New regulatory rules under consideration could have big impacts on the number and type of asbestos products on the market.

After discoveries that people breathing in the fibers over a long period of time could develop cancers like mesothelioma, asbestos was largely been removed from newly-made building materials.

Asbestos-induced mesothelioma has a long latency period, meaning that it can be decades before a person who was exposed to asbestos fibers ultimately experiences a health problem from those products. Most people who have been diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases did not know they were around asbestos products in their past or that continuous exposure put them at risk of disease development.

People working in particular industries, like naval yards or construction, are at risk of developing mesothelioma from continuous exposure to asbestos products. Asbestos products can also increase the risk for medical conditions for those at home when asbestos fibers are brought home on employee’s clothing.

Danger of Asbestos Use

Unfortunately, a new EPA rule could expand asbestos use given that the deadline for feedback just passed. The Environmental Protection Agency recently discontinued taking public comments on a proposed rule that would allow greater use of asbestos.

The industrial material and related asbestos products are known to cause lung disease and cancer. Since health hazard awareness of asbestos products first developed approximately four decades ago, use of the material has decreased significantly across the globe.

More than 60 countries implemented a total or partial ban on asbestos use by 2013. However, news reports indicate that asbestos products might make a comeback, putting workers at risk for developing mesothelioma, lung cancer, and related problems.

Most people are not aware that asbestos and asbestos products are not completely banned in the United States. Asbestos products still on the market include firefighters’ clothing, materials in chlorine factories, potting soil and brake liners. Asbestos products most recently included wall insulation as a flame retardant and for cement pipes, and a recent study even discovered that asbestos products now include school supplies and crayons.

Using asbestos products as building materials and clothing for decades has put people most at risk for developing significant medical conditions.

All people have asbestos fibers in their lungs, but many people do not encounter high enough levels of asbestos to develop health problems. Continuous exposure to asbestos products, such as for an employee who worked in a shipyard for many years, could lead to lung scarring, tumors in the linings of internal organs, and lung cancer.

Asbestos was initially banned for use as a building material in 1975. Many of the most common asbestos uses were voluntarily phased out.

Under the new rule, manufacturers would be responsible for alerting the EPA if they attempted to use asbestos in a number of different types of products, such as roof and non-roof coatings, adhesives, sealants, vinyl asbestos floor tile, building materials, cells, and batteries.

If you or someone you know has developed mesothelioma from continuous exposure to asbestos products, you could have grounds to pursue a lawsuit or participate in a class action investigation.