Most Asbestos Production is White Asbestos
Inhalation of Powder Increases Lung Cancer Risk
Resistant to Friction and Heat, Used as Industrial Material
Asbestos, a Group 1 carcinogen, has been completely phased out in the United States.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on the 18th (local time) that it will ban the use of chrysotile asbestos, which is still used in some bleaches and brake pads. Accordingly, the import of asbestos-containing brake blocks, which have exposed auto mechanics to deadly asbestos fibers, will be gradually banned after six months. The use of asbestos packing will also be discontinued after two years.
Chrysotile asbestos is a natural fiber with curly fiber bundles and accounts for about 95% of the world's asbestos production. Due to its excellent durability, heat resistance, and electrical insulation properties, as well as its low cost, it has been widely used in construction materials, electrical products, and household goods. However, inhaling its dust through respiration has been confirmed to cause lung cancer after a latency period of 20 to 40 years, leading the International Agency for Research on Cancer under the World Health Organization (WHO) to classify it as a Group 1 carcinogen.
In response, the EPA issued an order to ban asbestos use in 1989, but the decision was overturned by a court in 1991, making chrysotile asbestos the only type of asbestos still used in U.S. industry until now. Then, in 2016, the federal Congress passed regulatory legislation on harmful substances including asbestos, giving renewed momentum to asbestos restrictions.
EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement, "It has been a long journey," and added, "Finally, the EPA can completely eliminate asbestos, a harmful substance already banned in more than 50 countries."
The Washington Post (WP) pointed out, "Although asbestos use has significantly decreased, firefighters, construction workers, and others working in old buildings are still exposed to asbestos."
Meanwhile, in South Korea, the Asbestos Safety Management Act has been fully enforced since 2009, banning the manufacture, import, and use of products containing 0.1% or more asbestos in building materials and other products.
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