Global Consensus that Asbestos Must Go, continued:

In the past year, major initiatives on asbestos have been undertaken by the World Health Organization, the International Labor Organization, and the World Bank. The World Health Organization has concluded that "the most efficient way to eliminate asbestos-related diseases is to stop the use of all types of asbestos."

National Asbestos Ban Sought

The World Health Organization is now working with the International Labor Organization to help countries around the world develop national plans to eliminate asbestos use and minimize the hazards from in-place asbestos materials. The World Trade Organization has given its blessing to national asbestos bans.

The World Bank is avoiding the use of asbestos-cement materials in tsunami reconstruction in Indonesia. I drafted a guidance note that the World Bank plans to use, to select safer materials in new construction projects and to minimize asbestos hazards in infrastructure renovation.