A ban on white asbestos

Date: 29/07/1999

the only type of the fireproof fibre still allowed in the EU, was announced by the Commission this week after scientists reported that safer alternatives were available. The Commission's decision was based on evidence that all forms of asbestos were carcinogenic. In May, EU governments urged the Commission to bring the rules on white asbestos, also called chrysotile, into line with a 1991 ban on brown and blue asbestos.