Today, Michael Regan, former secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, will be sworn in as Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
asbestos
It’s 2021 and we still face danger from asbestos: EPA must act now
Asbestos is one of the most studied and dangerous toxic substances in the world. Hundreds of tons of raw asbestos are imported into the U.S. each year. Most of it is used in the chlor-alkali industry to make chlorine, but asbestos has been found in children’s crayons, talc, automobile brakes, makeup, and other products.
Asbestos is still found in older homes, schools, and other buildings across the country. This leads to significant ongoing exposure and risk to workers and the rest of us. There are tens of thousands of deaths from asbestos-related illnesses in the U.S. each year.
Legal victory in the fight to save lives from asbestos!
In a welcome holiday announcement, we learned this week of a legal victory in the fight against asbestos! After EPA’s 2018 denial of a petition filed by our allies at Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) to make sure EPA collects information on asbestos use and exposure was upheld, we joined ADAO and other public health groups in a legal challenge that was upheld this week.