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Absolute no

  • 30/01/2005

Absolute no The year 2005 heralded the complete ban on asbestos, a mineral fibre used in building construction, across the EU. A five-year phase-out period permitted under a directive of the European Commission ended on January 1, 2005.

According to a written procedure signed on July 26, 1999, the introduction of new applications of asbestos cement materials, friction products, seals and gaskets will now be prohibited across the 25-member EU. The restrictions apply to chrysotile (white asbestos). Amosite and crocidolite asbestos have already been banned earlier. "No threshold level of exposure has yet been identified below which chrysotile asbestos does not pose carcinogenic risks

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