Scientists Are Exploring Ways to Use Asbestos Mineral Waste from Mines to Pull Huge Amounts of Carbon Dioxide from the Air

MIT by James TempleWashington, DC – The vast surface area of certain types of fibrous asbestos, a class of carcinogenic compounds once heavily used in heat-resistant building materials, makes them particularly good at grabbing hold of the carbon dioxide molecules dissolved in rainwater or floating through the air. The initial hope is to offset the ample…

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Partisan Fight Sinks Asbestos Ban Bill

Politico  by Kelsey TamborinnoWashington, DC – House leadership included the Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now bill, H.R. 1603 (116), that won overwhelming support in committee on this week’s list of suspension votes. But Democrats added in a “saving clause” to satisfy a concern from Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) that the legislation might inadvertently affect thousands of ongoing private lawsuits…

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HUD Awards $9M to Making Homes Safer for Tribal Communities

Washington, DC – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today awarded more than $9 million in Healthy Homes Production grants to twelve tribes and tribal agencies to protect children and families from home health and safety hazards. Tribes and Tribally Designated Housing conditions can be improved by addressing factors such as lead paint,…

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Lead Based Paint Inspections in NYC Just Got Tougher

Habitat Magazine by Kathryn FarrellNew York, NY – The city has enacted stricter regulations on detecting lead-based paint inside apartments – yet another item for the to-do lists of some co-op and condo boards and their management companies. Local Law 31, which went into effect on Aug. 9, requires an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer inspection to be performed within the next five years in…

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Construction Industry Lobby Blocks Bill to Ban Asbestos

Environmental Working Group by Alex FormuzisWashington, DC – Legislation to ban the future use and importation of the notorious and deadly carcinogen asbestos was blocked from passing the House Thursday night after lobbyists representing a powerful sector of the building and construction industry objected. The National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association, or NSSGA, stopped the Alan Reinstein…

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Asbestos Ban Stalls in Congress Amid Partisan Fight

The Hill by Rebecca BeitchWashington, DC – Democrats and Republicans are each accusing the other of holding up a bill to ban asbestos that had been expected to pass with little controversy this week. The Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act exited committee with just one no vote and was expected to sail through the voting process…

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US House of Representatives to Vote On Bicameral Alan Reinstein Ban Asebstos Now Bill

Washington, DC – The bicameral Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act of 2019 (ARBAN) will be voted on by the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday, September 29. ‘This bill will stop hundreds of metric tons of asbestos from entering the United States each year and will protect Americans from being exposed to the deadly threat of asbestos…

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