Citing health concerns, the Federation of Occupational Health, Safety and Environment at Work is urging the Industry Ministry to ban the import of asbestos, particularly the chrysotile variety, which is mainly used in the tile and roof industries.
Federation leader Assoc Prof Chalermchai Chaikittiporn said 50,000 tonnes of chrysotile asbestos are imported each year by those industries, mostly from Russia.
The federation is a member of the Thailand Ban Asbestos Network, which has carried out campaigns for years calling for the government to prohibit the import and use of asbestos in manufacturing due to fears about the toxicity of the material.
The network said many countries already ban imports of chrysotile asbestos because of links between exposure to it and diseases such as mesothelioma and lung cancer.
The network has met with some success, as the cabinet on April 12, 2011 agreed to introduce measures aimed at freeing all industries from asbestos within two years.
The Industry Ministry responded in July 2013 by proposing the cabinet introduce broad measures to ban the import, manufacture and sale of asbestos.
But political hiccups have caused delays, and the proposal is still pending consideration by the new cabinet.
Assoc Prof Chalermchai said banning the substance would not affect manufacturers, as substitute products such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) also had the same properties as asbestos.
In the past, the use of asbestos was rampant because it cost two or three times less than PVA, but now the price of a roof tile made from either asbestos or PVA is about 30 baht apiece, he said.
The Customs Department said Thailand imported 100,000 tonnes of asbestos a year from 1988-2013.
The federation found asbestos accounted for 20% of the tile and roofing material used in Thailand.
"If the government is worried about the effect of a ban on manufacturers, it should gradually reduce its use by setting an import quota and decreasing the volume each year," he said.
He said only a few smaller companies in Thailand still used asbestos.