Association Nationale de Défense desVictimes de l'Amiante, FranceNovember 27, 2020
Emiliano Alonso, PresidentInternational Chrysotile Association
Alonso & Asociados
Avenue des Arts 10-11, bte 10
Brussels B-1210, Belgium=Alonso & Asociados
Serrano 3, 5 Izquierda
Madrid 28001, Spain
November 27, 2020
Dear Emiliano Alonso,
We are writing to you in your position as the President of the International ChrysotileAssociation.
Overwhelming scientific evidence has demonstrated that all forms of asbestos cause deadly
diseases and that it is not possible to use asbestos safely. Consequently, European countries,such as Belgium and Spain, where you live and where your lobbying companies are located,
as well as other countries, have banned asbestos.

Clearly, if asbestos is harmful in Belgium and Spain and other European countries, it is
likewise harmful in economically developing countries, where the International Chrysotile
Association promotes its use.
Clearly, the populations of economically developing countries deserve to be protected fromasbestos harm just as much as the populations of European countries.
Chrysotile asbestos represents 95% of all the asbestos sold over the past century. For morethan two decades, chrysotile asbestos is the only form of asbestos sold in the world.
The International Chrysotile Association (ICA) denies the scientific evidence and promotes theuse of chrysotile asbestos in economically developing countries, claiming that exposure tohigh levels of chrysotile asbestos fibres – ten to a hundred times higher levels than permitted
by European countries – causes no harm to health. Not a single reputable scientificorganisation in the world supports the position of the ICA.
The ICA lobbies at the United Nations to prevent chrysotile asbestos from being put on theRotterdam Convention's list of hazardous substances, in spite of the fact that theConvention's expert scientific committee has repeatedly for many years called for it to belisted. The ICA thus denies developing countries their right to “prior informed consent”, which
is provided by the Rotterdam Convention, and succeeds in continuing to sell chrysotile
asbestos as an allegedly “safe” product without warnings.
The directors of the ICA represent \asbestos mining companies in Russia, Kazakhstan andZimbabwe and asbestos industrialists in India and Mexico. The ICA is funded by theseasbestos companies and promotes their interests and profits.
The world's expert health organisations, such as the World Health Organization, theInternational Agency for Research on Cancer, the International Commission on Occupational
Health, the Union for the International Control of Cancer, the International Social Security
Association, the World Federation of Public Health Associations, among others, have allcalled for an end to the use of any form of asbestos.
The ICA vilifies these expert scientific organizations, alleging that they are part of a corrupt,
ferocious, crusade to ban asbestos, which is being fed by “big, occult interests”.
For more than 15 years you have represented the ICA at UN and other meetings helping topromote the use of asbestos in economically developing countries and you now are thePresident of the organization.
We call on you to show integrity and to:Respect the overwhelming scientific evidence that all forms of asbestos should bebanned;Stop promoting the use of asbestos in developing countries;

Stop disseminating misinformation that causes harm and loss of life;

Immediately resign your position as President of the International Chrysotile
Association.

We await your response.
Eric Jonckheere, Président
Association Belge des Victimes de l'Amiante, Belgium
Jacques Faugeron, Président
Association Nationale de Défense des Victimes de l'Amiante, FranceGiuliana Busto, President
Associazione Famigliari Vittime Amianto, Italia
Joanne Gordon, Chair
Asbestos Victims Support Group UK
Kathleen Ruff, Director
RightOnCanada.ca, Canada