Asbestos Not Banned in the United States

June 17, 2009

Despite billions of dollars spent in personal injury settlements and thousands of lives lost, asbestos use is still not banned in the United States. Many organizations have tried to push an act through Congress, but none has succeeded, thus far.

The EPA first tried to ban asbestos in 1989, but the asbestos industry challenged the ban, and caused it to be overturned by a federal circuit court of appeals in 1991. In 2007, the Ban Asbestos in America Act was never signed into law, despite its proposal. Also, the Bruce Vento Ban Asbestos and Prevent Mesothelioma Act of 2008 was rejected.

Mesothelioma is a deadly form of cancer, which attacks the respiratory system. It claims thousands of lives every year, from those who work with the material or are exposed to it in their schools, homes, and workplaces.