Mesothelioma advocates are expressing alarm after the Environmental Protection Agency filed a motion to delay a planned ban on the use of chrysotile asbestos and reconsider the rule that put it in place. The ban was adopted last year under the Biden administration. If the filing submitted by the Trump administration is approved, the reconsideration process would take approximately 30 months and could halt enforcement of the ban for several years. Experts say this would expose Americans to serious health risks.
Exposure to Asbestos has Severe Health Consequences, Including Mesothelioma
Asbestos exposure has long been linked to several serious diseases; the mineral has been linked to an estimated 40,000 deaths a year in the United States, with the most lethal being malignant mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer. Asbestos-related diseases are most frequently diagnosed in firefighters and others whose occupation places them close to the deadly material, but it has more recently been identified as a contaminant of talc, leading to mesothelioma diagnoses in a broader range of victims.
When the link between mesothelioma and other diseases became apparent in the 1960s and 1970s, most countries enacted bans against its use, but efforts by health professionals and advocates to have a ban passed in the United States were defeated by lobbying efforts from the U.S. chemical industry. The ban passed by the EPA last year represented a step forward for those advocates; word of a reversal is a significant setback.
Mesothelioma-causing Mineral Continues to be Used in the United States
Though the American public generally believes that mesothelioma risk has led to the United States banning use of the carcinogenic material, chrysotile asbestos continues to be imported into the country for use in roofing materials, textiles, cement, automotive parts like gaskets and brake pads, and chlorine manufacturing. Additionally, the presence of legacy asbestos in buildings constructed before the 1980s presents ongoing mesothelioma risks. California’s recent wildfires present a powerful example, as firefighters and cleanup crews faced heightened health risks from asbestos-containing materials in damaged older homes.
Under President Biden, the EPA had banned the use, manufacture, and import of chrysotile asbestos, which represented an improvement over previous standards but still fell short of what mesothelioma advocates like the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization had been hoping for. According to the group’s president and co-founder, Linda Reinstein, the reconsideration and delay would “move the nation backward, once again putting lives at risk.” The group will be challenging the motion to delay.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease, the continued use of asbestos in the United States represents the risk of others going through the same pain you are experiencing. For information on the resources available to you, contact the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net today at 1-800-692-8608.