the appellate body of World Trade Organisation (wto) has upheld the French ban on asbestos. Canada, a leading exporter of asbestos, used to export nearly 30,000 metric tonnes of Chrysotile, or "white' asbestos each year to France till 1996, when France imposed a ban on its asbestos. Canada, alleging that the French ban violated wto's non-discrimination rules, claimed that its asbestos was safe and did not pose a health hazard. However, the judgement reasoned that France was justified in imposing trade restrictions to protect public health.

The ruling comes as a blow to the global asbestos industry. Experts feel that wto members might now use the ruling as a precedent to justify similar bans. "By permitting France to ban imports of all asbestos