9 Apr 2017 6:42 pm
The new head of the EPA refuses to acknowledge that asbestos is dangerous.
After being informed by Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey that asbestos was responsible for the deaths of nearly 63,000 Americans from 1999 to 2014, Pruitt responded: “Asbestos has been identified by the EPA as a high-priority chemical that requires a risk evaluation… Prejudging the outcome of that risk evaluation process would not be appropriate.”
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Although the scientific link between asbestos and fatal diseases was confirmed by the late 1970s, those with chemical or manufacturing ties still question its hazardous properties.
Over the years, the asbestos industry has channeled millions of dollars into independent research that contradicts established scientific claims.
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The American Chemistry Council recently issued a statement congratulating Pruitt on his confirmation.
At a conference on Thursday, the organization’s CEO, Cal Dooley, reiterated his support for “Administrator Pruitt’s commitment to the best available science under the [Lautenberg Act].”
Last August, the ACC asked for leniency under the new EPA regulations, arguing that “because [their] use of asbestos … is confined in the production process, worker exposure risk is essentially eliminated.”
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So what does it mean when the new EPA administrator is unwilling to admit to the dangers of a public health hazard?
Thanks to the Lautenberg Act, it is unlikely that the U.S. will again become reliant on asbestos-contaminated construction materials.
However, without a ban in place, toxic imports continue.
In 2007, an independent ADAO (Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization) investigation discovered asbestos in five consumer products, including a children’s toy.
In the year 2015 alone, the U.S. legally imported an estimated 716,000 pounds of asbestos for consumption.
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“Asbestos is big industry,” says the ADAO’s (Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization) Midwestern Regional Director and mesothelioma survivor Heather Von St. James. “[Under the new EPA administration,] we’re seeing everything that we’ve worked so hard for unravel before our very eyes.”
https://www.citylab.com/politics/2017/0 ... or/517494/