Asbestos is an Urgent Threat
Despite over a century of known dangers, asbestos is still legal and in use in the U.S..
The statistics are staggering:
- Every 13 minutes, an American dies from an asbestos-related disease.
- 109 Americans die each day due to asbestos exposure.
- 40,000 Americans die annually from asbestos-linked diseases like lung cancer and mesothelioma.
- Since 1991, 1.1 million Americans have died from asbestos-related illnesses, almost matching the population of Dallas, TX.
- Globally, asbestos causes 255,000 deaths each year.
The Health Impact of Asbestos
- 87.3% of asbestos-related deaths are from lung cancer.
- 8% of asbestos deaths are from mesothelioma.
The U.S. Has Ignored the Global Response
- Nearly 70 countries, including the UK, Germany, Japan, and Canada, have banned asbestos, but the U.S. has not, despite most Americans falsely believing it has been banned already.
- Not-So-Fun Fact: Between 2004 and 2024, the U.S. imported 17,535 metric tons of asbestos—the weight of 117 blue whales or 427 Boeing 737s.
Asbestos is Coming to a Port Near You
The majority of asbestos imports in the U.S. enter through five main ports:
- Detroit, MI
- New Orleans, LA
- Ogdensburg, NY
- St. Albans, VT
- Houston-Galveston, TX
Three of these five cities have high populations of people of color, making asbestos exposure not just a health issue but also an environmental justice crisis.
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