U.S. manufacturers would be barred from reviving abandoned uses of the cancer-causing mineral asbestos without EPA approval, under a final agency rule released April 17.
The rule, the first in 30 years that addresses products that contain asbestos, is intended to close a regulatory loophole. It strengthens the EPA’s oversight over asbestos, a known carcinogen that also causes a deadly lung disease. end tweak
The rule (RIN 2070–AK45) would also apply to imported products.
“Prior to this new rule, EPA did not have the ability to prevent or restrict certain asbestos ...