In 2018, 750 metric tons of asbestos were imported into the U.S. More than 50 countries have banned the use of asbestos in any form, including the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. In the U.S., however, asbestos is still legal in certain use cases — despite well-known health dangers.

Health Dangers of Asbestos

Asbestos has been associated with three diseases:

  1. Asbestosis, a serious, chronic, non-cancerous respiratory disease.
  2. Lung cancer, one of the deadliest diseases common among individuals involved in the mining, milling, manufacturing and use of asbestos and products containing asbestos.
  3. Mesothelioma, a rare type of cancer closely linked with asbestos exposure.

The likelihood of an individual developing one of these diseases depends on three factors:

  1. Amount and duration of exposure – Greater exposure to asbestos will increase the risk of developing an asbestos-related health problem.
  2. Smoking – Smoking and exposure to asbestos greatly increases an individual’s chances of developing lung cancer.
  3. Age at exposure – Children of asbestos workers can be especially vulnerable to mesothelioma if they inhale the dust on clothes brought home by family members working with asbestos.

The Ongoing Legal Battle

The first warnings of the dangers of asbestos were issued in the 1970s. Multiple government agencies were then established to limit the public’s exposure to asbestos, such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Though asbestos was conclusively linked to numerous diseases by Dr. Irving J. Selikoff in the 1960s and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) announced in 1980 that there are no safe levels of asbestos exposure, asbestos has still not been completely banned. 

During the 70s and 80s, Congress did pass legislature, including the Clean Air Act of 1970 and the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). However, the overturning of the Asbestos Ban and Phase-Out Rule (ABPR) introduced by the EPA stopped the complete ban of asbestos. 

To this day, the following six categories of asbestos-containing products are banned in the U.S.:

  • Flooring felt
  • Rollboard
  • Commercial paper
  • Corrugated paper
  • Specialty paper
  • New uses of asbestos.

The most recent legislature proposed to ban asbestos, The Bruce Vento Ban Asbestos and Prevent Mesothelioma Act, unfortunately did not pass Congress. Today, the EPA is the most prominent agency working towards banning asbestos products and the battle continues, with no clear end in sight.