“Today, we’re taking an important step forward to protect public health and finally put an end to the use of dangerous asbestos in the United States,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a press release on Tuesday.
The rule would ban chrysotile asbestos, the only form of asbestos currently imported to the US for use in gaskets, brake blocks and other vehicle friction products, the release said.
The proposed rule is the first issued under the new process to evaluate and address the safety of existing chemicals under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), enacted in 2016, the release added.
A 1991 court decision overturned the EPA’s 1989 asbestos ban and weakened their authority to address health risks posed by existing chemicals under the TSCA. Amendments made to the TSCA in 2016 altered the policies to allow for protections against unreasonable chemical risks.
Use of asbestos in the United States has been declining for decades, according to the press release. Its use is currently banned in over 50 countries around the world, according to the release.