Law: In France it is compulsory before any buying and selling to have a building checked and a report issued about asbestos friable and non friable.

Décret n° 96-97 : protection of population
Décret n° 96-98 : protection of workers
Décret no 2001-840 du 13 septembre 2001 a modification of décret no 96-97 du 7 février 1996 et le décret no 96-98 du 7 février 1996.
Décret du 2002-839 du 3 mai 2002

What is asbestos?

Asbestos is the name for a group of naturally occurring silicate minerals that can be separated into fibers. The fibers are strong, durable, and resistant to heat and fire. They are also long, thin and flexible, so that they can even be woven into cloth.
Because of these qualities, asbestos has been used in thousands of consumer, industrial, maritime, automotive, scientific and building products.

There are several types of asbestos fibers, of which three have been used for commercial applications: (1) Chrysotile, or white asbestos. It is white-gray in color and found in serpentine rock. (2) Amosite, or brown asbestos. (3) Crocidolite, or blue asbestos. Amosite and crocidolite are called amphiboles.