Europe Worried TTIP Agreement Will Relax Asbestos Ban

Critics of a proposed free trade agreement between the United States and the European Union believe the deal would undermine the asbestos ban that has existed in the EU since 2005. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, also known as TTIP, has been under negotiations for three years. TTIP promises to bolster an already strong relationship between the U.S. and the 28-nation EU by boosting economic growth and adding to the more than 13 million American and EU jobs already supported by transatlantic trade and investment. But some European environmental and public health activists claim TTIP will threaten current asbestos restrictions and regulation, making it possible for U.S. companies to export asbestos-containing products to European countries. Exposure to asbestos is the leading cause of mesothelioma, and the carcinogen is also linked to lung cancer and other diseases. The U.S. is one of few major industrialized nations without an asbestos ban of the mineral in all its forms. Federal restrictions exist, but overall regulation is far less strict compared to EU countries. “The problem is many of the things we consider unhealthy or dangerous in the EU are considered safe or safe enough in the U.S. and Canada,” David de Vreede, an air quality expert and member of the Dutch group Committee for Asbestos Victims, told Asbestos.com. This stricter process is called the precautionary system. In other words, EU countries don’t have to be 100 percent sure to ban a sub...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: asbestos ban in canada asbestos ban in europe asbestos ban in the united states asbestos in europe ceta Committee for Asbestos Victims Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement David de Vreede Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnershi Source Type: news