On March 18, the Environmental Protection Agency announced a comprehensive ban on
the last and most common type of asbestos still in use,
chrysotile asbestos.
EPA Administrator Michael Regan proclaimed the final rule a major step
to protect public health:
“With today’s ban, EPA is finally slamming the door on a chemical
so dangerous that has been banned in over 50 countries […] President
Biden understands that this concern that has spanned generations and impacted
the lives of countless people.”
Ending the continual use, manufacture, and import of chrysotile advances
the goals of the
Biden Administration's Cancer Moonshot government initiative.
As the Union of Concerned Scientists, while this administration does deserve
credit for acting on asbestos after years of neglect, it is more accurate
to describe the White House as politely showing the door to companies
who use what is nicknamed "white asbestos."
Their excellent article "A Triumph and Disgrace: The Very Slow Road to Banning Asbestos" provides a detailed history.
Despite the milestone of this long overdue regulation, the EPA is imposing
compliance with different deadlines, up to 12 years for certain industries,
to phase out the use of asbestos. Critics are calling the ban insufficient
due to the long transition period pushed by lobbying efforts by the chlor-alkali
industry. Ultimately, Congress would need to enact legislation for meaningful
protections of public health for the long term.
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