The US just announced an asbestos ban. What took so long? - BBC News

The move comes decades after dozens of other Western nations took steps to ban the carcinogen.

1 day agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesBy Max MatzaBBC NewsThe US has announced a ban on the only form of asbestos currently used or imported into the US, decades after most developed nations began phasing out the cancer-causing raw material.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) move comes after it failed to ban asbestos over three decades ago.

The carcinogen has already been banned by more than 50 countries.

It is linked to around 40,000 US deaths every year from lung cancer, mesothelioma and other cancers.

Use of the carcinogen has gradually declined over the years, but it still lingers as a construction material in millions of homes and buildings throughout the US.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68602748

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