Consultation on regulatory approach to prohibit asbestos: chapter 5
4 Alternatives to asbestos
References were reviewed for information on the availability and suitability of alternatives to asbestos. These include the Report of the World Health Organization (WHO) Workshop on Mechanisms of Fibre Carcinogenesis and Assessment of Chrysotile Asbestos Substitutes WHO, 2018) and “Le point des connaissances sur la Substitution de l’amiante” (Institut national de recherche et de sécurité [INRS], 2003). Table 3 provides a summary of alternatives by type of use.
| Asbestos Uses | Alternative |
|---|---|
| Clutches, brake pads, electrical insulators, seals | Artificial mineral fibers, aramid, carbon fibres, polytetrafluoroethylene fibers, steel, copper, non-fibrous material (INRS, 2003) |
| Asbestos-Cement | Cellulose fibres, polypropylene fibres, polyvinyl alcohol fibres, aramid, fiberglass (rarely) (INRS, 2003) |
| Asbestos diaphragms in the chlor-alkali industry | Asbestos-free diaphragms and conversion of asbestos diaphragm cell plants to membrane cell plants (European Commission, 2014) |