For immediate release: November 29, 2016 – Contact: Alex Formuzis 202.667.6982

WASHINGTON – Armed with new authority under the nation’s updated chemical safety law, the Environmental Protection Agency announced today that it will take action against lingering uses of asbestos in U.S. products, likely leading to a ban of the notorious carcinogen.

“Today’s historic action by the EPA will finally begin the process of restricting the remaining sources of asbestos, which is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans,” said Sonya Lunder, senior analyst at EWG Action Fund. “We applaud the EPA for making banning asbestos a top priority. We expect the incoming Trump administration to uphold the EPA’s commitment and honor the past, current and future victims of asbestos-triggered diseases.”

EWG Action Fund estimates that up to 15,000 Americans die annually as a result of asbestos exposure. EWG’s research identified asbestos fibers in children’s toys, including imported crayons, and crime scene or fingerprint kits.

The EPA first moved to ban asbestos more than 25 years ago, but was overruled by a federal court in 1991. Fifty-five other nations have already banned asbestos, sometimes used in construction supplies and auto parts, and has been found in talc used in cosmetics and children’s toys.

As part of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act for the 21^st Century, passed in June, the EPA was required to identify an initial list of 10 priority chemicals that will eventually be banned or significantly restricted.

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 EWG Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) organization that is a separate sister organization of the Environmental Working Group. The mission of EWG Action Fund is to protect health and the environment by educating the public and lobbying on a wide range of environmental issues. Donations to EWG Action Fund are not tax-deductible.