A new study suggests that experiments by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may have actually caused asbestos exposure.

Asbestos is a naturally-occurring mineral that strongly insulates and is functionally fireproof. During the Industrial Revolution, the material found widespread use due to its useful properties. However, it was discovered that asbestos exposure could lead to asbestos cancers like mesothelioma and asbestos lung cancer, as well as other diseases like asbestosis.

Despite health concerns related to asbestos exposure, the material was widely used in homes and other building construction. The EPA has sought to find new ways of testing for asbestos in existing structures in a program called the Alternative Asbestos Control Method (AACM) experiments.

However, a recent audit by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has found that the AACM experiments may have inadvertently spread asbestos fibers, promoting asbestos exposures. The OIG is a government office designed as a watchdog to police other parts of the government for oversight and waste.

According to the investigation, the AACM experiments between 2004 and 2012, which were designed to find new ways to control asbestos exposures were performed outside of a laboratory environment and neglected the EPA’s own asbestos exposure safety rules. The inspector general’s report states that the AACM project cost $3.5 million over the course of eight years.

The inspector general report made 11 recommendations to the EPA to correct the problems with AACM such as creating new guidelines and establishing better oversight of the research project.

The report stated that the EPA had already addressed and complied with 10 of the 11 recommendations by the time the report was published. Additionally, the inspector general’s report did state that the AACM project had made some achievements, specifically that the project had established a new way to calculate the cost of asbestos removal projects.

Asbestos lawsuits are a major force in federal courts for several reasons. First, it was known that asbestos exposure could cause serious health problems for nearly a century. Second, many of the diseases associated with asbestos exposure cannot be easily cured or treated.

Mesothelioma is a notorious form of cancer almost exclusively seen in connection with asbestos exposure. Even for cancer, mesothelioma has a poor prognosis, with few patients fully recovering. Some patients respond well to grueling, invasive surgeries that can extend their lives by years, but these procedures are costly.

On top of this, although asbestos has been banned, it is still locked up in the walls of many buildings throughout the country. Additionally, many diseases linked to asbestos exposure take decades to manifest.

Asbestos lung cancer lawsuits have set records with multi-million dollar settlements.