- South Korea warns of 'decisive' action against trash balloons
- Football Australia names Tony Popovic as Socceroos coach
- Japan quake, flood victim attempts fresh start with wife's memory
- Japan quake, flood victim attemps fresh start with wife's memory
- Asian markets extend gains as focus turns to US inflation
- Six dead after floods in central Japan: media
- Australian golf prodigy suffers career-threatening eye injury
- Gaza hospital a symbol of the ruin of war
- October 7: how Israel's deadliest day unfolded
- Bibles, sneakers, silver coins: Trump's merch for sale
- Met Opera opens season with tech-heavy 'Grounded'
- Colombia's Inirida flower: from 'weed' to emblem for UN meeting
- Colombia rebel group imposes control in restive coca zone
- Rams fight back to upset 49ers, Cowboys lose again
- Sri Lankan leftist leader to take office after landslide election win
- 300-kilo WWI bomb removed in Belgrade
- Zelensky in US to explain war plan to Biden, Harris, Trump
- 'Atrocious' Sudan war pushing refugees further afield: UNHCR chief
- 'Convergence' growing on global plastics treaty: UN environment chief
- MLB White Sox fall to Padres to match one-season loss mark
- All-Australian Ripper squad captures LIV Golf team crown
- Barnier promises compromise from France's embattled new govt
- Zelensky arrives in US to explain war plan to Biden
- Barca rout Villarreal but Ter Stegen hurt, Atletico draw at Rayo
- Darnold shines for Vikings, Steelers and Eagles win
- Atletico held to draw at Rayo Vallecano
- Marseille stun Lyon with 95th-minute winner after early red card
- Gabbia ends AC Milan's derby pain with late winner against Inter
- Surging Ko claims LPGA Queen City crown in spectacular style
- 'Impossible': Alcaraz shoots down Federer comparisons after Laver Cup win
- Scholz's party beats far-right AfD in east German state vote
- Verstappen says 'silly' swearing row could hasten F1 exit
- Calls for Israel and Hezbollah to step back from the abyss
- Israel and Hezbollah urged to avoid 'catastrophe'
- Colombia battles fires as drought fuels Latin American flames
- Pressure piles on new French government from day one
- Arteta proud as Arsenal salvage point from 'impossible' task
- Barca rout Villarreal in thriller but Ter Stegen hurt
- Roma stroll past Udinese as fans protest De Rossi sacking
- Horschel outduels McIlroy to win PGA Championship play-off
- Audiences summon 'Beetlejuice' to top of N. America box office for third week
- Stones salvages point for Man City against 10-man Arsenal
- Egypt fears 'all out' regional war: foreign minister to AFP
- Last-gasp Boniface gives Leverkusen victory, Stuttgart outclass Dortmund
- Scholz's party beats far-right AfD in east German state vote: projections
- Olympic champion Evenepoel retains world title in 'toughest time trial'
- Horschel's eagle beats McIlroy in PGA Championship play-off
- Mourners at commander's funeral express loyalty to Hezbollah
- Norris hails his 'mega' McLaren after dominant win at Singapore
- Monaco beat Le Havre to join PSG at the top of Ligue 1
US finalizes ban on last form of asbestos in use
President Joe Biden's administration on Monday finalized a rule banning the last remaining form of asbestos in the United States, half a century after the government first targeted the cancer-causing mineral.
Chrysotile asbestos -- used in industrial processes, vehicle brake linings, pipe gaskets and more -- has already been prohibited in more than 50 countries, with the US a notable outlier.
"While the use of asbestos in the United States has been declining for decades, use of chrysotile asbestos has continued to this day," Environmental Protection Agency chief Michael Regan told reporters.
"But the science is clear and settled: there is simply no safe level of exposure to asbestos."
Asbestos exposure is linked to the deaths of more than 40,000 Americans a year as a result of lung cancer, mesothelioma, ovarian cancer, and laryngeal cancer.
Ending its use is part of Biden's so-called "Cancer Moonshot," a White House initiative to reduce deaths from cancer.
Michal Freedhoff, an EPA official, said a failure to fully phase out asbestos "symbolizes the failure of the original Toxic Substances Control Act," a law passed in 1976.
When the agency initially attempted a full ban on asbestos in 1989, a court overturned its decision two years later.
The latest actions are the first carried out following 2016 amendments updating the law.
Freedhoff said the ban would be implemented on staggered timelines to allow industry enough time to transition.
One of the biggest users of the fibrous mineral is the chlor-alkali sector, which uses asbestos diaphragms to separate chlorine from sodium hydroxide via electrolysis. Chlorine is critical to disinfect drinking water and wastewater.
The EPA said it was banning new imports of asbestos immediately, while companies that still used asbestos diaphragms would have up to 12 years to convert their facilities.
Asbestos in oilfield brake blocks and aftermarket automotive brakes and linings will be banned six months after the rule is finalized.
Meanwhile, a nuclear site in Georgia will be given until 2037 to transition from asbestos use in gaskets in order to protect workers from radiation exposure as they dispose of nuclear material.
"It is long past time for the US to ban asbestos, and unacceptable this known carcinogen continues to threaten Americans and devastate families," said congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici.
Ch.Havering--AMWN