The Belgian Asbestos Fund (AFA) has published its 2025 annual report. Last year the fund recognised 158 cases of mesothelioma, an aggressive form of cancer affecting the lining of the lungs, among other sites, which in the vast majority of cases is caused by asbestos. The AFA paid out a total of 21.84 million euros to victims and their dependants, although according to the fund the number of new cases still remains very high.
What do the AFA’s figures show?
Of the 158 mesothelioma victims recognised in 2025, the disease arose in 110 people (69.6%) through occupational exposure to asbestos among private-sector employees. In 41 victims (25.9%), it involved environmental exposure outside the occupational context, for example in the home environment, in buildings where asbestos is still present, or near former industrial sites.
Across all asbestos-related conditions combined, not just mesothelioma, the Asbestos Fund granted a total of 1,451 compensation payments in 2025. Among the cases handled, 344 were new cases, two thirds of which were approved. The AFA reports that the number of recognised victims has been declining over the past three years, but stresses that the 2025 level still remains very high.
Why mainly Flanders?
The majority of the Asbestos Fund’s beneficiaries live in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium. Of the 21.84 million euros the fund paid out in 2025, 14 million euros went to victims and dependants in this region. The AFA attributes this to Flanders’ larger population, the industrial past of various regions, and the geographic spread of exposures.
In addition to financial compensation, the Asbestos Fund supports victims and their families, and runs awareness campaigns to prevent new exposure to asbestos.
Context
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) fact sheet on the elimination of asbestos-related diseases, all forms of asbestos have been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1), and no safe level of exposure exists. The WHO also notes that asbestos-related conditions such as mesothelioma typically appear only after a latency period of several decades. Countries that banned asbestos long ago therefore continue to face new disease cases for decades afterwards. Belgium banned the use of asbestos in 1998. This long latency explains why, in 2025, nearly three decades after the Belgian ban, the Asbestos Fund still recognises a significant number of new victims.
For HSE professionals worldwide, these figures confirm a familiar pattern: asbestos remains one of the leading causes of occupational cancer, even in countries where its use has been banned for decades. Safe management of buildings containing historical asbestos materials, and careful precautions during demolition and renovation work, therefore remain essential points of attention in safety policy – not only in Belgium, but in any country with an industrial past.
Source: Asbestfonds publiceert jaarverslag 2025, 28 October 2026
Additional research: WHO fact sheet: Asbestos – elimination of asbestos-related diseases
