Govt considering proposal to fully ban asbestos use - Nik Nazmi

The government is reviewing a proposal to fully ban the use of asbestos, a material still widely used in the country despite concerns over its harmful health effects, Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said.

“We will assess how this issue is managed under existing legislation and policies. If there are gaps, we may need to improve them,” he told reporters after the launch of his book, “Saving the Planet: Climate and Environmental Lessons from Malaysia and Beyond,” in Kuala Lumpur today.

Nik Nazmi said the Environment Department is conducting a study on the use of industrial asbestos and its environmental and health impacts.

In July last year, the Consumers Association of Penang submitted a memorandum to the government urging a complete ban on all forms of asbestos, repeating a similar call it made in a memorandum submitted in May 2001.

Asbestos is a toxic substance that can cause lung cancer and its use has been banned in 69 countries including Finland, Italy, Germany, Australia, Japan and Thailand as of October 2022, according to the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat.

In 2006, the International Labour Organisation recommended that all countries ban asbestos.

- Bernama

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