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23 April, 2007
On 17 April, a special commission, formed by the government of Peru, adopted a prohibition of asbestos and recommended a total ban on the product, which would take effect on 1 January 2009.
This means that 46 countries have now banned or will ban asbestos across the world. While making the decision, the Peruvian government's commission took into account debate and arguments from the Asbestos Ban Network, Peru's industry representatives, and the lobby of the International Asbestos Industry.
Peru currently imports 492 tons of asbestos per year. The government has not yet ratified ILO Convention 162 (Use of Asbestos at Work), or Convention 155 (Occupational Safety and Health).
Trade union federations in Peru were among the 16 labour groups in five Andean nations which helped to compile a recent document titled "Ban Asbestos in the Andean Sub-region." The document, written with the support of Dr. Eva Delgado and published by the Andean Labour Institute, was also aided by labour federations in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela.