The Environmental Protection Agency banned ongoing uses of asbestos, a carcinogen that is linked to more than 40,000 annual deaths, the White House said March 18.
Decades of research has tied asbestos exposure to lung cancer, mesothelioma, ovarian cancer and laryngeal cancer. The chemical is commonly used in insulation materials, fire retardants, building materials, automobile friction products, packaging and heat-resistant fabrics, according to the EPA.
The ban on manufactured and imported products containing asbestos follows "more than three decades of inadequate protections," the White House said in a news release.
The EPA is also pushing to address health concerns related to methylene chloride, carbon tetrachloride, perchloroethylene and trichloroethylene — "all of which are dangerous and sometimes fatal chemicals used in commercial and industrial settings," the release said.
The efforts are part of President Joe Biden's Cancer Moonshot, which aims to cut the nation's cancer death rate in half by 2047.