ADAO Agrees With EPA’s Final Part 2 Risk Evaluation Highlighting the Unreasonable Risks of Legacy Asbestos
Completion of the Long-Awaited Evaluation Marks a Major Victory in the Fight to Address Legacy Asbestos Risks and Protect Public Health
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 27, 2024
“EPA’s final evaluation brings long-overdue attention to the grave risks of legacy asbestos and validates what ADAO has long emphasized: legacy asbestos is a persistent and deadly threat,” said Linda Reinstein, ADAO’s co-founder and President. “The Part 2 evaluation confirms that exposure to legacy asbestos—materials no longer manufactured or sold but still present in homes, schools, workplaces, and infrastructure—continues to pose unreasonable risks to human health. These ubiquitous asbestos-containing materials, such as insulation, floor tiles, and pipe wraps, are linked to devastating diseases like lung cancer, mesothelioma, and other asbestos-related illnesses. Workers, first responders, DIY renovators, and their families are among those facing the greatest risks.”
“With over 40,000 Americans dying each year from asbestos-related diseases, the EPA’s findings underscore the urgent need for swift, decisive action,” Reinstein continued. “While this evaluation represents important progress, it is only the beginning. Prevention is the cure, and we must ensure these EPA findings drive strong policies to protect public health and save lives. The Part 2 evaluation highlights the critical importance of public education and comprehensive safeguards in protecting workers, schoolchildren and teachers, first responders, and families from unseen risks that they may not know exist. ADAO remains steadfast in collaborating with federal, state, and local governments to implement effective risk management measures, eliminate unsafe asbestos exposure, and safeguard future generations from this preventable hazard.”
Robert Sussman, ADAO’s counsel, and a former EPA official, emphasized the pivotal role of advocacy: “The final Part 2 evaluation wouldn’t have been possible without the persistent efforts of ADAO and other organizations that held the EPA accountable for failing to use its authority to address legacy asbestos under TSCA. This critical evaluation, mandated by court order, finally broadens EPA’s regulatory focus to include legacy asbestos risks and lays the foundation for much-needed protections under TSCA. With the final Part 2 Risk Evaluation complete, the EPA will now move to the risk management phase under TSCA Section 6, including the development of a proposed rule to address the identified unreasonable risks from legacy asbestos. If this rule is comprehensive and protective, it will go far to advance public health.”
About ADAO
The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) is the largest independent nonprofit in the U.S. dedicated to eliminating asbestos-caused diseases through education, advocacy, and community partnerships. For more information, visit https://www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org/