Asbestos is a naturally occurring material that is widely known to cause significant and irreversible health risks such as cancer, mesothelioma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Its fibers are microscopic, so they cannot be seen, smelled or tasted. Furthermore, it does not cause any immediate symptoms, so it is easy for a person to consume asbestos dust without even realizing it. Once in our bodies, these fibers never dissolve. Over a period of twenty to fifty years, the fibers cause inflammation, scarring and eventually disease. The World Health Organization estimated that in 2014, 107,000 people die each year because of asbestos related diseases. Worldwide, it is responsible for half of all work-related deaths from cancer.
Overwhelming evidence of the dangers of asbestos lead to heavy regulation of the material in the 1970’s. But it was never banned. Many common building products still contain up to 1% asbestos. The US is only developed country in the world that has not outright banned asbestos. Then on June 1st, 2018, despite the known dangers, the EPA announced that the Signification New Use Rule (SNUR) would allow manufacturers and importers to seek the agency’s approval to reintroduce asbestos into their manufacturing or processing of certain products on a case by case basis. This would allow for huge loopholes for big businesses.
The Trump administration has certainly supported these policies. His fortune was made in real estate development and he was a known fan of asbestos as a build material. In his 1997 book, The Art of the Comeback, he said that asbestos was 100% safe. His main concern was probably just having to remove asbestos from his buildings, a process that claimed was a scam that started with “the mob”.
So while asbestos is highly toxic, it is also highly profitable. It is cheap and easy to source from American mines and can be used in a variety of building materials, such as cement sheets, roof sealants and adhesives for floor and ceiling tiles. The University of Kentucky put out a useful fact sheet on asbestos.
The Slow Space Movement condemns the EPA’s new ruling allowing more asbestos into commonly used building products and calls for an immediate ban of all asbestos and asbestos-containing products.
The AIA has also strongly condemned the EPA ruling in a press release, stating:
“The EPA has offered no compelling reason for considering new products using asbestos, especially when the consequences are well known and have tragically affected the lives of so many people. The EPA should be doing everything possible to curtail asbestos in the United States and beyond—not providing new pathways that expose the public to its dangers.”
