2026 Asbestos Use Report

The 2026 Mineral Commodity Summaries, part of the U.S. Geological Survey Minerals Survey (USGS), showed that the U.S. has consistently decreased its asbestos consumption in recent years. This decrease is due to health risks related to asbestos that have led to regulations, bans and litigation.

Key takeaways about asbestos use in 2026

• The 2026 Mineral Commodity Summaries showed that the U.S. consumed 50 tons of asbestos in 2025. This was a record low for the 20th and 21st centuries.
• The decrease in asbestos use is due to regulations and bans put in place to protect human health. Asbestos is linked to the development of asbestosis, mesothelioma, lung cancer and other cancers. Thousands of lawsuits have been filed by individuals who claim they or their loved ones were harmed by asbestos exposure.
• The USGS report also contained information about talc and vermiculite consumption in the U.S. Often contaminated with asbestos, these minerals may also be harmful to human health.

How asbestos is used in the U.S.

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral. It’s non-conductive and resistant to heat and fire. It was once widely used in commercial and industrial applications for building and construction materials.

Due to public health risks linked to asbestos exposure, the mineral’s use has been heavily regulated and nearly phased out in the United States.

According to the Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, the U.S. continues to use chrysotile asbestos in the chlor-alkali industry to make “semipermeable diaphragms.” These asbestos diaphragms are used as filters in the production of chlorine and sodium hydroxide.

Chrysotile asbestos is one of six types of asbestos. It’s the only type with any significant commercial use in the 21st century. Since 2015, the chlor-alkali industry has accounted for all domestic use of chrysotile asbestos fibers.

The U.S. also continues to import asbestos-containing sheet gaskets. They are used in the disposal of nuclear materials.

Asbestos health risks

The EPA, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) have classified asbestos as a known human carcinogen (a substance known to cause cancer).

Inhaling asbestos fibers increases the risk of developing asbestos-related diseases, including:

• Asbestosis: An inflammatory condition that causes lung scarring (fibrosis) and potentially permanent lung damage.
• Lung cancer
• Mesothelioma: A cancer that develops in the membranes lining the internal organs. It’s most common in the membranes lining the lungs or abdomen.
• Ovarian cancer and other cancers

People who have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related illness after being exposed at work or at home have sought justice through asbestos legal claims. Some people have received compensation through asbestos exposure lawsuits or asbestos bankruptcy trust claims.

Motley Rice attorneys can help you explore your legal options if you’ve been diagnosed with an asbestos disease.

Asbestos use by the ton

In 2025, the U.S. consumed 50 tons of unmanufactured asbestos fibers, a record low for the 20th and 21st centuries. By comparison, the country consumed 115 tons in 2024, 150 in 2023, 290 in 2022 and 310 in 2021.

Manufactured asbestos is also used each year in the form of imported sheet gaskets. This is the only asbestos-containing product that can be imported.

Asbestos imports and reserves

Unmanufactured asbestos consumed in the U.S. in recent years has come from existing stockpiles. This is, in part, due to a ban on asbestos imports issued by the EPA in May 2024 (which is currently under review). The last U.S. asbestos mine closed in 2002.

The U.S. didn’t import any asbestos fibers in 2023, 2024 or 2025. From 2019 to 2022, the country imported 742 tons. Seventy percent of these imports came from Brazil, and 30% came from Russia.

The USGS report says about 930,000 tons of asbestos fiber were consumed worldwide in 2025. Brazil, China, Kazakhstan and Russia still mine hundreds of thousands of tons of asbestos annually and have millions of tons in reserves.

What’s the status of the U.S. asbestos ban?

Since 1989, the U.S. government has taken actions to protect people from asbestos exposure. Significant regulatory decisions include legislation introduced in 2024 and 2025.

Important asbestos decisions, bans and regulations include:

• The 1989 Partial Ban: The EPA’s first major ban on asbestos-containing products. It prohibited the manufacture, import, processing and distribution of some existing asbestos products. It also banned new uses of asbestos from entering the market.
• The April 2019 Final Rule: Kept restrictions from the 1989 ban in place. It also banned discontinued uses of asbestos not covered by other laws or regulations from reentering the market without a review.
• The December 2020 Final Risk Evaluation: Found that the ongoing use of chrysotile asbestos posed an unreasonable risk to human health.
• The March 2024 ban on chrysotile asbestos: Banned all ongoing uses of chrysotile asbestos (the only type still used in the U.S.). This ban has been challenged in court. These legal challenges led the EPA to announce in June 2025 that it would pause the rule for a 30-month review.
• The Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act of 2025: Introduced in the U.S. Senate in September 2025. It seeks to prohibit the manufacture, process, use and distribution of commercial asbestos or any product containing commercial asbestos. It gives the President the right to make exceptions when necessary for national security. It has not made it past the “introduction” stage.

