Asbestos Ban in US Inches Closer with New Legislation

Federal lawmakers this week passed one of the most important environmental bills that will overhaul how the U.S. government regulates toxic chemicals, and it could bring the nation closer to banning asbestos. The U.S. Senate passed the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, which amends the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) of 1979. The bill will give the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) greater power to better review chemicals for safety and restrict their use. One of the reasons asbestos is not banned in the U.S. is because the current law requires the EPA to find the “least burdensome” way for the industry to control asbestos — an unsurmountable task for the regulatory agency given its current restrictions. The latest proposal eliminates that provision. Move Now, Awareness Group Says Linda Reinstein, president and co-founder of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), issued a press release stating the proposed legislation will give the EPA “clear authority to ban asbestos, a known human carcinogen for which there is no safe level of exposure.” However, Reinstein warns that if the bill is signed into law, it may still take seven years for the EPA to assess, regulate and ban the deadly mineral. “An estimated 100,000 Americans will lose their lives to asbestos-related diseases during that 7-year timeline and countless more could be needlessly exposed to asbestos,” she said. Asbestos expos...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: asbestos asbestos ban asbestos exposure banning asbestos in the united states Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act united states asbestos ban Source Type: news