The EPA on Monday finalized a rule banning the importation and all remaining uses of chrysotile asbestos, an action officials said has been necessary for decades due to the health effects associated with the toxic mineral.
The mineral has been long linked to lung cancer and mesothelioma, and while its use has waned, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said on a call with reporters that the action “is finally slamming the door on a chemical so dangerous that it has been banned in over 50 countries.”
“Because of its resistance to heat, fire and electrical conduction, it has remained in use for a variety of construction and industrial products,” Regan said. “But the science is clear and settled — there is simply no safe level of exposure to asbestos.”
