Research set to fuel calls for white asbestos ban

Date: 17/09/1998

By Renée Cordes

A REPORT by EU scientists due to be published within the new few days is expected to conclude that the main alternatives to white asbestos are less dangerous, prompting renewed calls for a ban on the substance.

“We think that this is an important step forward,” said Jochen Kubosch, spokesman for Industry Commissioner Martin Bangemann, who added that the Commission would give member states time to comment on the report's findings before deciding whether to propose a ban.

The study drawn up by an EU scientific committee is likely to confirm the findings of an earlier draft report which concluded that the three leading alternatives to chrysotile asbestos (the technical name for white asbestos) posed less of a risk to public health.

If it does, some MEPs look certain to press the Commission for an immediate 'technical ban' on white asbestos, which is used to manufacture brake pads for heavy trucks and for seals and gaskets in some submarines. Such a move would have to be voted on by a panel of representatives from all 15 EU member states, but could be introduced within weeks if approved.

A full-scale ban on white asbestos could be introduced through a new EU directive or by amending the Union's banned substances list.

“Once you have this evidence, it creates an imperative to act,” said British Socialist MEP Peter Skinner, who is leading the call for a ban.

In its draft report, compiled over the summer, the committee said the risk that the substitute products - cellulose, PVA and p-aramid fibres - could cause lung fibrosis or cancer was likely to be lower than that posed by white asbestos.

However, the scientists made it clear that they were not suggesting that existing environmental controls on the substitutes in the workplace be relaxed. They also recommended that further research be carried out into their toxicology and epidemiology and into developing new, thicker materials.

Fourteen categories of products containing blue and brown asbestos are currently banned in the EU and at least nine member states have some form of unilateral restriction. The UK said last month that it was considering following suit.

The most controversial use of asbestos was by the construction industry, which installed it as a fireproofing agent in buildings such as the European Commission's former Berlaymont headquarters in Brussels. The EU's best-known building has been covered in protective plastic sheeting for two years since contractors started removing the material.

Canada, the world's second-largest producer of white asbestos after Russia, has repeatedly fought against moves to outlaw the substance.

In May, Ottawa filed a complaint with the World Trade Organisation challenging a ban introduced by France last year.