EPA move could bring asbestos back in America

Asbestos chrysotile fibers

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Health advocates fret at US environment agency’s proposal to make ‘new uses’ of asbestos-containing products legal, but EPA says not to worry

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed a framework that can permit the approval for ‘new uses’ of products containing asbestos on a case-by-case basis, and that could allow the carcinogenic material back into American manufacturing. The EPA action has generated significant concern among health and environmental advocates, but the agency says the new proposal will enable new uses of asbestos to be restricted.