Asbestos ban overview:
- Who: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a final rule banning chrysotile asbestos.
- Why: Asbestos has been linked to cancer and was banned under the 2016 amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act.
- Where: The EPA’s Washington D.C. office announced the ban.
- How to get help: Consumers or their loved ones diagnosed in the last three years with mesothelioma or another disease caused by asbestos may qualify to join an asbestos lung cancer class action lawsuit investigation.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its final rule banning chrysotile asbestos, the last form of asbestos currently used in or imported to the United States.
Asbestos has been linked to a variety of cancers, including lung cancer, mesothelioma, ovarian cancer and laryngeal cancer, and leads to more than 40,000 deaths each year in the United States, the EPA says in a press release.
The ban is the first rule finalized under the 2016 amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act.
“The science is clear – asbestos is a known carcinogen that has severe impacts on public health,” EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan says in the press release. “President Biden understands that this concern has spanned generations and impacted the lives of countless people. That’s why EPA is so proud to finalize this long-needed ban on ongoing uses of asbestos.”
Raw chrysotile asbestos was last known to be imported into the United States in 2022 for use by the chlor-alkali industry, the EPA states. Most consumer products have stopped using the substance.
Transition away from chrysotile asbestos products will be swift, EPA says
The EPA says it sent compliance deadlines to companies that use chrysotile asbestos, enabling transition away from the chemical as soon as possible.
The final rule bans most sheet gaskets containing asbestos starting two years after the effective date of the final rule and includes five-year phaseouts for sheet gaskets containing asbestos that produce titanium dioxide and nuclear material.
The rule allows sheet gasket use through 2037 for nuclear material cleanup at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site to keep the project on schedule and protect workers from radioactive exposure, according to the press release.
The rule also bans asbestos from use in oilfield brake blocks, aftermarket automotive brakes and linings and other vehicle friction products starting six months after the final rule’s effective date.
In a July 2023 press release, the EPA announced the start of comprehensive company reporting on all six fiber types of asbestos used in the previous four years.
Have you been exposed to asbestos? Let us know in the comments.
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