New EU regulation amendment outlaws all asbestos products

A new EU regulation signed on June 22, 2016 has amended Annex XVII of REACH to ensure the complete phase out of Asbestos products in Member States by setting a deadline of 1 July 2025.

The earlier regulation had specified that the manufacture, selling and use of asbestos fibres and products containing these fibres added intentionally is prohibited. However, there were some exemptions allowed to Member States regarding chrysotile use due to economic considerations.

The new amendment now specifies that the only existing exemptions to the asbestos ban, chrysotile fibres, will also be removed by this deadline.

There are currently only two exemptions for chrysotile-containing diaphragms for electrolysis operations: one chlor-alkali factory in Sweden and another one in Germany. These two companies have agreed to substitution by 1 July 2025, and one of the companies has already stopped importing chrysotile

Until the phase-out deadline, downstream users must provide annual reports on the amount of chrysotile used in the diaphragm production.

"Asbestos" is a family of silicate fibres, which includes actinolite, asbestos gruenerite, anthophyllite, chrysotile, crocidolite, and tremolite. Due to their harmful health effects, asbestos fibres are already restricted substances under REACH. However, chrysotile fibres continue to be used in Europe for making diaphragms, albeit under strict regulations and limits to ensure workplace safety. The new regulation will mean there will be no asbestos products in Europe by 2025.

Related Links

• Source: EU Regulation (22 June 2016) amending Annex XVII concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) as regards asbestos fibres
• International Ban Asbestos Secretariat: “Short Overview on EU Legislation Regarding Asbestos”