Since Donald J. Trump was sworn in again as president, asbestos and mesothelioma advocates have been quietly concerned about what would happen to the recent progress made toward an asbestos ban. Though the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the Biden administration issued a new rule prohibiting the ongoing use of chrysotile asbestos, the new leaders of that agency have shown signs of delaying ongoing activity that could advance those actions.
Mesothelioma Advocates Fear Walk-Back of Asbestos Rules
President Trump has long championed asbestos as a fireproofing material, and despite its link to mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases, decried the decision to halt its use in the construction of the World Trade Center in New York. Now, the EPA under Trump has delayed restrictions set to take place on asbestos and other hazardous substances under the jurisdiction of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
There’s good reason for mesothelioma advocates to be concerned. Earlier this month, the agency announced it would review the process of risk evaluations that had previously been established, and litigation related to the new asbestos rule that had been scheduled has now been delayed.
Delay of Asbestos Hearing Raises Alarm in Mesothelioma Advocates
Even before the EPA’s March 10th announcement, the agency had given mesothelioma advocates cause for concern. On February 14th, the EPA requested a 120-day delay in a case related to the asbestos rule. The Asbestos Diseases Awareness Organization is one of the petitioners in that case hoping to strengthen the rule, and president and co-founder Linda Reinstein said, “Decades of broken promises and unnecessary suffering demand action, not more delays from our government.” She calls the EPA’s request for a delay “a disturbing sign that the Trump administration may be preparing to weaken the hard-fought progress we’ve made to protect Americans from asbestos.”
The May 20204 rule that is the subject of the upcoming litigation gives chlor-alkali producers who use asbestos 5 years to transition away from asbestos diaphragms and switch to diaphragms made of materials not linked to mesothelioma.
Laws surrounding the use of asbestos in the United States are important to preventing future mesothelioma diagnoses. For more information on the resources available to those diagnosed with the rare, asbestos-related disease, contact the Patient Advocates today at 1-800-692-8608.