What’s taking the place of asbestos?

The Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 identified several materials being used as substitutes for asbestos:

• Aramid (Keval® and Nomex®)
• Calcium silicate
• Carbon fibers
• Cellulose fibers
• Ceramic fibers
• Glass fibers
• Polyethylene
• Polypropylene
• Polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon™)
• Steel fibers
• Wollastonite (a needle-like calcium silicate mineral)

Several other non-fibrous rocks and minerals have replaced asbestos in certain applications. These include perlite, serpentine, silica and talc. Some of these come with their own threats to human health. Membrane cells and mercury cells are replacing asbestos diaphragms in the chlor-alkali industry.

Talc use and manufacturing in the U.S.

In its natural form, talc is often contaminated with asbestos.

Exposure to talc-contaminated asbestos in the workplace is linked to the development of mesothelioma, lung cancer and stomach cancer. Exposure to products that contain contaminated talc, such as talcum powder, is linked to an increased risk for ovarian cancer and endometrial (uterine) cancer.

Three companies operated five talc mines in Montana, Texas and Vermont in 2025. These mines produced 490,000 tons of talc, of which 460,000 tons were sold. The talc sold and produced in the U.S. in 2025 was used in:

• Plastics (36%)
• Paint (19%)
• Ceramics (17%)
• Paper (12%)
• Roofing (8%)
• Rubber (2%)

Another 6% was exported or used in agriculture, cosmetics, insecticides and other miscellaneous uses.

Talc substitutes

Health concerns, proposed regulations and high-profile litigation involving talc (such as talcum powder lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson) have led to a need for talc substitutes. These substitutes include:

• For ceramics: Bentonite, chlorite, feldspar, kaolin and pyrophyllite
• For cosmetics: Corn starch and fumed silica
• For paint: Chlorite, kaolin and mica
• For paper: Calcium carbonate and kaolin
• For plastics: Bentonite, kaolin, mica and wollastonite
• For rubber: Kaolin and mica

Vermiculite use and manufacturing in the U.S.

Vermiculite is another mineral that can be contaminated with asbestos.

From 1919 to 1990, around 70% of vermiculite sold in the U.S. came from a mine in Libby, Montana, that also contained an asbestos deposit. Most vermiculite that came from Libby was incorporated into a product sold under the brand name Zonolite. If your home contains this pebble-like, pour-in material, you should assume it’s contaminated with asbestos.

Workplace exposure could also have occurred in mines in Libby or elsewhere, as well as in facilities that processed vermiculite. In 2025, two companies operated vermiculite mining and processing facilities in South Carolina and Virginia. They produced 100,000 tons of vermiculite concentrate, used in:

• Agriculture (30%)
• Lightweight concrete aggregates, such as cement premixes, concrete and plaster (16%)
• Insulation (15%)
• Other uses (39%)

Vermiculite substitutes

Vermiculite insulation substitutes are needed due to potential asbestos contamination. These alternatives include fiberglass, perlite and slag wool.

Substitutes used in lightweight concrete and plaster include expanded perlite, expanded clay, shale, slag and slate. Substitutes for agricultural uses include plant materials like bark, perlite, sawdust and peat as well as synthetic soil conditioners.

Learn more about toxic exposure litigation

Motley Rice has represented thousands of individuals harmed by asbestos exposure. We have fought to hold asbestos companies accountable through product liability, personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits.

Our firm has taken leading roles in litigation involving:

• Asbestos in Canada
• Cox v. A&I Company household exposure
• Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA) claims
• Johns-Manville asbestos claims
• Shipyard asbestos exposure
• Travelers Co. asbestos-related settlements

Our attorneys can answer any additional questions you have about asbestos claims. Contact our team by filling out our online form or calling 1.800.768.4026.

Read more about our toxic exposure lawsuit experience.