The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday announced the ban of the only known form of asbestos still being used in the United States.
Exposure to asbestos has been linked to mesothelioma and cancers of the lung, larynx and ovary, according to the National Cancer Institute. It is linked to more than 40,000 deaths nationwide each year, officials with the EPA said.
“The science is clear — asbestos is a known carcinogen that has severe impacts on public health,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement. He added, “This action is just the beginning as we work to protect all American families, workers, and communities from toxic chemicals.”
The new rule announced Monday applies to chrysotile asbestos which is used by a handful of facilities to make chlorine and sodium hydroxide, substances sometimes used to purify water. It is also found in brake pads and other products.
Chrysotile asbestos is the only known form of asbestos still being imported and processed in the U.S. It was imported in its raw form as recently as 2022, according to the EPA.
On Monday, officials said further imports of chrysotile asbestos were banned effective immediately.
“With today’s ban, E.P.A. is finally slamming the door on a chemical so dangerous that it has been banned in over 50 countries,” Regan said in a telephone call with reporters, according to The New York Times.
The final rule announced Monday represented a major expansion of EPA regulation under a landmark 2016 chemical safety law, The Associated Press reported.
“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,” Regan said, according to the news agency.
Officials noted Monday that asbestos use has been declining nationwide for decades. Only one-third of the plants that produce chlorine in the U.S. use diaphragms made with asbestos in their process, officials said. Most products that have in the past contained asbestos have been discontinued.
Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., called the decision to comprehensively ban the substance long overdue.
“Today’s rule is a positive first step to give all Americans a future free of exposure to asbestos — a carcinogen that has killed far too many,” Merkley said. “This dangerous substance has been banned in more than 50 countries around the world, and the United States is finally starting to catch up.”
The ban was part of President Joe Biden’s Cancer Moonshot, an initiative that aims to halve the cancer death rate by 2047, preventing more than 4 million deaths.
“Banning the use of asbestos will help prevent cancer before it begins — saving and improving American lives across the country,” said Dr. Danielle Carnival, deputy assistant to the president for the Cancer Moonshot.
Officials said most plants that still use asbestos diaphragms to purify water will be required to transition to other means within five years, a timeline that the EPA said was “as soon as practicable without disrupting the supply of chlorine that is needed for water purification purposes.”
The facilities will have as many as 12 years to convert.
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