The Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now (ARBAN) Act of 2022 introduced in congress

Last week, Senator Jeff Merkley (OR) introduced the Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now (ARBAN) Act of 2022. The bill would ban the manufacture, processing, use, and distribution in commerce of commercial asbestos. For now, asbestos continues to be imported to the U.S., even though many Americans think asbestos is a problem that’s mostly in the past. The EPA tried to ban asbestos in 1989, but failed. Asbestos claims the lives of more than 38,000 people in the U.S. each year from preventable diseases, including mesothelioma, a cancer in the inner lining of the chest, and lung, larynx and ovarian cancer. With the EPA proposing new action on asbestos in early May of this year, now is the time for Congress to ban asbestos once and for all.

Emily Rogers

Former Zero Out Toxics, Advocate, PIRG

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