The Biden administration finalized a ban on chrysotile asbestos after three decades of failed attempts to cease using all forms of the deadly cancer-causing mineral.
Asbestos has long been used in insulation, home appliances and brake pads in the US, but is already banned in more than 50 countries.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) attempted to fully ban the cancer-causing mineral in 1989 but it was blocked by a federal judge and remained the last of the six forms still used in the U.S.
Monday’s ban as part of the new Toxic Substance Control Act which received a near unanimous vote from the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.
The Biden administration has banned chrysotile asbestos after three decades of failed attempts to fully ban the deadly mineral
The EPA first tried to ban asbestos in 1989 but it was overturned in 1991
The chrysotile asbestos imports are now banned, effective immediately and the EPA has issued deadlines for when facilities should fully transition away from using the toxic mineral.
When materials containing asbestos are disturbed, they release fibers into the air and when inhaled, they can cause serious diseases and cancers.
Asbestos is known to cause lung cancer, mesothelioma, ovarian cancer, and laryngeal cancer and is also linked to more than 40,000 deaths in the U.S. each year, according to the EPA.
Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer found in the lung, chest, abdomen and heart and eventually becomes fatal when the person’s lungs stop functioning well enough to continue to oxygenate their blood.
‘Asbestos has harmed people across the country for decades, and under President Biden’s leadership, we are taking decisive action to ban its use and advance this administration’s historic environmental justice agenda,’ said White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory.
‘This action marks a major step to improve chemical safety after decades of inadequate protections, helping advance President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot goal to end cancer as we know it.’
Asbestos kills 40,000 people in the U.S. every year and causes mesothelioma, ovarian cancer and lung cancer
Chrysotile asbestos is the only form of the mineral to be imported, processed and distributed in the U.S., with the last known import brought in by the chlor-alkali industry in 2022.
The chlor-alkali industry’s main products include chlorine, sodium hydroxide and potassium carbonate, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
In 2022, the American Chemistry Council had asked the EPA to give them 15 years to phase out using asbestos, claiming that eliminating asbestos used to treat drinking water would ’cause substantial harm to America’s drinking water supply, and unwarranted alarm for products in the marketplace which are essential to ongoing climate, sustainability, and infrastructure projects.’
Companies have five years to remove asbestos from the first facility and up to 12 years to remove asbestos from all facilities
The EPA reportedly took the request into consideration when it provided the deadlines for facilities to fully eliminate asbestos use and exposure.
Companies that use diaphragms containing asbestos and those that have to transition multiple facilities have five years to do so for the first facility, while they have eight years to convert the second and 12 years to convert the third.
Brake locks containing asbestos have long been imported and exposed car mechanics to the deadly airborne fibers will be phased out within six months and after two years, asbestos gaskets will be banned.
‘Today’s rule is a positive first step to give all Americans a future free of exposure to asbestos – a carcinogen that has killed far too many,’ said Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon).
‘… An immediate ban on the import of chrysotile asbestos for the chlor-alkali industry is a long overdue step forward for public health,’ he added.
When the EPA’s asbestos ban was overturned in 1991, it weakened their authority to address the risk chemicals posed to the public health under the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA).
The use of asbestos started to decline when its toxicity and deadly affects became more well-known, but it continued to be used to disinfect drinking water and wastewater and is used in oil and gas drilling.
‘It is long past time for the U.S. to ban asbestos, and unacceptable this known carcinogen continues to threaten Americans and devastate families,’ said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-Oregon).
‘I’ve been spent years advocating for asbestos to be banned and am grateful for the steps the EPA is taking today to finalize its rule to prohibit the import and use of chrysotile asbestos. Banning asbestos will save lives.’
Dailymail.com has reached out to the EPA for comment.
