📢 Don’t Let Trump’s EPA Put Lives at Risk with Asbestos
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Tell the EPA: Don’t Bring Back Asbestos
As Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers rolling back the Biden-era restrictions on chrysotile asbestos, we are presented with a pivotal moment. The agency must hear a clear, resolute message from all of us: asbestos is a proven health hazard and must not be allowed back into widespread use.
A history of deadly consequences
Asbestos has long been recognized as a silent killer. According to the Wikipedia entry, it is responsible for approximately 255,000 deaths each year, with illnesses like asbestosis and mesothelioma manifesting decades after exposure. These diseases, marked by chronic lung scarring and aggressive cancer, highlight asbestos’s insidious nature—harmful exposure can remain hidden for 20 to 40 years before becoming lethal. 1
The Trump-era rollback attempt
In recent weeks, the EPA, under the lingering influence of Trump-era policies, began reviewing the Biden administration’s ban on chrysotile asbestos—the final form still permitted in the United States. A 10TV report describes the agency’s review as assessing whether the ban “went beyond what is necessary”. 2 In essence, the EPA sought to determine whether restoring limited use was justified.
Pushback and reconsideration
However, public health advocates responded with alarm and the EPA reversed course, filing a court motion to withdraw its request to stay litigation and reassess through formal rulemaking. Instead, the agency now favors issuing guidance to clarify existing regulations—a modest pivot, but not a full abandonment of the rollback idea. 3
Scientific clarity on the dangers
Asbestos fibers are extremely potent when inhaled. Once lodged in lung tissue, they remain indefinitely, triggering inflammation, fibrosis, and malignancy. Mesothelioma, in particular, is nearly always fatal, has a poor prognosis, and disproportionately affects workers in construction, shipbuilding, brake manufacturing, and chemical plants—industries that historically relied on chrysotile.
Why we must prevent regulatory rollback
Delay equals death. Given the long latency, even minor future exposures could cause tens of thousands of preventable deaths decades from now. The EPA’s mention that a full revision could take “two-and-a-half years” is laced with delay that will cost lives
Alternatives are available. Safe, asbestos-free materials for insulation, roofing, brake linings, and industrial filters already exist and are widely used globally. There is simply no compelling need to return to a toxic past.
Global leadership matters. Over 66 countries have fully banned asbestos. Reversing U.S. policy would undermine international progress and public trust in environmental protection.
Your voice can make a difference
The EPA is now soliciting public comments. If enough Americans—especially those in affected communities—raise objections, this rollback could be permanently abandoned. Write to the EPA, call your representatives, and tell them: Don’t Bring Back Asbestos.
We have learned painfully from asbestos exposure. Across generations, families have seen loved ones suffer through lethal lung disease—often laboring with minimal compensation or resolution. To regard chrysotile asbestos as a potential exception is to ignore hard-won history.
We urge the EPA to uphold the ban enacted in 2024 and use guidance—not deregulation—to protect public health. The stakes are measured in lives—not regulatory convenience.
Today’s Calls to Action
Click here to Tell the EPA: Don't Bring Back Asbestos
Call your Member of Congress at (202) 224-3121 and tell them this is unacceptable. There is absolutely no reason to allow a known cancer-causing material like asbestos in our homes or workplaces.
Click here to comment on the EPA Facebook page
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Good Trouble Lives On: A Day of Action
On July 17th, the anniversary of Congressman John Lewis’s passing, People Power United is hosting a virtual event to honor his legacy and defend our rights and freedoms.
As Trump and his allies push voter suppression bills like the SAVE Act and criminalize protest, we’re rising up in nonviolent resistance—because in America, the power belongs to the people.
This isn’t just a virtual rally. It’s a moral stand. It’s Good Trouble—alive and marching forward.
Click here to join us.
We are not just resisting—we are reclaiming, rebuilding, and rising. Let’s do it together.
With fierce resolve and people power,
Laurie Woodward Garcia (paid with hugs and kisses, not bought by special interests)
People Power United
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We are not just resisting—we are reclaiming, rebuilding, and rising. Let’s do it together.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asbestos
https://www.10tv.com/article/news/nation-world/asbestos-ban-trump-administration/507-0d1a17fe-d64c-4ca0-aab0-2fc4cd817d2b
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/epa-backs-off-plan-to-revamp-chrysotile-asbestos-phase-out-rule
Please note that when People Power United uses the word “fight” in writing, online, or in speech, we mean to advocate fiercely, never to incite or support violence. We do not condone violence in any form, nor do we promote breaking the law.
Our work is rooted in peaceful advocacy through exercising our constitutional rights: voting, free speech, peaceful assembly, rallies, protests, and acts of civil disobedience. We use these tools to defend our rights, freedoms, the rule of law, and our democracy. And together, we will win.