What You Need to Know About the EPA’s Proposed Rule on Asbestos | The Doctor Weighs In
By: Noah Rue
The EPA’s proposed rule on asbestos may make it possible for new uses of asbestos to escape assessment exposing more Americans to this known carcinogen.
You may think of asbestos as a building material that’s gone the way of lead paint — it’s something we no longer use in most construction projects. It can really only be found in old houses. However, asbestos continues to be used in some materials, like sealants. Now, due to a new measure from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), asbestos may begin appearing in more products.
Asbestos is a mineral that was traditionally used for things like car brakes and theater curtains because of its fireproof qualities. It’s also been known to cause multiple types of cancers since the 1970s. As a known carcinogen, the U.S. banned its use in new products, and most people chose to replace asbestos products in their homes for their own safety.
While the new measure from the EPA doesn’t de-regulate asbestos use exactly, it makes it possible that more uses could slip through monitoring. According to the New York Times, the new rules would require that only 15 specific uses be assessed instead of all new uses. “Critics of the rule argue that limiting the review to 15 uses…
