Finish the asbestos ban to improve worker safety

In 2024, the EPA took the long overdue action of banning chrysotile asbestos—the only form of asbestos currently known to be used or imported in the U.S. The ban isn’t perfect. It’s decades later than it should be and includes a 12-year period for compliance, but it is a step forward in protecting people from the well-established dangers of asbestos.

Worker safety

We can go further to protect workers.

In February, the United Steelworkers (USW) and Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) filed a joint brief with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals asking it to not only uphold the ban in the face of corporate opposition but also implement it more quickly. This ban is necessary for public health and safety. The dangers of asbestos have been known about since the 1930s. Inhalation of the fibers leads to mesothelioma, an aggressive form of cancer that forms in a thin layer of tissue covering the lungs and other internal organs. It is almost always fatal.

There is simply no safe level of exposure to any type of asbestos. 

We’ve seen the human price paid for asbestos exposure again and again. Recently, I was involved in two separate trials for two men who developed mesothelioma as a result of exposure to this toxic substance in the course of their day to day lives. 

Last year, I was part of the team that won a trial against an asbestos packing and gasket manufacturer on behalf of the estate of a millwright who was exposed to asbestos through gaskets and packings used as part of his day-to-day work. For more than a decade, this man worked with items that shed invisible asbestos dust and fibers leading to his mesothelioma and, eventually, his death. This year, we obtained a verdict in favor of another man, a delivery driver for asbestos insulation, who was exposed to the fibers because of work done at the power plant and other industrial job sites he delivered it to.

Could an asbestos ban have helped these men? Yes, if one had been adopted much, much earlier. Now, with some people questioning the future of this current ban and legal challenges already rising, it is clear more work needs to be done to make sure current efforts don’t fall short as well.

Asbestos Awareness Week

Asbestos Awareness Week is observed annually April 1-7. A time when we educate and inform, to remind people asbestos exposure is still a very real problem. One we will continue to uncover the victims of for years to come. Banning the use of asbestos in all its forms would not only be a good start, but a necessary one. We should remain vigilant and aware of the real threat posed by asbestos, identify and seek justice for victims, and continue to advocate and support this ban and future legislation. 

Together, we can help reduce the number of people who will later find their lives shattered by asbestos exposure. Learn more about the ADAO.