Trump EPA May Undo Ban on Cancer-Causing Asbestos | Who needs regulations on things with clear ties to mesothelioma?

3 comments

1. Don’t worry about the cancer victims they can always take essential oils. Just ask worm boy.

2. Asbestos does indeed pose an environmental risk. But keep in mind that the American Chemistry Council (ACC) has been arguing that the risk is only to some handful of workers in the chlor-alkali industry, and that those workers are already sufficiently protected by OSHA regulations and careful industrial processes. The ACC goes further to say that the ban on asbestos will itself create an environmental risk – by significantly raising the cost and capacity to make chlorine filters for public water supplies.

   I know (and everybody knows) that this is really just a bottom line profit issue for ACC and its industry partners. But it shows how fuzzy the lines can become when we talk about the benefits of environmental regulation. Industry interests have made similar and successful arguments against just about every sort of regulatory framework that’s been levied on them – it’s okay to trade off a bit of toxicity or environmental damage as long as the product has some relationship to maintaining public health.

   Mostly I find this line of argument to be laughable and a bit disgusting. But having been involved in very technical trade-offs in environmental management, I can appreciate that it’s important to weigh all risks and there’s sometimes no alternative that doesn’t cause some sort of environmental harm.

3. My late father would have fared much better had there been regulations restricting it’s use back in the 1950’s and 60’s.

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