The Trump Administration Wants More Asbestos

Trump’s EPA is allowing asbestos back into products, even though thousands die from it every year. One Russian asbestos company even printed Trump’s face on its packaging to celebrate his administration weakening regulations.  

Russia is the only country that exports asbestos to the U.S. Before it was classified as a deadly carcinogen, asbestos was used in homes and businesses.

Since the 1970s, more than 55 countries banned asbestos, but the U.S. only restricted how it is used. And in June 2018, the EPA said asbestos may be used in new products, including tape, roofing, felt, paper, flooring, plastics, and more.
The EPA also plans to limit how it tests for risks from asbestos.

As stated in the New York Times, “Some asbestos-like fibers will not be included in the [EPA’s] risk assessments nor will the 8.8 million pounds a year of asbestos deposited in hazardous landfills of the 13.1 million pounds discarded in routine dump sites.”
12,500 to 15,000 people die from asbestos-related complication every year. Manufacturing products are asbestos puts workers at risk, as well as communities around facilities where the products are made.

But Trump has been a long-time defender of asbestos products and has claimed in the past that asbestos bans were a money-making scheme “led by the mob.”

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