Attorneys general from 15 different states all across the country have petitioned the EPA to update its asbestos laws, adding requirements to collect more data on the dangerous substance.

This attempt to update asbestos laws comes on the heels of changes made last June that would require companies to notify the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of plans to import or manufacture certain out-of-date uses of asbestos, such as floor tile or roofing.

Some well-known figures took exception to this move, claiming that the EPA is actually rolling back its hard stance on asbestos laws by allowing old uses of the harmful substances that have long been out of use to return.

As asbestos laws currently stand, companies that import raw asbestos or articles containing asbestos are exempt from reporting to the EPA about the products, according to the AGs’ petition.

“Each year, tens of thousands die from exposure to asbestos,” said Maura Healey, the Massachusetts AG. “We urge Acting Administrator Wheeler to issue a rule that will protect the lives of thousands of workers, families, and children in Massachusetts and across the country.

This new petition asks that the EPA eliminate the exemption included in the asbestos laws for “naturally occurring substances,” and instead require that any and all imported asbestos-containing articles be reported to the agency.

“It is widely known that asbestos is one of the most harmful chemicals known to humankind,” said Xavier Becerra, California’s AG. “There is no excuse to continue allowing any amounts of toxic asbestos to pass into our community, especially into the lungs of workers and children, when we know the danger it presents.”

This is not the first complaint to arise from Attorneys General since the EPA’s updated asbestos laws. Last August, a different group of 12 AGs also filed a comment with the federal agency, standing against the changes, and argued that the EPA was ignoring the dangerous substance’s most significant exposure risks.

Risk of Asbestos Exposure

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that used to be much more common, in countless products from textiles to insulation and car parts. For decades, however, asbestos has been known as a serious risk, capable of causing cancer, and is thus much more heavily regulated.

Since asbestos lung cancer and other asbestos diseases can take decades to present themselves due to a long latency period, patients are often not diagnosed with asbestos cancer until a later and more dangerous stage of development.

Lung cancer is, of course, both one of the most common and the most deadly cancers—more Americans die from lung cancer annually than any other type of cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The microscopic fibers of asbestos accumulate in a person’s lungs, which affects the lung lining, and then spreads to other organs. The more a person is exposed to dangerous asbestos fibers, the greater the risk of serious asbestos diseases like lung cancer. This means that those who work with or near asbestos products are often at the greatest risk.

Filing an Asbestos Lawsuit

If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with asbestos lung cancer or another asbestos disease, you may be able to file a lawsuit. Of course, filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by lung cancer from asbestos, or bring a loved one back to life, but it can at the very least help alleviate the financial burden caused by medical expenses, lost wages, and more.