On July 1, 2019 a group of 10 U.S. states also including Washington D.C. sued the EPA (the environmental protection agency). This was done because the 10 states and Washington D.C. were seeking more regulation of the deadly, cancer causing mineral, asbestos. The democratic attorneys general, said that last time there was a position to make a new rule and collect data and the importation of the toxic substance asbestos, it was ignored. The reason they want to collect this data is because once that is done asbestos can be regulated under the Toxic Substances Control Act.
What asbestos is is a toxic naturally occuring mineral. It occurs in many parts of the world and is very dangerous. It is no longer mined in the united states, but there is still a lot of asbestos in products here from when it was still mined around here. Often people do not even know that there house contains asbestos unless they get it tested. Sometimes that can be okay, if the asbestos fibers are in an undisturbed spot, like an attic. But, if for example you were to do a construction project in that attic (especially if it was built in the 1980’s or before) it should be tested for asbestos. What made asbestos such a big industry was the fact that asbestos was not flammable. It was often used to make ovens, tablecloths, flores and walls around a furnace area and other things like that. Asbestos seemed like a very good solution because it was so available. Asbestos naturally occurs on every continent.
California’s Attorney General Xavier Beverra said that, “It is widely acknowledged that asbestos is one of the most harmful and toxic chemicals known to mankind.” He goes on to say that he doesn’t really want to have to take the EPA to court again to make them do there job, but, speaking for the state of California he says, “we won’t pull any punches”. “There is too much at steak to let the EPA ignore the danger that deadly asbestos possesses” and he is correct asbestos possesses a lot of danger, to communities, workers and even children and to Beverra that is more important than anything else.
In april of 2019 the Environmental Protection Agency issued a new rule that said they would allow the agency to restrict or ban the use of asbestos, but only in certain products. Many people wondered why the EPA did not just outright ban it completely, instead of banning the use of it in certain products. Many people had died from asbestos exposure, so most people thought that, as much as possible anyway asbestos should stopped being put into anything. At the lawsuit on July 1 the Environmental protection Agency argued that the petition for further rulemaking in April was just “arbitrary and capricious.” The other 9 states joining California and Washington D.C. in this lawsuit are; Washington, Oregon, Minnesota, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Hawaii and Connect.
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