families, and unions — and a slow response from inside it.
Timeline
- 1898(Scientific)
Lung disease in asbestos workers first recorded
Lucy Deane, HM Inspector of Factories, includes 'the evil effects of asbestos dust' in her annual report — one of the first official UK records of harm.
- 1924(Scientific)
First recorded UK asbestos death
Nellie Kershaw, 33, dies of asbestosis after working at Turner Brothers Asbestos in Rochdale. The cause is identified at inquest but the company denies liability.
- 1931(Regulation)
Asbestos Industry Regulations
The first specific UK workplace regulations governing asbestos exposure come into force, requiring dust extraction and medical surveillance — but only in part of the industry.
- 1955(Scientific)
Doll links asbestos to lung cancer
Sir Richard Doll publishes the first epidemiological study linking asbestos exposure to lung cancer, working with data from Turner Brothers.
- 1960(Scientific)
Mesothelioma link confirmed
Wagner, Sleggs and Marchand publish the seminal South African paper proving the causal link between asbestos exposure and mesothelioma.
- 1969(Regulation)
Asbestos Regulations 1969
Replace the 1931 regulations with tighter exposure limits across the industry; enforcement remains weak and exposures continue at industrial scale.
- 1982(Campaign)
Yorkshire TV's 'Alice — A Fight for Life'
John Willis's landmark documentary on asbestos workers at Cape Industries' Acre Mill in Hebden Bridge turns public opinion and prompts compensation reform.
- 1985(Regulation)
Blue and brown asbestos banned
The UK bans imports of crocidolite (blue) and amosite (brown) asbestos — the most carcinogenic forms — but white asbestos (chrysotile) imports continue.
- 1987(Regulation)
Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations
Introduce a duty-holder framework: anyone with control of premises is responsible for managing asbestos risk to occupants and workers.
- 1999(Regulation)
White asbestos banned
The UK bans chrysotile asbestos imports, ending all new asbestos use. An estimated 1.5 million UK buildings still contain asbestos-containing materials installed before the ban.
- 2002(Litigation)
Fairchild v Glenhaven Funeral Services
The House of Lords rules joint-and-several liability in mesothelioma cases — claimants can recover full damages from any negligent employer, addressing the 'orphan defendant' problem.
- 2006(Litigation)
Compensation Act 2006
Reverses the 2006 Barker v Corus decision and restores joint-and-several liability for mesothelioma claims, ensuring claimants are not left under-compensated when defendants are insolvent.
- 2007(Campaign)
Mesothelioma UK founded
Specialist nurse-led charity established to support mesothelioma patients and their families, and to fund research into the disease.
- 2012(Regulation)
Mesothelioma Act 2014
Establishes the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme (operational from 2014) to compensate victims who cannot trace a liable employer or insurer.
- 2014(Regulation)
Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 take full effect
Consolidate previous regulations into a single duty-to-manage framework. The HSE notices regime continues in its current shape.
- 2018(Campaign)
Asbestos in Schools campaign
The Joint Union Asbestos Committee and the Asbestos in Schools Group reveal that around 86% of UK schools contain asbestos, pushing for a phased removal programme.
- 2022(Campaign)
Work and Pensions Committee report
Cross-party MPs recommend a 40-year deadline for removing asbestos from all UK non-domestic buildings, prioritising schools. The government rejects the timetable.
- 2024(Regulation)
HSE Asbestos Review
An independent review of the UK asbestos regulatory regime begins, examining whether the duty-to-manage framework remains fit for purpose 50 years after the worst exposures.
- 2026(Industry)
AsbestosIQ launches
A free, public-interest UK register aggregating regulatory enforcement notices, mortality data, and corporate-successor information — with every fact source-cited and the full pipeline open source.
Campaigns & charities
- Mesothelioma UK — specialist nurse-led support, research funding, and policy advocacy for mesothelioma patients and families.
- Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) UK — global awareness, prevention and support; UK chapter contributes to ban-extension campaigns.
- Greater Manchester Asbestos Victims Support Group (GMAVSG) — long-running regional support group; one of several UK AVSGs offering practical help to claimants.
- Joint Union Asbestos Committee — TUC-led coalition of trade-union health-and-safety representatives campaigning on workplace asbestos and school asbestos.
Why this work continues
The 1999 ban stopped new use, not legacy harm. Mesothelioma latency is decades — today’s diagnoses come from yesterday’s exposures. UK mesothelioma deaths still run at around 5,000 a year; HSE enforcement notices still issue every week against duty-holders failing to manage in-place asbestos. The AsbestosIQ register exists to keep that record visible, source-cited, and free.