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The US Environmental Protection Agency has banned chrysotile asbestos , the last type of asbestos that companies still use and import to the US. Eight chlor-alkali plants currently use chrysotile asbestos, a carcinogen, to make the high-volume chemicals sodium hydroxide and chlorine. Companies also use the material to make automotive and industrial products, such as aftermarket brakes and sheet gaskets. According to the EPA, exposure to any kind of asbestos can cause lung cancer, mesothelioma, ovarian cancer, and laryngeal cancer. It has also been linked to more than 40,000 deaths in the US per year. "There is simply no safe level of exposure to asbestos," EPA administrator Michael Regan said in a call with reporters. "With today's ban, EPA is finally slamming the door on a chemical so dangerous that it has been banned in over 50 countries." The new rule is the EPA's second attempt to ban asbestos in
Krystal Vasquez (Mon,) studied this question.