Workers' Compensation: Think asbestos is banned in the US?

Friday, October 11, 2013

Think asbestos is banned in the US?

Today's post was shared by Linda Reinstein and comes from blog.saferchemicals.org

Asbestos warning

If there’s one reason we know our federal law governing chemicals doesn’t work, it’s asbestos. Despite popular belief, asbestos, one of the most harmful substances known, still isn’t banned in the United States.

This week marks the 37th birthday of our primary federal law governing toxic chemicals, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). While most birthdays are a joyous occasion, we’re taking this opportunity to educate the public on just how flawed our federal chemical law is.

Take for example asbestos. It’s one of the few substances that has a disease directly named after it (mesothelioma) and is widely regarded as a silent killer for many families.
Top five asbestos facts:

Asbestos is a known human carcinogen and there is no safe level of asbestos exposure. Learn more here.
Asbestos is legal in the U.S., and is still imported.
Thirty Americans die everyday from asbestos-related diseases.
Only 55 countries have banned asbestos. The United States and Canada are the only two industrial western nations not to have banned asbestos.
More than 10,000 people die in the U.S. each year from asbestos-related diseases

(Adapted with permission from our partners at the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization) When TSCA was passed into law 37 years ago, it’s intent was to regulate toxic substances, but the bill was so...

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