Bendix Asbestos: Legacy Lives On

For decades, the former Bendix plant in Teterboro, New Jersey, represented American industrial might—manufacturing brake systems and aerospace components that powered the nation's growth. But beneath that productive facade lurked a silent killer: asbestos. Today, Honeywell's recent divestiture of all legacy Bendix asbestos liabilities to Delticus for approximately $1.68 billion brings renewed attention to a public health crisis that continues to unfold, even as the factory floors have long gone quiet.

Asbestos Ban: A Win for Workers

In a significant development for public health and worker safety, the Trump administration has withdrawn its plan to reconsider the Biden-era ban on chrysotile asbestos, the last form of asbestos still imported and used in the United States. This reversal comes after a period of uncertainty and public outcry, marking a crucial step toward finally addressing the long-standing threat of asbestos exposure in the United States.

Asbestos: USA's Unfinished Ban Battle

For decades, the insidious threat of asbestos has loomed over public health, leaving a trail of devastating diseases. While many developed nations have long enacted comprehensive bans, the United States has lagged, allowing a dangerous legacy to persist. Recent actions by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mark a significant, albeit still incomplete, step towards finally addressing this critical issue. The issue is still pending before the US 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Great Falls: Asbestos Abatement Underway

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) commenced a significant $4 million project in June 2025 to remove hazardous materials, including asbestos and lead, from the Allied Textile Printing (ATP) site in Paterson, New Jersey. This long-awaited cleanup is a critical step towards the full opening of the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park's new $8 million riverwalk, which has been awaiting the completion of the remediation efforts. 

Contractor Convicted in Asbestos Scam

In a recent case that highlights the importance of environmental regulations and worker safety, a Colorado contractor was sentenced to 10 years in prison for defrauding an elderly woman and mishandling asbestos.

Asbestos in Cosmetics: FDA Proposes New Testing Rules

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has taken a significant step toward enhancing consumer safety by proposing new regulations for detecting asbestos in talc-containing cosmetic products. This proposed rule, outlined in 21 CFR Part 730, aims to establish standardized testing methods for identifying the presence of this hazardous substance.

Toxic Legacy: Unmasking Asbestos's Dangerous Past and Present

Asbestos has long been a significant public health concern, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to take decisive steps to evaluate and mitigate its risks. The recent Notice of Availability for the Action: Notice Asbestos Part 2 Supplemental Evaluation (Docket ID #: EPA-HQ-OPPT-2021-0254) represents a crucial milestone in addressing this persistent environmental and health challenge.

Paterson's Textile Past Unravels: EPA Tackles Asbestos Threat

A chapter of industrial history is about to be carefully closed in the heart of Paterson, New Jersey. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a significant asbestos cleanup operation at the former Allied Textile Printing (ATP) site, set to begin September 16, 2024.

Asbestos Claimants Maybe be Impacted by US Supreme Court Decision

The recent Supreme Court oral arguments in Truck Insurance Exchange v. Kaiser Gypsum Co. Inc. (22-1079) centered on the question of whether an insurer has the right to object to a debtor's reorganization plan under Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The outcome of this case will significantly impact how asbestos claims are handled in bankruptcy proceedings.

US Bans Asbestos

Today, March 18, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a final rule to prohibit ongoing uses of chrysotile asbestos, the only known form of asbestos currently used in or imported to the United States. The ban on ongoing uses of asbestos is the first rule to be finalized under the 2016 amendments to the nation’s chemical safety law, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), which received near-unanimous support in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. The action marks a major milestone for chemical safety after more than three decades of inadequate protections and serious delays during the previous administration to implement the 2016 amendments.

New EPA Rule Will Lighten the Burden of Proving an Asbestos-Related Disease Claim

In many occupational asbestos claims, it has been challenging to establish that asbestos fiber was used in the workplace. That will soon change under recently announced US Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] Rules.

EPA Seeks Reporting of Asbestos Fibers

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a final rule to require comprehensive reporting on all six fiber types of asbestos as the agency continues its work to address exposure to this known carcinogen and strengthen the evidence that will be used to protect people from this dangerous chemical further. Historically asbestos, a known carcinogen, has been present in workplaces causing significant occupational exposures to workers, sometimes fatal, and has generated a long wave of workers’ compensation claims.

California Supreme Court Bars Household Contact Covid Claims

Today, the California Supreme Court decided that the Workers’ Compensation Act [WCA] did not bar a derivative claim. However, using a public policy rationale, it did not extend an employer's duty of care to an employee's household contacts who contracted COVID-19.

NJ Supreme Court Enhances Workplace Safety and Adopts an Updated Standard for Medical Causation

A divided NJ Supreme Court upheld a verdict for an employee who suffered mesothelioma, a fatal cancer, as a result of a product manufacturer’s failure to warn of the lethal nature of the product in the workplace. The Court acknowledged that even minor exposure to asbestos could cause disease.

EPA Proposes to Ban Ongoing Uses of Asbestos

In a historic step, the US Environmental Protection Administration [EPA] is moving to protect people from cancer risks and is moving to ban asbestos in the US. The EPA has proposed its first-ever risk management rule under the 2016 Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act.

Across Two Separate Settlements, EPA Commits to Expedite and Strengthen Asbestos Risk Reevaluation Under TSCA

The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), an independent nonprofit dedicated to preventing asbestos exposure, announced it had reached two landmark legal settlements with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that strengthen and broaden its work to evaluate the health risks of asbestos under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). 

Health Advocates Petition 9th Circuit for Asbestos Relief from EPA’s Flawed Final Risk Evaluation for Asbestos

Joined by five public health groups and six leading asbestos scientists, the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing asbestos exposure, today asked the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to review the asbestos risk evaluation issued last month by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

Talc-Based Cosmetics Test Positive for Asbestos

Laboratory tests of talc-based cosmetics products, commissioned by the Environmental Working Group, found asbestos – a deadly human carcinogen for which there is no safe level of exposure – in almost 15 percent of samples. 

Asbestos Advocates and Experts Speak Out Against EPA's Flawed Draft Asbestos Risk

Today the Asbestos Awareness Disease Organization (ADAO)—an independent nonprofit dedicated to preventing asbestos exposure through education, advocacy, and community initiatives—spoke out about the exclusions in EPA’s Draft Asbestos Risk Evaluation that will keep Americans at severe risk of deadly exposure to asbestos.

Asbestos: Strict Liability Imposed Against Product Manufacturers for Ordinary Product Life

The NJ Supreme Court decided an asbestos product liability case that mandates strict liability against manufacturers or distributors of products that contain asbestos-fiber. The court in granting strict liability for failure to adequately warn ultimate users during the ordinary life of the product of the dangers. The Court aligned NJ common law with the US Supreme Court, the NY Court of appeals and the Maryland Court of Appeals.