EPA Intends to Rethink Prohibition on Asbestos, a Substance Linked to Cancer
In a stunning turn of events, the Trump administration has shown it's not all about 'Making America Great Again' when it comes to public health, as they've recently revealed their intention to backtrack on a ban on cancer-causing asbestos. This comes after the Biden administration had taken a long-awaited step to ban the last form of asbestos still in use in the US - chrysotile asbestos, aka "white asbestos."
Back in 2024, under the Biden administration, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took significant action by enforcing a ban on chrysotile asbestos, a mineral long known for causing lung cancer, mesothelioma, ovarian cancer, and laryngeal cancer. Though the use of chrysotile asbestos was on the decline, it still lingered in various gaskets, brakes, automotive parts, and some chemical industry equipment.
Joining over 50 other countries worldwide that had already banned asbestos, the US bid farewell to this dangerous mineral with the new regulation. Asbestos exposure is known to cause more than 40,000 deaths annually, according to the EPA.
Michael Regan, EPA administrator at the time, proudly declared in a statement, "The science is clear - asbestos is a known carcinogen that has severe impacts on public health. President Biden understands that this [is a] concern that has spanned generations and impacted the lives of countless people. That's why EPA is so proud to finalize this long-needed ban on ongoing uses of asbestos."
But it appears industry wasn't ready to let go of asbestos just yet. Despite the generous phase-out period of up to 12 years allowed for companies, they took immediate legal action against the regulation soon after the EPA's announcement. The ongoing legal battle has lasted since then, with Industry groups, including the American Chemistry Council, challenging the regulation.
Fast forward to mid-2025, under the Trump administration, the EPA has filed court documents requesting to suspend the court case and reconsider the ban. The EPA anticipates this process, including any regulatory changes, will take approximately 30 months. This move follows a declaration in support of the reconsiderations from Lynn Ann Dekleva, the new EPA Deputy Assistant Administrator of the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, who, interestingly enough, had previously served as a lobbyist and director for the American Chemistry Council.
Ars Technica reported that there was always concern that another Trump administration would work to overturn the ban, as Trump has been a long-time supporter of asbestos. In his 1997 book, The Art of the Comeback, Trump wrote that asbestos is "100 percent safe, once applied," and even blamed the mob for its negative reputation as a carcinogen.
Trump's advocacy for asbestos has also been embraced in Russia, the world's leading supplier of asbestos to the US. In 2018, a Russian asbestos company started marketing asbestos with Trump's face and a seal reading "Approved by Donald Trump, 45th President of the United States."
We'll have to wait and see what the future holds for America's stance on this deadly mineral. Stay tuned for updates on this developing story.
This story originally appeared on Ars Technica.
[1]https://www.epa.gov/asbestos/ final-rule-banning-new-uses-asbestos[2]https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/28/us/politics/trump-epa-regulation.html[3]https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/10.1289/EHP2077[4]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6174180/
- The Biden administration, in a significant move for environmental science, enforced a ban on chrysotile asbestos in 2024, a mineral known to cause various types of cancer.
- The ban on chrysotile asbestos was supported by more than 50 countries worldwide, signifying a global concern for public health and general news.
- The business sector, however, showed resistance to the ban, with industry groups taking immediate legal action against the regulation.
- Stories about the ongoing legal battle between the EPA and the industry have been featured in various newsletters, highlighting the political implications of this environmental-science issue.
- AI models predict that the Trump administration's potential reconsideration of the ban could lead to a lengthy process, lasting approximately 3 years, and raise concerns about the future of cancer prevention.
- This process could have broader implications, as the move could be seen as a step backwards in the fight against cancer and a shift away from medical-conditions-focused regulations towards business-driven decisions.
