Overview

• EPA plans to issue guidance rather than use notice-and-comment rulemaking to clarify interim worker protections under the existing asbestos ban.
• The 2024 rule bans the manufacture, processing, distribution and commercial use of chrysotile asbestos under the Toxic Substances Control Act.
• Asbestos exposure is linked to over 40,000 U.S. deaths each year and is known to cause lung cancer, mesothelioma and ovarian cancer.
• In June the agency filed for a 30-month review to reconsider whether requiring workplace protections could replace parts of the prohibition.
• Industry groups such as the American Chemistry Council supported staggered phase-outs of up to 12 years and have challenged the rule’s scope in federal court.