"TURIN, Italy -- Anti-asbestos activists from around the world called in Italy Tuesday for a worldwide ban on the hazardous building material and for companies that use it to be brought to justice.

Asbestos, which can cause fatal illness, was banned in the European Union in 2005 but is still used in developing countries, activists said in Italy's northern city of Turin.

The meeting reiterated calls for the dangerous fibrous material to be banned across the world, and for an "end to impunity" for companies that use it."

Mathieu Gorse reports for AFP March 16, 2010. [2]