Why ARBAN is so Important

While asbestos comes into the United States unhindered, it is killing 40,000 Americans every year. Imports have also been rising, with a 2,000 percent increase from July to August 2018. There is no safe level of asbestos, and until loopholes allowing it into the country are closed, people throughout the country are at risk of becoming very sick. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is trying to protect people by testing products and publishing the results, but it does not have the authority to prevent stores from selling products with asbestos in them.

The best way to protect people from asbestos is to ban the use of it and ban products containing it. The Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act (ARBAN) would be a great start to saving people’s lives. One part of the bill would be educating people about the legacy uses of asbestos in homes, schools, and businesses. A risk assessment has not been done in over 35 years, so the people of the United States deserve to learn about the dangers of asbestos throughout the country. There is a lot of irrefutable evidence about the dangers of asbestos, making it imperative to share the dangers with the general public.

The EPA has been slow to protect people from the dangers of asbestos because of inadequate regulations and loopholes. This was changed in 2016 when a bipartisan congressional effort strengthened the EPA’s ability to regulate substances. If ARBAN is passed by Congress, more oversight can be provided to the EPA and it can do what it was designed to do: protect people from harmful chemicals like asbestos.

If you have been exposed to asbestos and now have mesothelioma or lung cancer, you may be entitled to file a claim. Call us at 412-471-3980 or fill out our contact form to speak to an attorney and learn your options.

Source:

Dr. Raja Flores and Linda Reinstein, “Will this Congress be the one that finally acts on asbestos?” The Hill (March 17, 2019). [Link]