A court filing from the US Environmental Protection Agency has flagged the Trump administration’s plans to ‘reconsider’ the ban on chrysotile asbestos that was implemented under former President Joe Biden in 2024. Biden fully banned the use of chrysotile asbestos after a decades-long partial ban, prohibiting new uses of asbestos in products introduced after August 1989.
Chrysotile asbestos is the most common type of asbestos. Asbestos is the only known cause of mesothelioma, an aggressive form of cancer that affects the cells lining the lungs, chest wall, heart and abdomen. Chrysotile can also cause lung cancer, as well as cancer of the larynx, ovaries, pharynx, stomach, colon and rectum.
Before the EPA ban chrysotile asbestos was used in the US for automotive parts (gaskets, brake pads, clutches), roofing material and in the manufacture of chlorine. It is proposed that the Trump administration could reverse parts of the ban – for example, continue to prohibit its use in automotive parts, but not for other uses – or it could reverse the Biden policy completely.
Trump has voiced his support for asbestos in the past, describing it in 1997 as “100% safe, once applied”, and claiming in 2012 that the World Trade Centre “would never have burned down” in the September ’11 attacks if the asbestos hadn’t been removed from the building.
Prior to Trump’s first presidency the largest supplier of asbestos to the US was Brazil, but the South American country’s 2017 ban of the product left Russia as the primary source of asbestos for the world. Russian mining company Uralasbest - the world’s biggest producer and vendor of asbestos - clearly approved of Trump’s stance, using an image of his face on their product packaging in 2018, with the words “Approved by Donald Trump, 45th president of the United States”.
Whatever decision Trump makes on the asbestos ban, the rest of the world will be watching closely, with many countries in the past (and in particular the developing ones) looking up to the US for leadership in areas of science and technology. In 1986 during the presentation at the EPA’s Asbestos Ban and Phase-out Legislative hearings it was stated that US decisions often produce a bandwagon effect in which many countries follow the US example. With conservative governments fighting for dominance in many countries around the world, there is a risk that the influence of a US asbestos ban could see other countries following Trumps lead.
Regardless of the Trump administration’s decision, that fact that this is even a point of discussion in 2025 serves as a reminder that we must remain ever vigilant in matters of workplace safety. If a substance as deadly as asbestos could make a come-back after all the research, work and effort that has contributed to total bans in more than 50 countries, then the fight for safe workplaces can never end.
Closer to home, Australia phased out the use of asbestos from the 1980s and imposed a total ban on it’s use, sale or import from 2003. The ban led to the development of the Asbestos National Strategic Plan with the goal to eliminate asbestos-related diseases in Australia, to support workers and others affected by asbestos-related diseases, and to be an international leader in securing a worldwide ban on the production and trade of asbestos.
Prior to the Australian ban, asbestos was used in over 3000 products including construction materials and vehicles. Australia had one of the highest rates of asbestos use per person in the world until the 1980s. We imported 1.5 million tonnes of asbestos between 1930 and 1983, and asbestos was mined in Australia until 1984. Many homes and buildings built or renovated before 1990 still contain asbestos.
If you think you have asbestos in your workplace your employer has a duty to manage the hazard - Checklist for your employer's duty to manage asbestos - OHS Reps. You can find more information at our OHS Reps page Asbestos Action Plan for Reps - OHS Reps.
If you are renovating, rebuilding or repairing a home, be asbestos aware and seek information and advice - Asbestos in Victoria | Asbestos.
Read more: Trump's EPA plans to 'reconsider' Biden-era asbestos ban. Here's what that means | Snopes.com
