DEPARTMENTS
BY THE NUMBERS
Asbestos Waste Management
In March, EPA finalized a rule banning chrysotile asbestos, the only form of the mineral currently imported into the United States. Although dozens of other countries have longstanding bans on asbestos, it remains in many products. A recent article by BBC provides perspective on the waste management of asbestos-containing materials. Select information from the article appears below.
The EPA ban goes into effect on May 28. For more information, see NewsWatch.
The EPA ban goes into effect on May 28. For more information, see NewsWatch.
From “Asbestos Is a Global Waste Problem—Here's How We Might Get Rid of It”:
“As aging buildings begin to crumble, the asbestos has to be removed. But there simply isn't enough space for it in existing landfills, says Yvonne Waterman, a lawyer and president of the European Asbestos Forum (EAF), an annual gathering of policy-makers, campaigners, scientists and companies committed to confronting the challenge of asbestos. ‘People forget that removing asbestos is basically just changing its location from A to B,’ Waterman says.”
SOURCE
BBC: “Asbestos Is a Global Waste Problem—Here's How We Might Get Rid of It” (March 2024).
Tap on the graphic to open a larger version in your browser.