In spite of all efforts, the Environmental Protection Agency has still to obtain a total ban on products that comprise any trace of asbestos. The ban was first put in place by EPA in 1989, but the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans overruled it. The EPA is not backing off, however, and the fight goes on.
Asbestos is a natural mineral that poses a fatal health risk if ingested when its fine particles are floating freely in the air. After a long gestation period, it is known to manifest many diseases, including mesothelioma, a type of cancer that commonly affects the internal linings of the lung, heart, and abdominal cavities. And there is no cure for the malady to date.
EPA is looking to implement the ban on use of products containing asbestos in two stages:
- First, making sure the material is not used in construction work as a sealing agent.
- Second, banning the use of this mineral in tiles, linings, and cement panels.
According to statistics by the World Health Organization, diseases caused by asbestos such as mesothelioma are responsible for about 90,000 deaths each year. Of these, 2000 to 3000 such deaths occur annually in the U.S. alone. In recent times, a company in Spain paid nearly $5 million in asbestos-related damages that included health issues such as mesothelioma.