In a long-awaited move, the United States’ Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a comprehensive ban on all forms of the deadly carcinogen asbestos.
Until the order on March 18, 2024, chrysotile asbestos, also known as white asbestos, was the last remaining type still legally used in the US.
Asbestos is a generic term for a group of six silicate minerals with similar but distinct properties.
It was once widely used in construction materials, insulation and consumer goods.
However, all varieties of asbestos are associated with conditions such as lung cancer, laryngeal cancer, ovarian cancer and asbestosis, a lung fibrosis.