While asbestos awareness advocates and those touched by mesothelioma were cheered by news of a proposed asbestos ban, the chemical industry continues to fight the move. Instead of working to retrofit their factories in ways that would prevent future asbestos-related disease, industry groups are stoking fears of job losses and unclean water.
Proposed Asbestos Ban Would Decrease Mesothelioma Risk
Asbestos is a known carcinogen that causes malignant mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, and other serious illnesses. Advocacy groups like the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) have been working for decades to effect a ban, but their efforts have been stymied by pushback from the powerful chemical industry lobby.
With the Biden administration at the helm of the Environmental Protection Agency, a ban of chrysotile asbestos is now under consideration. The ban could significantly reduce the risk of mesothelioma in the future. Workers within chlor-alkali factories are exposed to asbestos, and so too are countless others involved in moving the toxic material from Brazil to the United States.
Mesothelioma Advocates Warn Against Chemical Industry Arguments
Ignoring health concerns about mesothelioma and other illnesses and environmental justice concerns that vulnerable groups are the most likely to be exposed to the carcinogen, the chemical industry has reacted to the proposed ban with dire warnings of job losses, plant closures, and increased costs. They are asking for reconsiderations and extensions of the decision-making process.
In response, Linda Reinstein, co-founder of the ADAO, said, “They’re trying to scare Americans with the threat of closing their plants, which mean workers lose jobs, but also that Americans won’t have clean water.” She went on to note, “They had 20 years to transition.”
While banning asbestos will significantly reduce future risk of mesothelioma and other diseases, it can’t help those who have already been exposed and sickened by the carcinogenic material. For information about the resources available to victims of asbestos exposure, contact the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net today at 1-800-692-8608.
