Asbestos (and its asbestiform varieties) is a term used to describe a group of naturally occurring fibrous minerals, classified into two groups – amphiboles (amosite, crocidolite, tremolite, anthophyllite, and actinolite) and serpentines (chrysotile). These minerals have been widely used across various industries and products due to their exceptional mechanical, thermal, and insulating properties, such as high-temperature resistance, significant mechanical strength, and excellent wear resistance. Common applications of asbestos included construction materials like asbestos-cement boards and insulation for roofs, walls, and foundations. Its electrical insulating properties made it useful in electrical and electronic devices, while its superior thermal insulation capabilities led to its use in boilers, furnaces, pipelines, and other high-temperature equipment, as well as in automotive braking systems and heat-resistant fabrics. Other applications included fire protection, paints, and equipment designed for harsh chemical environments. The chlor-alkali industry may use asbestos to make chlorine and sodium hydroxide (caustic soda).
Despite its affordability, abundance, and perceived practicality, the asbestos market suffered a severe decline when the health risks – particularly various forms of cancer – associated with asbestos exposure became widely recognized and well-documented starting from the 1960s and 1970s. According to some estimates, asbestos exposure may annually cause between 12,000 to 15,000 deaths in the USA alone. Risks related to asbestos led to its ban in nearly 70 countries. Most of the above applications have been largely phased out and replaced with safer alternatives. Asbestos waste management technologies are highly significant and may present a business opportunity.
However, there is an ambiguity surrounding national asbestos bans, which can be exemplified by the case of Brazil. Although the country banned asbestos in 2017, legislation passed by the state of Goiás in 2019 permitted continued mining and export of asbestos. This has fuelled ongoing calls for a total ban on asbestos in Brazil. As of early 2025, the Brazilian Supreme Federal Court has yet to issue a definitive ruling on Goiás’s state law allowing asbestos extraction. This ongoing conflict between federal and regional regulations has resulted in continued asbestos mining and export activities in certain areas, despite the nationwide ban. Asbestos production in Brazil declined from 300,000 tonnes in 2013 to 190,000 tonnes in 2023 and is likely to halt in the coming years.
Due to national bans, global asbestos production, which exceeded 2 million tonnes per year between 2010 and 2015, dropped significantly to approximately 1.1-1.33 million tonnes per year from 2016 to 2024. Nevertheless, asbestos production has since stabilized, with no significant declines despite the material’s negative reputation. Asia and the Middle East remain the largest consumers of asbestos, with a combined annual consumption of about 1.31 million tonnes – far surpassing Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Major asbestos-consuming countries include China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The leading asbestos-producing countries are Russia, Kazakhstan, China and Brazil.
Asbestos: structure of the global production by country
However, precise asbestos consumption data can be difficult to verify. Additionally, global databases may not always include certain asbestiform minerals. For example, the United States was estimated to have consumed 150 tonnes of raw asbestos fibre in 2023, though this figure did not account for imported asbestos-containing products. In 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a final decision to prohibit ongoing uses of chrysotile asbestos, though the actual phase-out could take a longer period. Currently, companies such as Johns Manville (JM) and Union Carbide ceased asbestos production, while Olin Corporation stopped asbestos use in the chlor-alkali production.
Find a comprehensive analysis of the asbestos market in the in-demand research report “Asbestos: 2025 World Market Review and Forecast to 2034”.