Mesothelioma Advocates Note Irony As White House Staffers Relocate to Avoid Asbestos
Mesothelioma victims and all those who advocate for asbestos to be banned in the United States have been frustrated by the Trump Administration’s stance on the carcinogenic material. Though Congress passed a new law in 2016 to give the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the authority to ban asbestos, the EPA under President Trump’s administration has allowed the substance to remain legal, and even allowed manufacturers to resume abandoned uses of asbestos if approved by the agency. Many health and safety advocates viewed this move as a reflection of the president’s previously expressed belief that asbestos is “100 percent safe,” and those same advocates see irony in the fact that senior White House aides, including Ivanka Trump, have been relocated out of their West Wing offices as a result of an asbestos remediation project that put their health at risk.
White House aides moved out of mesothelioma fears
Though the EPA pointedly avoided including existing asbestos into their plans for dealing with the hazardous material, staffers including the president’s daughter, Kelly Ann Conway, policy aide Stephen Miller and economic aide Larry Kudlow were all moved out of their offices while fire safety equipment and other improvements are being made.
President Trump has been dismissive of reports that asbestos causes malignant mesothelioma and other deadly diseases. He wrote that asbestos is “100 percent safe, once applied” in his 1997 book, “The Art of the Comeback,” and testified before Congress in 2005 that had asbestos been used more extensively in the building of the World Trade Center, the buildings would not have collapsed.
Asbestos advocates point to contradiction
Linda Reinstein, president and founder of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization and widow of mesothelioma victim Alan Reinstein, pointed out that President Trump has acted to protect asbestos at the risk of public health while ensuring that those closest to him are protected. “While these measures are being taken to protect White House employees, the president and his EPA chief Andrew Wheeler are actively working to ensure this deadly carcinogen remains legal. Every American should be protected from exposure to asbestos, and the only way to ensure that is to ban it once and for all from being imported and used in the U.S.”
If you have been exposed to asbestos and diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, whether as a result of a renovation project or from some other source, the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net can help. Contact us today at 1-800-692-8608.
Written by Terri Oppenheimer
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