Decades after a partial ban, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a complete ban of asbestos, a deadly carcinogen that’s still being used to make some chlorine bleach, brake pads and other products. It’s a major expansion of EPA regulation under a 2016 law, the Frank Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act, that authorized new requirements and rules for thousands of toxic chemicals in everyday items.
Asbestos exposure, known to cause lung cancer, mesothelioma and other cancers, is linked to more than 40,000 deaths in American each year. It was once common in home insulation, but it banned in more than 50 countries.
“With today’s ban, EPA is finally slamming the door on a chemical so dangerous that it has been banned in over 50 countries,’’ said EPA Administrator Michael Regan. ”This historic ban is more than 30 years in the making, and it’s thanks to amendments that Congress made in 2016 to fix the Toxic Substances Control Act,” passed in 1976.
Chrysotile asbestos, the only type that’s currently used in the U.S., is used to make chlorine bleach and sodium hydroxide, which is used for water purification. Only eight chlor-alkali plants still use asbestos, and the ban will be phased in over five or more years. The ban on other uses will take effect in two years.
