Asbestos and the law

Checks for asbestos, which is considered carcinogenic material by the World Health Organization, is only obligatory in seven of the Istanbul districts ahead of demolition works, experts have warned.

Officials have detected asbestos, which was banned in Turkey in 2011 for its cancerogenic effects, in one third of all demolished buildings in Istanbul's Kadıköy district as part of an ongoing urban transformation, daily Milliyet reported on May 31. 

The Ankara Municipality has taken wide measures against potential diffusion of asbestos to the air as part of the dismantling work for a decades-old factory in central Ankara, which is certified of bearing 350 tons of the carcinogenic material inside its building. 

The ordeals and fight for compensation of retired Greek navy officers who were diagnosed with cancer after their exposure to asbestos.