In the past, poor working conditions and the spraying of amphibole asbestos to houses were the causes to workers’ and the public’s health. Due to an incubation period, the people suffering from diseases caused by chrysotile today are actually people who exposed to asbestos 20 to 40 years ago.
High-amount of asbestos was once used in the European Union in heat-proof and textile products. European countries no longer use asbestos because they are developed countries where people have high-living standards so they have no demand for chrysotile.
However, even in the Europe, chrysotile is still in use for producing diaphragm in Germany and Sweden.
Vietnam Investment Law No. 67/2014/QH13 passed by the National Assembly on November 26th 2014 specifically bans investment on amphibole asbestos. Article 7.126 in Annex IV of said Investment Law categorized “Trading in chrysotile in serpertine group” as a conditioned business line.
The United States banned asbetos as EPA’s request, but in 1991, the Supreme Court of the United States revoked that prohibition and ordered gradual elimination of chrysotile.
The Supreme Court of India (in January, 2011) denied NGOs’ request to ban all types of asbetos. Such request was made in 2004.
Singapore and Taiwan once prohibitted asbetos but ceased to do that in 2010.
Mongolia also ceased asbetos ban in August, 2012 after the Mongolian government invalidated Resolution NO. 192 (signed on July 24th 2010) about asbetos ban effective on June 8th 2011.
(Source: International Ban Asbestos Secretariat – http://ibasecretariat.org/alpha_ban_list.php)