The federal agency’s pushback on criticism of its flawed framework for determining the health risk of asbestos underestimates the deadly carcinogen.
The federal agency’s pushback on criticism of its flawed framework for determining the health risk of asbestos underestimates the deadly carcinogen.
ORLANDO, Fla., Aug. 10, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- After extensive news coverage of the Environmental Protection Agency’s latest proposal to allow companies to process, manufacture and import new asbestos-containing products, EPA officials are calling the criticism “sad.”
Nancy Beck, the appointee who oversees the EPA’s toxic chemical unit, told CBS News that the federal agency is “working hard to put in place a program grounded in science.”
Walter Pacheco, managing editor at The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com, says Beck is ignoring the health risks of asbestos.
“The EPA’s approach to reviewing the health risks of asbestos is not grounded in science because it is not taking into account the billions of pounds of asbestos in landfills and dump sites across the nation,” Pacheco said. “It also ignores the asbestos possibly lurking inside our homes and children’s schools.”
Asbestos is responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 Americans each year. Veterans and blue-collar workers are at the highest risk for mesothelioma, lung cancer and other asbestos-related diseases.
The EPA’s weak response fails to state that the agency currently does not allow any new asbestos products on the market.
In fact, the EPA prohibits a variety of asbestos-containing products (view the full list here). One to note in particular: Any new commercial asbestos uses after Aug. 25, 1989. This is a direct contradiction from Beck’s recent statement.
The Mesothelioma Center’s physician Snehal Smart, M.D., talks to mesothelioma patients every day. They often share stories of how asbestos affected their lives.
“A Navy veteran diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma told me that while he was serving his country in the ship’s boiler rooms, he would be in clouds of asbestos dust with no protective clothing or masks,” Smart said. “He had no choice but to inhale the clouds of dust, causing his lung issues years later.”
Instead of calling the outrage “sad,” the EPA should listen to the warnings and ban asbestos in total.
About Asbestos.com
Since 2006, Asbestos.com has served as an advocacy center for patients and loved ones coping with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. Resources and services we provide include mesothelioma literature, a Doctor Match program, financial assistance, help with VA benefits, emotional support and nutrition resources.
CONTACT:
Walter Pacheco
Managing Editor
wpacheco@asbestos.com
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SOURCE The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com
