03/18/2024

Toxic Asbestos is Now Fully Banned

The EPA calls the move ‘historic’

On Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a ban on chrysotile asbestos, part of a family of toxic minerals linked to lung cancer and other illnesses that the agency estimates is responsible for about 40,000 U.S. deaths each year.

The federal ban comes more than 30 years after EPA first tried to rid the nation of asbestos, but was blocked by a federal judge. While the use of asbestos in manufacturing and construction has declined since, it remains a significant health threat.

"Folks, it's been a long road," said EPA Administrator Michael Regan. "But with today's ban, EPA is finally slamming the door on a chemical so dangerous that it has been banned in more than 50 countries."

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.