The Biden administration announced on Monday that it will prohibit or gradually eliminate the current uses of asbestos.
To achieve this, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set deadlines for industries to stop using asbestos, which is known to cause lung cancer, and will also stop the import of the type of asbestos currently used in the U.S.
In the past, asbestos was utilized in roofing and cement and may still be present in old buildings. Asbestos can still be discovered in old buildings.
Although the use of asbestos decreased once its health effects were known, it is still used in disinfecting drinking water and wastewater, as well as in vehicle brakes, mechanical seals, and oil and gas drilling.
However, these industries will need to transition away from the use of asbestos, with a reasonable transition period provided as required by law, according to an EPA press release.
The ban will apply to chrysotile asbestos, which is the only type of asbestos known to be used in the U.S., although there are five other types of asbestos.
In a statement, EPA Administrator Michael Regan emphasized the scientific evidence regarding asbestos as a known carcinogen with severe impacts on public health. He praised President Biden for finalizing the long-awaited ban on ongoing uses of asbestos.
This rule is in contrast to the approach taken by the Trump administration, which aimed to mandate companies to notify the EPA if they intended to manufacture or import asbestos, potentially triggering a safety review at the agency. Critics argued that the prior administration stopped short of completely banning asbestos. Moreover, the exposure to asbestos is linked to various health issues, including mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer affecting the lung, chest, abdomen, and heart, as well as the lung disease asbestosis. An estimate from 2019 suggested that nearly 40,000 Americans die each year from asbestos-related illnesses. The rule proposed in 2022 also specifies transition periods for various industries, such as the chlor-alkali sector, which produces chemicals like chlorine for water treatment, allowing them up to 12 years to completely eliminate asbestos from their facilities.
Additionally, most sheet gaskets containing asbestos will be banned after two years, with some exceptions like processing nuclear material, which will have a five-year transition period. study Automotive brakes and brakes used in oil production that contain asbestos will have a transition period of six months.
Health advocates view the rule as a positive step, although some express concerns about the compliance timelines and advocate for a complete ban on all types of asbestos. rule, which was Linda Reinstein, an activist who lost her husband to mesothelioma, stated that while closing the door to chrysotile imports is a significant step, the EPA rule does not restrict the importation and use of five other recognized asbestos fibers. She also highlighted the unnecessarily long transition period and inconsistent compliance deadlines for certain asbestos users, which could lead to continued dangerous exposure to chrysotile asbestos for years to come.
This story was changed at 12:26 p.m.
The Biden administration plans to stop or gradually eliminate current uses of asbestos, the agency announced on Monday. The Environmental Protection Agency released a regulation that established deadlines for businesses to move away from using the material, which leads to lung cancer. It will also prohibit the importation of the kind of asbestos presently utilized in the U.S. Historically,…
Health advocates described the rule as a good step, though some raised concerns about the compliance timelines and said all types of asbestos should be banned.
“Closing the door to chrysotile imports is a historic step, but the EPA rule does not restrict importation and use of five other recognized asbestos fibers,” said Linda Reinstein, an activist whose husband died from mesothelioma.
“We are alarmed that the rule allows an unnecessarily long transition period and creates inconsistent compliance deadlines for certain asbestos users, which will allow dangerous exposure to chrysotile asbestos to continue for years to come,” added Reinstein, who is the president and co-founder of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization.
This story was updated at 12:26 p.m.
