EPA opens door to cancer-causing asbestos

Asbestos is a carcinogen and any amount of exposure is dangerous. Families in Oregon and around the country have lost loved ones to asbestos-related diseases, and there is no reason more families should have to suffer.

That's why I introduced legislation to completely ban asbestos in the United States.

But now the EPA has proposed a new rule that could expand the use of asbestos in the United States. The very agency designed to protect us from environmental hazards is opening the door to more cancer-causing toxins.

Many of the EPA's own scientists and lawyers object to the measure. But top officials at the agency are fully on board with the Trump administration's agenda to deregulate, and then deregulate some more.

You know who else thinks more asbestos is a good idea? The people who run the Russian company that produces and exports it. A company with close ties to Vladimir Putin.

Once again, this administration is not by protecting the health and safety of Americans, but instead is motivated by profits for corporations – even Russian corporations.

I will continue to fight for a ban on asbestos in the United States. It's time we join the many countries around the world that recognize the hazards of asbestos. It's a matter of life and death.

Thank you for standing with me,

Suzanne