Exposure to this chemical is killing thousands — but it's been regulated for decades

The U.S. has regulated use of asbestos for decades, since it became clear that the chemical is linked to adverse health effects including cancer. But despite action from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency, thousands are still dying from exposure.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control found that between 1999 and 2015, 45,221 people died of malignant mesothelioma, the type of cancer associated with asbestos exposure. About 36,000 of them were men, and 90 percent were white adults. People can also develop lung disease by inhaling or swallowing the tiny fibers, found in many common building materials like paint, shingles, insulation, cement, wallboard materials and vinyl tiles.

OSHA began setting exposure limits in 1971 and most deaths from malignant mesothelioma are caused by exposure 20 to 40 years ago. But in 1999, 2,479 people died from malignant mesothelioma. In 2015, 2,579 did, showing that over a 15-year period yearly deaths did not decrease but in fact rose.

OSHA regulates the quanitity of asbestos workers can be exposed to, and the EPA regulates how buildings with asbestos-containing materials can be demolished or renovated. But despite those protections, people under 55 are still dying from asbestos-linked diseases. This indicates that people at work sites are still at risk of dangerous levels of exposure.

U.S. production of asbestos stopped in 2002, but the material is still imported for use in the manufacturing of items like alkaline batteries, soap and fertilizer, the CDC said.

“The continuing occurrence of malignant mesothelioma deaths underscores the need for maintaining asbestos exposure prevention efforts and for ongoing surveillance to monitor temporal trends,” the CDC wrote in a report on mesothelioma mortality.

Mesothelioma deaths of those aged 35 to 65 decreased overall. OSHA has gradually decreased the limit of asbestos allowed, which was set at 12 asbestos fibers per cubic centimeter of air during an 8-hour shift in 1971. It was reduced in 1972, 1976, 1986 and finally in 1994, to only .1 fiber per cubic centimeter. That is where the limit currently stands.

This story was originally published April 13, 2017 at 3:13 PM with the headline "Exposure to this chemical is killing thousands — but it's been regulated for decades."