Tag: Asbestos

The Environmental Protection Agency’s own staffers objected to a controversial new US rule governing the use of cancer-causing asbestos, according to internal emails. EPA ordered to ban pesticide linked to learning disabilities Read more The rule, issued in June, would require manufacturers to receive EPA approval before importing or manufacturing asbestos for certain purposes. The highly technical regulation has prompted controversy, with the agency saying it more tightly regulates asbestos, but critics saying it could allow the substance to be more widely used in America. Many developed nations ban asbestos altogether, but the United States has restrictions that fall short of an outright ban. Internal emails obtained by the New York Times show that staffers at the EPA objected to the provisions. “The new approach raises significant concerns about the potential health impacts,” policy analyst Sharon Cooperstein wrote in one of the e-mails. The new rule identifies 15 uses of asbestos that require approval, instead of requiring a review for all new uses. “This new approach allows asbestos-containing products that are not currently used to be used in the future. Robert Courtnage, an associate chief in the agency’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, wrote that it was “upper management” that ordered the new approach, against the recommendations of staff. Friday is the last day for the public to submit comments on the plan, before it is finalized later this year.