corrugated asbestos-cement roofing sheets (láminas de fibrocemento)
HIGH RISKNon-friable
1930–2000
SENTINEL ARCHIVE / CASE #070
Guatemala
Guatemala has no national asbestos ban. Chrysotile and asbestos-containing products — laminated sheets, fibrocement roofing, gaskets, and brake linings — remain legally imported, manufactured, distributed, and used. The only asbestos-specific domestic obligation is workplace waste handling under Acuerdo Gubernativo 229-2014 (Reglamento de Salud y Seguridad Ocupacional, 23 July 2014, reformed by AG 33-2016 and AG 57-2022). Guatemala ratified ILO Convention 162 (Asbestos, 1986) in April 1989 and acceded to the Rotterdam Convention in 2010, but neither instrument requires a national ban and neither has been implemented through prohibitive domestic legislation.
—No Ban
—
No ban in place
—
Mesothelioma Rate
Post-1976-earthquake…
Buildings at Risk
1970s-1990s
Peak Usage Era
Regulatory Timeline
Detailed regulatory history coming soon.
Detailed information for this country is being compiled. Check back soon.
—Ban Year
No national ban exists. Asbestos may still be used in new construction and is present in buildings of all ages.
Buildings at Risk
Estimated scope of asbestos-containing materials still present in the built environment.
- Post-1976-earthquake housing (4 February 1976 M 7.5 quake, ~23,000 deaths
- hundreds of thousands of homes rebuilt with asbestos-cement corrugated roofing) represents the largest identified cohort of likely asbestos-containing roofing. No national building inventory exists.
1970s-1990sPeak Usage Era
The period when asbestos was most heavily used in construction. Buildings from this era have the highest probability of containing asbestos materials.
Material Identification Guide
Common materials still present in buildings
asbestos-cement water pipes (historical municipal distribution)
MODERATENon-friable
1930–1990
asbestos laminated gasket sheets (industrial, power, sugar-mill use)
HIGH RISKFriable
1920–1990
vehicle brake linings and clutch plates
HIGH RISKFriable
1920–2000
motor and pressure-vessel gaskets
HIGH RISKFriable
1920–2000
What To Do If You Live Here
- Asbestos is still legally used in your country.
- New and older construction alike may contain asbestos-containing materials.
- Consult a certified professional before any renovation work.
- Advocate for stronger asbestos regulations in your region.
Check Your Property
Enter your building's age and type for a personalized asbestos risk assessment.
Check My Property's RiskSources
- IBAS — Current Asbestos Bans (alphabetical)
- IBAS — Chronology of Asbestos Bans and Restrictions
- ILO C162 — Asbestos Convention, 1986
- MINTRAB — Acuerdo Gubernativo 229-2014 (official PDF)
- IGSS — AG 229-2014 and reforms consolidated text
- Consortium Legal — Reformas al Reglamento SSO 229-2014 (4 March 2022)
- Organismo Judicial — Decreto 33-2009 (Rotterdam Convention accession)
- GBD 2019 — Global burden of mesothelioma 1990–2019 (Central Latin America regional figures)
- TrendEconomy — Guatemala Asbestos trade (HS 2524)
- Orion Guatemala — Asbesto Laminado catalog
- World Bank — Guatemala Earthquake Reconstruction Project
- PAHO — Proyecto del Atlas del Asbesto de las Américas
Last updated: 2026-04-21
Information aggregated from public sources including IBAS, EPA, and WHO. Not legal or medical advice.
How we source our data →