Price range: £7.99 through £12.99
Once used extensively in schools, hospitals, and housing, asbestos has taken the lives of millions. Bad Dust traces the international history of the asbestos disaster — from mining operations in apartheid South Africa to the factories and shipyards of the UK – and tells the story of the activists and workers who took on a once indomitable industry.
Illegal for the past quarter century, much asbestos still remains in place today, slowly degrading and placing us all at risk. Bad Dust reveals that the asbestos disaster has in fact only just begun, and that far from being a problem solved, the fight urgently needs to be taken up once again.
“In bringing asbestos out from behind the walls and ceilings where it lurks, and into the light, this highly original and disturbing book reveals an industrial disaster hiding in plain sight.”
“Bad Dust provides a shocking exposé of the asbestos industry and its apologists; a stirring record of the activism supporting its victims; an urgent call to action to save future lives. A must-read”
“Bad Dust has earned its place on the bookshelf of anyone interested not only in the history of the asbestos tragedy but also in the unending struggle for a sustainable future, corporate accountability and environmental justice.”
“An intricate, empathetic study, Tom White shows how the asbestos industry was created by the machinery of racial capitalism.”
“If this meticulously researched book helps raise awareness and encourage more grassroots campaigning, the government might yet be forced to acknowledge the ongoing scale of the disaster and do something about it.”
“Despite his personal loss, the author remains focused and analytical, providing an interesting, informative and highly readable account of the product once dubbed the ‘Magic Mineral.’”
