[Regulation and ban of asbestos in Latin America and the Caribbean: a comparative policy analysis].

Source: PubMed, NCBI / U.S. National Library of Medicine

Asbestos is a mineral used in different industrial activities, but it has a significant impact on the health of the working population. Several countries have established policies to prohibit or regulate its use. Comparatively characterize public policy measures to prohibit and regulate asbestos in Latin America and the Caribbean. Qualitative design using the comparative policy analysis method. Documentary sources based on current national standards were consulted and six categories were constructed based on inductive coding. The comparison between public policies of the countries of the region reflects some relevant aspects such as: scope of the prohibition, multisectoral surveillance organizations and sanctioning actions; conditions and exceptions for asbestos substitution; prevention, monitoring and health care activities; disposal and management of asbestos waste and formulation of specific policies or programs. Only a small group of countries in the region have a total ban on asbestos, reflecting the international situation. It is important to continue advancing in studies that analyze political processes and evaluations of policy implementation in each country