A United Nations health agency, stung by allegations it had too close a relationship with the asbestos industry, has issued a statement confirming its support for an end to all asbestos use. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is part of the UN’s World Health Organisation (WHO), was responding to a 2 February 2013 article in the medical journal The Lancet. The response, which came in a 19 February 2013 joint statement from IARC and WHO, notes that “stopping the use of all forms of asbestos is the most efficient way to eliminate asbestos-related diseases.”

Joint WHO-IARC Statement in response to the recent Lancet report: end all use of asbestos, 19 February 2013. RightOnCanada.ca commentary. Rotterdam Convention meeting, 28 April-10 May 2013. Risks 594, 23 February 2013.