WORLD NEWS FLASH
UNITED STATES
WASHINGTON – On March 18, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a final rule to prohibit ongoing uses of chrysotile asbestos, the only known form of asbestos currently used in or imported to the United States.
The ban on ongoing uses of asbestos is the first rule to be finalized under the 2016 amendments to the nation’s chemical safety law, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), which received near-unanimous support in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. The action marks a major milestone for chemical safety after more than three decades of inadequate protections and serious delays during the previous administration to implement the 2016 amendments.
Exposure to asbestos is known to cause lung cancer, mesothelioma, ovarian cancer, and laryngeal cancer, and it is linked to more than 40,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. Ending the ongoing uses advances the goals of President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot, a whole-of-government initiative to end cancer as we know it.
“The science is clear – asbestos is a known carcinogen that has severe impacts on public health. President Biden understands that this concern that has spanned generations and impacted the lives of countless people. That’s why EPA is so proud to finalize this long-needed ban on ongoing uses of asbestos,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Under the President’s leadership, EPA has been working expeditiously to put the nation’s chemical safety program back on track and finally realize the protections of the 2016 law. This action is just the beginning as we work to protect all American families, workers, and communities from toxic chemicals.”
“Asbestos has harmed people across the country for decades, and under President Biden’s leadership, we are taking decisive action to ban its use and advance this administration’s historic environmental justice agenda,” said White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory. “This action marks a major step to improve chemical safety after decades of inadequate protections, helping advance President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot goal to end cancer as we know it.”
Chrysotile asbestos is found in products including asbestos diaphragms, sheet gaskets, brake blocks, aftermarket automotive brakes/linings, other vehicle friction products, and other gaskets. The use of asbestos in the United States has been declining for decades, and its use is already banned in over 50 countries.
Although there are several known types of asbestos, the only form known to be imported, processed, or distributed for use in the United States is chrysotile. Raw chrysotile asbestos was imported into the United States as recently as 2022 for use by the chlor-alkali industry. Most consumer products that historically contained chrysotile asbestos have been discontinued.
This public health protection is long overdue. A 1991 court decision that largely struck down EPA’s 1989 ban on asbestos and significantly weakened EPA’s authority under TSCA to address risks to human health from asbestos or from any other existing chemical. The 2016 amendments to TSCA transformed the law with clear requirements and a mandate to comprehensively prioritize and evaluate the risks of chemicals and put in place strong and timely health protections against any unreasonable risks.
EPA has set compliance deadlines to transition away from each use of chrysotile asbestos, which are as soon as is practicable for each use while also providing a reasonable transition period, which the law requires.
MASS SHOOTING UPDATE
Information recent as of 3-19-2024 at 12 p.m.
2024 Mass Shooting Stats: (Source: Mass Shooting Tracker – https://www.massshootingtracker.site/data/?year=2024)
- Total Mass Shootings: 103
- Total Dead: 172
- Total Wounded: 354
- Shootings Per Day: 1.3
- Days Reached in Year 2024 as of March 19: 79
HAITI
EFFORTS STILL ONGOING TO HELP HAITI
Humanitarians continue to deliver aid in Haiti, where the situation in the capital, Port-au-Prince, remains tense and volatile in the face of escalating gang violence and political instability.
The UN said on March 19 that its children’s agency UNICEF and partners have delivered over 242,000 gallons of water since early March, while the World Food Program (WFP) and partners have provided over 146,000 hot meals.
OCHA, the UN humanitarian affairs office, noted that schools, hospitals and government buildings in the capital continue to be attacked, with many having curtailed their operations.
The public electricity company recently reported that several substations in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area were destroyed, leaving several areas without power.
Meanwhile, the health sector continues to struggle due to the lack of medical supplies, healthcare workers and blood.
OCHA said the Bernard Mevs hospital in Port-au-Prince has gradually resumed its activities, with support from the UN health agency (WHO) and its regional arm, the Pan American Health Organization, in providing medicine and medical equipment.
A stock of anesthetic drugs has been provided to Hospital Universite de Paix and Eliazar Germain Hospital in Petion-ville, a suburb of the capital.
Some 5.5 million people in Haiti, roughly half the population, need humanitarian aid. However, a $674 million plan, announced in late February, is just 6.5 percent funded, with $43 million received.
The plan aims to provide food, shelter, health, education, and protection services for 3.6 million people this year.
WORLD
FIGHTING TB
The UN World Health Organization (WHO) on March 18 called for a funding boost in tuberculosis (TB) screening and prevention programs to protect vulnerable populations and achieve key health goals.
Relatively modest new investment could result in significant health and economic benefits, with up to $39 worth of benefits for each dollar invested, the UN agency said, announcing the findings of a study conducted in Brazil, Georgia, Kenya and South Africa.
The returns extend beyond monetary, encompassing substantial improvements in public health outcomes and the mitigation of TB’s devastating impact on individuals, families and communities.
“The investment case outlines the health and economic rationale for investing in evidence-based, WHO-recommended interventions on TB screening and prevention that can contribute to advancing universal health coverage,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
“Today, we have the knowledge, tools and political commitment that can end this millennia-old disease that remains one of the world’s top infectious killers.”
While significant strides have been made to combat the disease, with an estimated 75 million lives saved since 2000, TB continues to cause about 1.3 million deaths annually and affects millions more worldwide.
Moreover, multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) is a growing public health concern, with only about two in five people having accessed treatment in 2022.
Progress in the development of new TB diagnostics, drugs and vaccines remains constrained by the overall level of investment in these areas, WHO said, adding that it is clear much more needs to be done to combat TB.
Against this background, its investment case is expected to serve as a vital advocacy tool for securing increased resources for TB screening and preventive treatment, aligning with the commitments made by governments at the 2023 High-Level Meeting on TB.
As the global community prepares to World TB Day on March 24 under the theme “Yes! We can end TB!”, the message reiterates the importance of high-level leadership, increased investments and accelerated uptake of important recommendations, WHO said.
“The next five years will be critical for ensuring that the political momentum we have now is translated into concrete actions towards reaching global TB targets,” said Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO’s Global Tuberculosis Program.
“WHO will continue to provide global leadership for the TB response, working with all stakeholders until we reach and save every person, family and community impacted by this deadly disease.”
