The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has implemented a ban on the ongoing use of raw chrysotile asbestos, a hazardous carcinogen found in various consumer goods. This move, hailed as a milestone in public health protection, expands EPA regulations under the 2016 Toxic Substances Control Act amendments. In 2022, more than 300 tons of raw chrysotile asbestos was imported into the United States.
“Any asbestos exposure places fire fighters at an extremely high risk of developing cancer,” said General President Edward Kelly. “This new regulation ensures fire fighters protecting ports of entry and surrounding highways won’t be forced to endure exposures to one of the most potent carcinogens.”
This ban is critical in our war against asbestos and all causes of fire fighter cancer.
General president edward kelly
The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) and the IAFF have long collaborated on ways to protect fire fighters and the communities they serve from the dangers of asbestos. Earlier this year, the ADAO and IAFF co-launched a crucial campaign in Times Square, New York City, advocating for the Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act. This legislation would ban the importation, manufacturing, sale, and distribution of all forms of asbestos.
AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler lauded the EPA’s initiative for worker safety while urging swift action on other asbestos threats. “While a critical step forward, this does not eliminate all types of asbestos fibers and is only the first half of the EPA’s plans to address worker asbestos exposures, including tens of thousands of workers – many fire fighters, construction, and manufacturing workers – exposed to ‘legacy’ asbestos throughout old buildings and infrastructure,” she said.
ADAO addressed the ban as a landmark step forward but said the rule’s limited scope will not fully protect Americans. “Users of raw asbestos and asbestos-containing brake blocks and gaskets in the chlor-alkali, brake block, chemical, and refining sectors will finally be required to transition to non-asbestos technology, but we are alarmed that the rule allows an unnecessarily long transition period and creates inconsistent compliance deadlines for certain asbestos users, which will allow dangerous exposure to chrysotile asbestos to continue for years to come,” said Linda Reinstein, president of ADAO.
The IAFF and ADAO remain committed to working toward passage of the Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act. The legislation would prohibit all six carcinogenic asbestos fibers to reduce future health hazards. In June 2022, IAFF Chief Medical Officer Dr. Dan Whu testified before the Senate on the need to protect fire fighters by banning asbestos. Fire fighters’ risk is especially evident since they are more than twice as likely as the average person to develop asbestos-related cancers.
Chrysotile asbestos, commonly used in brake linings, gaskets, and industrial processes like chlorine bleach production, has long been linked to severe health hazards. In 2022, more than 300 tons of raw chrysotile asbestos were important into the United States – primarily through ports located in Los Angeles and along the Gulf Coast. Fire fighters protecting these ports and nearby highways where asbestos is transported are particularly susceptible to asbestos exposures.
Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention underline the staggering toll of asbestos-related diseases, claiming 40,000 lives in the U.S. annually. From 1991 to 2021, more than one million Americans died from preventable asbestos-caused diseases.
Representative Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), one of the lead sponsors of the Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act, issued a statement online saying, “It is long past time for the U.S. to ban asbestos.”
I’ve spent years advocating for asbestos to be banned and am grateful for the steps the EPA is taking today to finalize its rule to prohibit the import and use of chrysotile asbestos. This action will save lives.
Rep. Suzanne bonamici (D-Or)
The Environmental Protection Agency said it is evaluating asbestos fibers, in addition to legacy uses and associated disposal of chrysotile and asbestos-containing talc, as part of the second phase of the asbestos risk evaluation, expected to be published by the end of the year.
The IAFF encourages its members to join the fight by asking their members of Congress for immediate action on this legislation: https://www.votervoice.net/IAFF/Campaigns/107902/Respond.
