It’s hard to believe in this day and age that here in America, you could potentially encounter the mineral fiber asbestos in anything that isn’t a relic from a bygone era.
But unlike 60 other countries that have banned this well-known cancer-causing substance outright, the U.S. has not. Our EPA continues to look the other way when asbestos is used in the manufacture of items ranging from auto parts to roofing materials.
Now, however, the agency has decided that it no longer needs to even give the appearance that it’s limiting asbestos use.
In a recent announcement, the EPA showed its hand AND its shocking plan to allow many more items made with asbestos to be manufactured in, as well as legally imported into, the U.S.
In that published Federal Register notice, where the agency includes the required standard statement “Does this action apply to me?”, it lists industries such as construction and manufacturing.
Well, I’ve got news for these so-called regulators: That “action” applies to anyone who breathes air.
And if this proposal is allowed to become law, our kids and grandkids will be left with a brand-new legacy of deadly dust that will haunt them for generations to come.
The return of killer
Heather Von St. James was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a lethal type of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, when she was 36 years old. And like many other victims of that killer, her encounters with this toxic substance came about innocently.
As a child, when her dad came home from his job in construction, she would take his coat outside and shake off the dust that covered it from sanding drywall. And in doing so, she filled her lungs with microscopic asbestos fibers that stayed there for decades, like a ticking time bomb waiting to go off inside her body.
Back in the heyday of asbestos use, this substance was added to anything and everything to provide soundproofing, insulation, and most especially fireproofing. And because of that widespread use, its deadly fibers can still turn up today.
And there’s no doubt whatsoever that asbestos causes cancer. It’s a solid fact… there’s not a scientist or doctor anywhere who would say otherwise.
If you’ve ever seen a building undergoing an asbestos remediation, you know that it’s no minor matter. Warning signs must be posted around the property, and the hazardous asbestos-containing materials need to be disposed of legally. Workers must wear full respirators… use rubber gloves, goggles, and boots…. and dispose of all clothing and footwear afterward.
Yet in the U.S., approximately 15,000 people still die every year from asbestos-related diseases.
So, considering the toxic mess that lingers from when we didn’t know any better, it’s hard to fathom that the EPA would dare to open the floodgates once again.
Yet, that’s exactly what the agency announced it intends to do!
In June, the EPA proposed what’s called a “Significant New Use Rule.” This SNUR would give importers and manufacturers the ability to start using asbestos in ways that are currently not allowed.
As I mentioned, asbestos use isn’t banned entirely in the U.S., which, unbelievably, still allows it for certain applications. But the SNUR could significantly expand them — allowing a business to apply for whatever use of this cancer-causing material it wanted and giving the EPA the option to approve or deny.
And believe me, should this go forward, those decisions will be made behind closed doors. No matter what the EPA may say, this process will be hush-hush to the max.
The dirty little plan was only disclosed two months ago, but here’s another shocker: Typically, important rule-making proposals such as this are given six months… or more… for the public to respond.
This one, however, has been fast-tracked, with the response period reduced to 60 days, a time frame that expired on August 10.
So, here’s what you need to do — and ask all your friends and relatives to do as well.
We need to flood the EPA, especially new head honcho and former industry lobbyist Andrew Wheeler, with some common sense about this, since the agency doesn’t seem to have any of its own.
Asbestos should be banned completely… not brought back into circulation again!
Ways to reach Wheeler include his office number, listed as 202-564-4700, and by snail mail at: Environmental Protection Agency, Office of the Administrator 1101A, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20460.
It’s time to remind the EPA that its job is to protect the citizens of the U.S., not clear the way for greedy and reckless interests to restart the process of spewing a deadly substance we’ve been trying to get rid of for decades.
“Could EPA proposal lead to new uses for cancer-causing asbestos?” Jessica Spitz, August 7, 2018, NBC, nbcnews.com
