What's Being Done to Stop Exposure?

What's Being Done to Stop Exposure?

After the U.S. government issued warnings in the mid 1970s as to the dangers of asbestos, employers began to provide their workers with protective gear essential to maintaining good health while working with the mineral. Many countries chose to ban asbestos altogether.

In 1989, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule banning most asbestos-containing products. In 1991, this regulation was overturned by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. That means some products still contain asbestos, but laws say they must be clearly labeled. Some countries still mine and use asbestos on a regular basis and export the mineral to other countries that have not yet issued a ban.

Hopefully, new cases of exposure should be lessening, but that won't be evident until the current rash of mesothelioma cases has peaked and is passed. Because of mesothelioma's long latency period, most of today's diagnosed cases involve individuals who were exposed prior to the 1970s.