CAG attends Cape public hearing

CAG travelled to the House of Commons on 24th March to support a public hearing on the legacy of Cape, a former major asbestos manufacturer now owned by Altrad.

Internal Cape documents released following a successful court case by the Asbestos Victim Support Group Forum in 2019 showed Cape continued to sell asbestos products, such as Asbestolux, despite knowing that they were dangerous to human health.

This revelation led to the Forum’s ongoing ‘Cape Must Pay’ campaign, which calls for Cape/Altrad to pay £10 million towards mesothelioma research in recognition of this cover-up and the huge damage caused.

The public hearing was called as a result of this campaign. It heard evidence from medical experts and campaigners who spoke about the devastating legacy of Cape’s products and the positive medical impact £10 million would make. Ran Oren, CEO of Altrad, was invited to attend but did not appear. We now await the report of the public hearing.