EPA WEBSITE: Documents supporting the Section 21 petition submitted by the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization. EPA denied the petition on December 21, 2018. Additional information on the Agency’s denial can be found below in the Federal Register Notice announcing EPA’s response to the petition.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 11, 2020
ADAO AND OTHER PUBLIC HEALTH ADVOCATES PRESENT CASE TO U.S. DISTRICT COURT TO REQUIRE ADDITIONAL REPORTING ON ASBESTOS IMPORTS AND USE
Without Adequate Reporting, It Is Impossible to Protect the Public from This Toxic and Carcinogenic Substance
San Francisco, California — November 11, 2020 – The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) announced that on Thursday, November 12, 2020, the U.S. District Court in San Francisco will hear arguments from ADAO, other public health organizations, and 11 Attorneys General in a case that would compel the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to require asbestos reporting under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
“This case is an important test of whether EPA can conduct a meaningful risk evaluation of asbestos–one of the most lethal substances known to man–without requiring industry to report basic information on how much asbestos is entering the country, where and how it is used and how many people are exposed,” said Bob Sussman, ADAO’s Lead Counsel. “EPA’s own career scientists and its independent Scientific Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC) have already recognized these obvious information gaps, but the Agency’s leadership continues to resist simple and effective steps to obtain the critical data it now lacks. We believe and will argue to the Court that EPA’s position lacks legal support and should be set aside,” he continued.
“After declining in 2019, asbestos imports are on track to increase substantially in 2020, underscoring yet again how Congress must immediately ban asbestos. Without transparent and effective reporting, it is impossible for the public to accurately understand the ongoing risks of asbestos exposure in their communities,” said Linda Reinstein, President and Co-founder of ADAO. “EPA has failed to protect Americans from asbestos for decades. They continue to put every American at risk from deadly, yet entirely preventable, asbestos-caused diseases because of their inability to track and report where, when, and how asbestos is being used in the United States,” she continued.
“Access to accurate and timely information about asbestos is critical to protecting the health of our communities,” said Dr. Georges C. Benjamin, Executive Director, the American Public Health Association (APHA). “We are pleased that EPA has agreed that APHA and ADAO have standing in this important case and we look forward to continuing these efforts to protect the health of the American public from this deadly substance.”
ADAO is joined in this legal action by five co-plaintiffs including the American Public Health Association, Center for Environmental Health, Environmental Health Strategies Center, Environmental Working Group, and Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families. ADAO is grateful for the parallel efforts of the 11 Attorneys General, whose case has now been joined to this one, and will also be argued on November 12, 2020. The Honorable Edward M. Chen will hear the case.
Parties interested in watching the hearing in real-time may view it online at 1:30 pm PT on November 12, 2020:
Link: https://cand-uscourts.zoomgov.com/j/1619911861?pwd=TjVma1lnMlJlNHR3ZE9QMkFjNkFndz09
Webinar ID: 161 991 1861
Password: 912881
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About the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization
The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) is a global leader in combining education, advocacy, and community initiatives to prevent and end asbestos exposure. ADAO seeks to raise public awareness about the dangers of asbestos, advocate for an asbestos ban, and protect asbestos victims’ civil rights. ADAO, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, does not make legal referrals. For more information, visit asbestosdiseaseawareness.org.
Media Contacts
Kim Cecchini, (202) 391-5205
kim.s.cecchini@gmail.com
Tracy Russo, (202) 556-1631
tracy@upshiftstrategies.com