The asbestos dilemma: II. The ban

This article reviews the history of legal steps which led to conflicting regulatory approaches to the use of asbestos between the EU, the US and the rest of the world. Particular attention is paid to the EU ruling out the use of all types of asbestos. The author criticizes how the Scientific Committee on Toxicity, Ecotoxicity and the Environment of the European Commission altered their own opinion within as short a time as seven months, and points out the weaknesses of the scientific justification for the EU ban. With equal criticism the author addresses the weak scientific rationale on which Collegium Ramazzini founds its call for an immediate and total international ban of the mining and use of all types of asbestos.