You may have believed the dangerous carcinogen asbestos was banned in the United States. Most of us hear about it only when a lawyer is advertising on television for clients who have been exposed to asbestos, or when someone has to pay the hefty cost of removing it from an old building.
But asbestos could be making a comeback.
Prompted by a 2016 law that required the federal agency to review its rules for toxic substances, the Environmental Protection Agency is set to reconsider whether to loosen restrictions on asbestos.
Though it was never outright banned in the U.S., regulations have curtailed the use of the carcinogenic substance. Asbestos’ fire-retardant properties once made it desirable for use in insulation and other applications. Since 1973, however, its health risks have become well-known, and American consumption of asbestos has dropped 99 percent.
Asbestos is still around, though, if you recall those attorney commercials. Even though use has curtailed to nearly nothing in this country, the mesothelioma caused by asbestos exposure is still killing thousands every year. Between 1999 and 2015, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believes mesothelioma killed more than 45,000 Americans, most of whom were exposed on the job.
That means companies responsible for that exposure have big legal liabilities. Asbestos lawsuits are believed to be responsible for bankrupting 100 companies, and a 2011 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office estimated American businesses set aside more than $30 billion to pay claims from mesothelioma victims.
Removing asbestos can be big business, too, mainly because it is expensive to safely remove such a dangerous substance.
Considering the human and financial toll, why would the government consider loosening regulations that would reintroduce asbestos to the United States? Some observers speculate that calling for a re-evaluation of the hazards posed by asbestos is just a necessary step toward accumulating the evidence required to ban it entirely, which would be a welcome move. Others, understandably, considering the current EPA’s openness to deregulation, worry that the United States is about to unleash a toxic hazard on a whole new generation.
The agency just closed a public-comment period on the matter and is expected to announce a new rule later this year. If the EPA revises its rules for asbestos at all, the agency should tighten restrictions even further. A toxic substance that has been almost eliminated for nearly 50 years that can still kill thousands of people a year and cost billions in legal settlements and cleanup expenses should be less prevalent in America, not more.
First Published: August 20, 2018, 4:00 a.m.
