The Environmental Protection Agency announced on Monday a federal ban on all uses of chrysotile asbestos, delivering on a yearslong federal effort to remove the toxic substance from use in industrial and manufacturing sectors.
Though the EPA banned most forms of asbestos decades ago, the use of chrysotile asbestos, or “white asbestos,” has persisted after a federal judge in 1991 blocked the EPA from including the material in its larger crackdown.
Through the ban, “EPA is finally slamming the door on a chemical so dangerous that it has been banned in more than 50 countries,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan told reporters on a call Monday previewing the new action.
The use of white asbestos has continued in the United States in certain construction and industrial sectors due to the material’s resistance to heat, fire, and electric conduction.
It also plays a key role in the nation’s chlorine manufacturing sector. Certain industry groups and the Chamber of Commerce have argued a ban could lead to a shortage of clean drinking water in the U.S.
Still, administration officials said the harm caused by the substance far outweighs any benefits.
Chrysotile asbestos is the only kind of asbestos still used in the U.S. and is linked to nearly 40,000 deaths every year. It has also been known to cause lung cancer, mesothelioma, and ovarian cancer, EPA officials said on Monday.
The action is also EPA’s first final rule issued under the updated Toxic Substances Control Act, which Congress passed with bipartisan support in 2016 to give the EPA the authority needed to crack down on chrysotile asbestos and other toxic substances.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The ban comes as the administration looks to further its actions on President Joe Biden’s Cancer Moonshot initiative and to “transform the way EPA is using the new chemical safety law to protect people from toxic chemicals,” Regan said.
“The science is clear — asbestos is a known carcinogen that has severe impacts on public health,” Regan said in a statement. “That’s why EPA is so proud to finalize this long-needed ban on ongoing uses of asbestos.”
