By Associated Press’s Michael Phillips and Alexandra St. John
Washington (AP) Following an uproar from opponents of asbestos, the Trump administration is abandoning plans to permit the ongoing use of the final form of asbestos that is legally permitted in American production.
In a court filing on Monday, the EPA stated that it will now defend the Biden administration’s prohibition on chrysotile asbestos, which is utilized in sheet gaskets and brake blocks, among other goods.
Although the U.S. has mostly phased out the hazardous chemical, the agency led by former President Joe Biden attempted to complete the decades-long battle with a complete ban last year. According to the EPA in 2024, asbestos exposure is associated to about 40,000 deaths annually in the United States and is known to cause lung cancer, mesothelioma, ovarian cancer, and laryngeal cancer.
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In a federal appeals court filing last month, the EPA stated that some aspects of the prohibition might have gone beyond what was required to remove the excessive danger and that alternative solutions, like mandating workplace safety measures, might do so. According to the organization, the process of creating new rules would take about 30 months.
However, industry groups have already sued the Biden administration for the prohibition. The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, which combats diseases linked to asbestos, has also expressed the opinion that the prohibition isn’t as strict as it should be. The organization argued that any new plan would probably be challenged with lawsuits as well, therefore they opposed putting the matter on hold while the EPA reviewed the rule.
The organization stated that the effort put into the current litigation shouldn’t be in vain. Additionally, a suspension would result in a postponement of the rule’s implementation.
In a filing on Monday, EPA deputy assistant administrator Lynn Ann Dekleva of the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention stated that the agency will not revise the rule.
According to the EPA, the Biden administration did not sufficiently safeguard employees in the chemical industry against the health hazards associated with chrysotile asbestos.
According to a statement from EPA Press Secretary Brigit Hirsch, “We informed the court that we intend to reconsider the applicability of interim workplace protection requirements during the replacement of asbestos gaskets for all workers in order to remedy the previous Administration’s approach.”
The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization’s president and CEO, Linda Reinstein, expressed her happiness that the EPA will not reevaluate the ban imposed by the Biden administration. She conjectured that the EPA was not pleased with how the public responded to their stance. The EPA should be discussing a ban, not workplace protections, and it should be protecting all workers, not just those who use gaskets, she said, adding that the agency’s recent statement is illogical.
The development was initially reported by the New York Times.
Chrysotile asbestos was prohibited by the Toxic Substances Control Act, which was expanded in 2016, and is present in items including brake blocks, asbestos diaphragms, and sheet gaskets. After decades of insufficient safeguards and delays in establishing higher standards, the Biden administration claimed to have proceeded with a ban.
During the first several months of the Trump administration, the EPA took scores of deregulatory steps, including the decision to reevaluate the ban.
According to Michelle Roos, executive director of the Environmental Protection Network, the public’s outrage against the Trump administration’s intentions to repeal 31 regulations that safeguard the water and air we drink is only getting started. Public health cannot be compromised.
The trade association American Chemistry Council chose not to comment.
St. John came from Detroit to report.
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