The Call to Ban Asbestos in the United States
Page Medically Reviewed and Edited by Anne Courtney, AOCNP, DNPThis page has been fact checked by a Doctor of Nursing Practice who specializes in Oncology and has experience working with mesothelioma patients.
Sources of information are listed at the bottom of the article. We make every attempt to keep our information accurate and up-to-date.
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The call to ban asbestos in the United States comes after decades of deaths from workplace exposure resulting in mesothelioma and other illnesses. Although the United States no longer mines and manufactures it, importing asbestos remains common and legal. Many advocates feel that the United States must join global efforts to ban asbestos entirely and are working toward that goal.
The Deadly Effects of Asbestos
Asbestos fibers are microscopic, and can be inhaled or ingested easily, but they cannot be expelled from the body nearly so easily. The fibers become lodged within the body (generally the linings of the lungs, abdominal cavity, or heart) and cannot be dislodged, causing cancerous cells to grow around the fibers and from there, grow and proliferate throughout the body in the form of mesothelioma cancer.[1]
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Why Asbestos Is Still Imported and Used in the United States
Although the dangers of long-term exposure to asbestos fibers have been established for some time, the United States continues to import asbestos-containing products. Since 2011, the U.S. has imported more than 6,000 tons of asbestos.[2] Asbestos is inexpensive, and importing asbestos-containing products can be more cost-effective than importing those same alternatives or producing asbestos alternatives.
The Argument Against Asbestos Utilization
Many nations have decided to limit its usage or ban its usage outright since asbestos has risks associated with long-term exposure to it. Asbestos has, in more recent years, been found to be deadly not only to those who are exposed in their line of work, but also to those who reside near natural deposits that have been exposed to erosive natural elements, or who reside near mines and factories involving asbestos production. Because of the wide-reaching effect that asbestos fibers have, many people feel that asbestos usage should be extremely limited if not done away with entirely.
Asbestos Alternatives
Alternatives to asbestos exist and have fewer risks associated with them. For example, for large-diameter pipes formerly reinforced with asbestos, steel reinforcement may be used to reduce the dangers to the public should the pipe begin to decay over time.
Other, less-harmful minerals may be used to reinforce flooring and ceiling tiles rather than asbestos, such as fiberglass and silicates. Although asbestos-free home insulation materials may cost more due to requiring an extra step in being treated with a flame retardant, they are more environmentally friendly and far less of a health hazard than their asbestos-containing counterparts. This makes the financial cost worth it when compared with the risk to human life.
Mesothelioma and Asbestos
Asbestos has long been known to be a causal factor in mesothelioma cancer. In a majority of cases, diagnoses were made in people who were presumed to have suffered long-term occupational exposure to asbestos, such as individuals who worked in construction work, shipbuilding, or manufacturing; however, more and more cases of mesothelioma attributed to “secondhand” exposure” of asbestos (such as through contact with the clothing of a person who worked in an asbestos factory, for example—contact a spouse or child might have) are appearing.
The Precedence: Asbestos Bans Throughout the World
Dozens of countries all over the globe have already put full bans on asbestos usage, manufacturing, importing, and exporting in place, including all of the nations in the European Union, Australia, all of the Scandinavian nations, the Baltic nations, Japan, Bahrain, Jordan, Algeria, and more.[3] Of the developed nations, the United States is lagging far behind with regard to getting a full asbestos ban in place.
A Call to Action
As more and more asbestos-related deaths and mesothelioma diagnoses attributable to asbestos are occurring each year all over the world, many people are pushing more fervently than ever for a global ban on asbestos. Iceland set the bar as the first nation to fully ban asbestos in 1983, and in the decades since then many other nations have followed suit. There are alternatives to asbestos in virtually every application in which it is used, so there are no more excuses for any nation that cares about the health and well-being of its citizens to continue importing and using asbestos.
There are many who feel the US needs to stand up and make a statement against asbestos usage in order to set an example for other developed nations—an example already begun by so many countries tired of seeing their citizens die for no good reason.
Page Medically Reviewed and Edited by Anne Courtney, AOCNP, DNP
Anne Courtney has a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree and is an Advanced Oncology Certified Nurse Practitioner. She has years of oncology experience working with patients with malignant mesothelioma, as well as other types of cancer. Dr. Courtney currently works at University of Texas LIVESTRONG Cancer Institutes.