The Environmental Safety Company on Monday introduced a ban on chrysotile asbestos, a carcinogen, at the moment in use or imported into the US.
“With at this time's ban, the EPA has lastly slammed the door on a chemical so harmful it has been banned in additional than 50 international locations,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan stated in an announcement. “This historic ban has been greater than 30 years within the making, because of amendments Congress made in 2016 to amend the Poisonous Substances Management Act,” the central U.S. legislation governing the usage of chemical compounds.
Based on the Related Press, the ban was imposed on chrysotile asbestos, which is usually present in sure chlorine bleaches, brake pads and different merchandise. The substance can be used to make chlorine bleach and sodium hydroxide, also called caustic soda, together with some used to purify water.
Nevertheless, publicity to asbestos could cause lung most cancers, mesothelioma and different cancers. The substance can be linked to greater than 40,000 deaths within the US every year. The brand new ban additional helps President Joe Biden's Most cancers Moonshot initiative, which goals to scale back most cancers deaths within the US by greater than 4 million by 2047.
“The science is obvious: Asbestos is a identified carcinogen with critical public well being impacts. This motion is just the start as we work to guard all American households, employees and communities from poisonous chemical compounds,” stated Regan.
Though the federal authorities initially tried to ban asbestos within the Nineteen Eighties, these efforts had been largely shot down in 1991, resulting in “greater than three a long time of insufficient safety,” the White Home stated Monday.
Based on USA As we speak, the federal authorities has reauthorized laws regulating the chemical, prompting the EPA to announce the ban on Monday.
“Decreasing publicity to poisonous chemical compounds protects public well being and helps President Biden's dedication to making sure that every one individuals can breathe clear air, drink clear water and dwell in wholesome communities,” the White Home stated.
Picture credit score: ©GettyImages/Skyhobo
Milton Quintanilla is a contract author and content material creator. He’s a contributor to Christian Headlines and host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast dedicated to sound doctrine and biblical fact. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
