US finalises rule that would ban using and importing cancer-causing asbestos
Asbestos
The US Environmental Protection Agency on Monday (Mar 18) finalised a rule that would ban using and importing cancer-causing chrysotile asbestos.
It is a material which is still used in some vehicles and industrial facilities in the US. Asbestos is the first chemical banned under a 2016 chemical safety law.
A report by the Washington Post mentioned that asbestos is part of hazardous minerals linked to lung cancer and other ailments, which the FDA estimates cause over 40,000 deaths in the US each year.
The federal prohibition comes more than 30 years after the EPA attempted to rid the country of asbestos. The ban on ongoing uses of asbestos is the first rule to be finalised under the 2016 amendments to the nation's chemical safety law, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
The government in a statement that the action "marks a major milestone for chemical safety after more than three decades of inadequate protections and serious delays during the previous administration to implement the 2016 amendments".
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The use of asbestos in manufacturing and construction has declined but is still used in some chlorine bleach, brake pads and other products and remains a significant health threat.
EPA administrator Michael Regan said, "Folks, it's been a long road. 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."
Regan said, "This historic ban is more than 30 years in the making, and it's thanks to amendments that Congress made in 2016 to fix the Toxic Substances Control Act".
In a statement by the White House, "President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot is accelerating progress to prevent, detect, and treat cancer while boosting support for families facing cancer, including by undertaking an aggressive effort to protect families and workers from hazardous chemicals like known carcinogens."
(With inputs from agencies)