Asbestos has been banned in Australia since 2003. All other OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries, except for Mexico and the United States, have also banned asbestos.
The list below shows all countries that have a ban on all types of asbestos.
If you are importing goods into Australia from any of the places on this list with asbestos bans, it is less likely that the goods will contain asbestos.
| Country | Date/year ban came into force |
|---|---|
| Algeria | 14-Oct-09 |
| Argentina | 1-Jan-03 |
| Australia | 31-Dec-03 |
| Bahrain | 1996 |
| Brazil | 2017 |
| Brunei | Date to be determined |
| Canada | 30-Dec-2018 |
| Chile | 12-Jul-01 |
| Djibouti | 1999 |
| Egypt | 2005 |
| European Union: Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Malta, Romania, Portugal, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Spain, Luxembourg, Latvia, Ireland, United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, Finland, The Netherlands, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Gibraltar, Liechtenstein, Norway, Monaco | Commenced in 1983, with complete ban on all forms of asbestos in all 28 member states by 1 January 2005. |
| Gabon | between 2002 and 2004 |
| Honduras | 2004 |
| Iceland | 1983 |
| Iraq | 2016 |
| Israel | 2011 |
| Japan | 1-Mar-12 |
| Jordan | 16-Aug-06 |
| Korea (South) | 2009 |
| Kuwait | 1995 |
| Norway | 1984 |
| Macedonia (North Macedonia) | 2014 |
| Mauritius | 2004 |
| Moldova | 2016 |
| Mozambique | 24-Aug-10 |
| New Caledonia | 2007 |
| New Zealand | 1-Oct-16 |
| Norway | 1984 |
| Oman | 2008 |
| Qatar | 2010 |
| Saudi Arabia | 1998 |
| Serbia | 2011 |
| Seychelles | 2009 |
| South Africa | 28-Mar-08 |
| Taiwan | 2010 |
| Turkey | 2010 |
| Ukraine | Jun-17 |
| Uruguay | May-02 |
This list was compiled by Laurie Kazan-Allen, from the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat.
