The American Public Health Association (APHA) is urging Congress to urge support of the Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act of 2019, a bill to protect the public from exposure to the toxic substance.
“Asbestos is a potent carcinogen. There is no safe level of exposure to it,” said APHA member Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH, a lecturer at Texas State University and George Washington University, before the Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. “More than 60 countries have banned asbestos because they recognize its grave risk to public health. It is long past time for the U.S. to prohibit any person or company to manufacture, import, process or distribute in commerce asbestos or any mixture or article containing asbestos.”