"Court Orders EPA To Step Up Asbestos Data Collection"

"In a court ruling hailed by health advocates, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will now have to collect data on asbestos imports into the U.S., a federal judge ruled on Tuesday.

Health advocates have argued that the years-old regulations didn’t give the agency enough data to sufficiently evaluate asbestos risks to the public.

“We think that this is a public health disaster that EPA hasn’t done their job,” said Linda Reinstein, co-founder and president of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, which advocates for banning the substance, in a statement after the ruling."

Rachel Frazin reports for The Hill December 23, 2020.