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READ MOREEPA’s Chemical Review Would Exclude Asbestos
December 6, 2017 | Mesothelioma
The Trump administration is changing the way that asbestos and other damaging substances are reviewed in the United States. As a result, millions of people across the country will continue to be at risk.
What Happened?
Shortly before he left office, President Obama mandated that the government perform a thorough review of how toxins such as asbestos are used in the U.S. He intended to place intense scrutiny on all dangerous chemicals in widespread use across the nation. The purpose of the mandate was to find better ways to manage these substances and improve public safety.
Under Obama, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was to comprehensively judge these chemicals based on all potential uses. In the case of asbestos, this meant taking a thorough look at all products containing asbestos that entered the U.S. between 1970 and 2016.
However, the current administration has decided to drastically slash the scope of the EPA review. Instead of looking at all of the estimated 8.9 million tons of asbestos that came into the country during those years, the EPA is now going to gauge the risk of only just a few hundred tons of asbestos that come into the U.S. each year.
Powerful Critics
While environmental groups are sharply critical of this vast limitation in the scope of the review, firefighters are also against the new directive. A spokesperson with the International Association of Fire Fighters said that hundreds of thousands of firefighters could be adversely affected by the change.
The Deadly Consequences of Asbestos
Asbestos is a deadly material that is the only known cause of a form of cancer known as mesothelioma. This horrible disease killed more than 45,000 people in the U.S. between 1999 and 2015, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
If you or someone you love has been affected by mesothelioma, you might be able to take legal action against the asbestos manufacturers responsible for your suffering. Please contact Baron and Budd online or call 855-280-7664 to learn more.