In a move widely condemned by scientists, public health experts, and global environmental regulators, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has halted enforcement of its long-delayed asbestos ban—reigniting fears of corporate capture and political betrayal. The decision, quietly filed in a federal appeals court, reverses a 2024 Biden-era prohibition on chrysotile asbestos and signals a return to dangerous deregulation under the Trump-aligned administration.
EPA stalls asbestos ban amid industrial pressure
In a legal filing to the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, the EPA under Administrator Lee Zeldin requested a 30-month pause in enforcement of the nationwide chrysotile asbestos ban. The agency claimed it needed to reassess whether alternative safety controls, such as workplace protocols, could replace a full prohibition.
The now-suspended ban, finalized under President Biden in March 2024, sought to align the US with over 50 nations that have outlawed all forms of asbestos. It aimed to eliminate chrysotile use in auto brake pads, gaskets, roofing materials, and chlorine production facilities—a carcinogenic hazard that contributes to over 40,000 US deaths annually.
Associated Press confirmed that the EPA’s move would delay implementation of life-saving protections, leaving American workers and families exposed.
US prioritizes corporate profits over human life
“This is the height of environmental irresponsibility,” said Linda Reinstein of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), whose husband died of mesothelioma. “Every day of delay is another death. This is not science-based policy. This is political rot.”
The New York Times reported that the rollback comes amid renewed influence by the chemical industry and lobbyists connected to the chlor-alkali sector—one of the last defenders of asbestos use in the US.
Trump’s EPA playbook returns under Zeldin
The about-face was engineered by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, a former Trump ally in Congress and known proponent of environmental deregulation. According to Gizmodo, the decision mirrors Trump-era EPA policy: gutting environmental protections under the guise of “review” while quietly emboldening industry lobbies.
Insiders revealed that the American Chemistry Council and other corporate actors pressured the EPA, calling asbestos bans “economically unjustifiable.” But as Wired reported, these same groups have a long history of delaying safety regulations at the expense of public health.
Global condemnation and European accountability
While US regulators stall, Europe is holding asbestos offenders accountable. In Spain, over 3,000 victims were awarded compensation for long-term asbestos exposure—ranging from €6,000 to €150,000 depending on health impact, according to Sur In English.
Across Europe and Asia, health and environmental agencies have reacted with alarm to the EPA’s decision, which starkly contrasts with the global consensus on asbestos eradication. While nations like the United Kingdom, Japan, and the entire European Union have long banned all forms of asbestos under public health directives, the US remains one of the last industrialized countries to allow its use. The EPA’s rollback is widely seen by international observers as a step backward—one that prioritizes chemical industry profits over global commitments to cancer prevention and workplace safety. In doing so, the US isolates itself from the modern scientific and regulatory community, risking reputational damage as well as human lives.
Delay, disease, and public pushback
The EPA’s 120-day reprieve is nothing short of a calculated maneuver—one that greenlights continued asbestos use in critical industries such as chlorine and caustic soda production. While the ban stalls in bureaucratic limbo, Americans are left inhaling the consequences.
Democratic lawmakers in Washington have signaled intentions to fight back with override legislation, yet their efforts face an uphill battle in a Congress that routinely caves to chemical lobbyists. The so-called defenders of public health are once again reacting instead of leading, while the country’s regulatory agencies retreat behind “review periods” and “stakeholder engagement” — euphemisms for institutional cowardice.
Public health coalitions, labor unions, and environmental watchdogs have already begun mobilizing in protest. But in a nation where money buys immunity and industry writes policy, outrage may not be enough to counteract the deeply entrenched apathy at the heart of the US regulatory system.
US remains global outlier in asbestos policy
Asbestos-related illness takes decades to develop, meaning today’s exposure may become tomorrow’s cancer epidemic. The US now stands nearly alone among industrialized nations in delaying a full ban.
EPA’s so-called “scientific reassessment” is a grotesque charade—a repackaged industry wishlist masquerading as public policy. At a time when scientific consensus has slammed the door on asbestos, the US chooses to pry it open again for profit. The reassessment is not a pause for reflection, but a calculated stall—a cowardly maneuver to placate chemical giants and sidestep accountability. No expert consensus supports its return. Only those who benefit from silence continue to whisper behind the EPA’s curtains. This isn’t environmental policy. It is industrial protectionism wrapped in bureaucratic deceit.
An American disgrace
From Flint’s poisoned water to cancer-causing asbestos, the US continues to fail its most vulnerable communities in the name of deregulation. The EPA’s retreat not only signals a betrayal of science, but an open embrace of death-by-delay politics that benefits only corporations.
