Asbestos imports have quietly soared in recent months.
An alarming report from two nonprofits - the Environmental Working Group and the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization - shows asbestos imports rose by nearly 2,000 percent between July and August 2018.
In January, the Environmental Protection Agency denied a petition from a coalition of environmental groups and advocacy organizations requesting to close reporting loopholes to ensure all imports and domestic uses of asbestos products are documented.
The EPA tried to implement a comprehensive ban in 1989, but the asbestos industry sued and federal courts overturned most of the ban.
The proposed rule would require companies to notify the EPA if they plan to import or manufacture various out-of-date, or so-called legacy, uses of asbestos such as roofing felt and floor tile.
Asbestos is still used in many products in the U.S., such as brake pads, automobile clutches, cement piping and certain roofing materials.
Asbestos will continue to sneak into our lives until we have improved reporting on asbestos imports and more oversight from agencies such as the EPA. The first step toward reducing asbestos exposure and diseases such as mesothelioma in the U.S. is a comprehensive ban on the import, export and use of the toxic mineral in America.
https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/426137-trumps-epa-declines-to-step-up-reporting-on-asbestos-imports-and-use
An alarming report from two nonprofits - the Environmental Working Group and the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization - shows asbestos imports rose by nearly 2,000 percent between July and August 2018.
In January, the Environmental Protection Agency denied a petition from a coalition of environmental groups and advocacy organizations requesting to close reporting loopholes to ensure all imports and domestic uses of asbestos products are documented.
The EPA tried to implement a comprehensive ban in 1989, but the asbestos industry sued and federal courts overturned most of the ban.
The proposed rule would require companies to notify the EPA if they plan to import or manufacture various out-of-date, or so-called legacy, uses of asbestos such as roofing felt and floor tile.
Asbestos is still used in many products in the U.S., such as brake pads, automobile clutches, cement piping and certain roofing materials.
Asbestos will continue to sneak into our lives until we have improved reporting on asbestos imports and more oversight from agencies such as the EPA. The first step toward reducing asbestos exposure and diseases such as mesothelioma in the U.S. is a comprehensive ban on the import, export and use of the toxic mineral in America.
https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/426137-trumps-epa-declines-to-step-up-reporting-on-asbestos-imports-and-use
No comments:
Post a Comment