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asbestos still being used in 2026? what my dad's doctors told me

Family · · 61 views
So I asked my dad's oncologist point blank last week if asbestos is still legal and being used in products today and honestly the answer was more complicated than I expected.

He said it's not banned in the US the way people think it is. Like there's no comprehensive ban. Certain products got phased out in the 80s and 90s, chrysotile asbestos (the white stuff) got mostly restricted but not completely, and some forms are still allowed in specific industrial applications. He mentioned that new products occasionally get flagged by EPA but it's slow and manufacturers can basically request exemptions.

What really got me is that he said it's actually being imported in raw materials and components, so even if American companies aren't mining it anymore we're still getting exposure pathways from other countries. And renovation work on older buildings is still a huge source because all that old insulation and drywall tape and floor tiles from the 60s through 80s are still out there, getting disturbed when people do construction.

My dad worked construction in Chicago from 1978 to 2004 so he hit the worst decades for it. But the doc basically said asbestos exposure is still happening today, just differently. People doing demolition, HVAC work, plumbing in old buildings, roofing repairs. It's not like it disappeared.

I know this doesn't help anyone diagnosed right now but I felt like I needed to actually know if this was some ancient thing or if people are still getting exposed. Seems like both are true.

8 Replies

Family
Yeah, the regulatory gaps are infuriating. My dad's pulmonologist said the same thing about renovation work being a major exposure source now, which is why we're so careful when contractors are at his place. It's wild that something this dangerous isn't just completely off the market.
Family
yeah that's what joe's pulmonologist told us too when we asked. it's crazy how many people think it's just some old problem but you're right, the exposure pathways are still there especially with all the older buildings getting renovated around here. your dad's timeline tracks with when things were worst.
Medical ✓ Expert Response
Your dad's oncologist gave you a really accurate picture of where things stand, and honestly it's one of the more frustrating realities in this space.

The EPA actually tried to issue a comprehensive ban in 1989 and the courts overturned most of it in 1991. So we've been in this weird limbo for over 30 years where the US has some of the loosest asbestos regulations in the developed world. The EU banned it completely in 1999. We're still importing chrysotile, mostly from Brazil and Russia, for use in chlor-alkali plants and certain gaskets. The numbers are small compared to peak industrial use but the exposure is real.

What your dad's doctor said about renovation work is where I see the most cases now in my clinical work. Someone takes a contract job gutting a 1970s apartment building in Wicker Park, they're not thinking about what's in the floor adhesive. OSHA requires testing and precautions but enforcement is inconsistent and a lot of smaller contractors just... don't.

For families in your situation, a lot of us have found it helps to write these things down. Not because it changes anything medically but because understanding how and when exposure happened can matter for a lot of reasons down the road.

If the weight of all this is sitting heavy with you, that's a completely normal response to a complicated and frankly unjust situation. Talking with a counselor who has oncology experience can really help when the anger and grief get tangled up together.
3 found this helpful
Medical ✓ Expert Response
Your dad's oncologist gave you a really accurate picture of where things stand. The EPA actually tried to issue a comprehensive ban in 1989 under the Toxic Substances Control Act and it got struck down by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in 1991. That ruling essentially froze asbestos regulation for decades, and we've been playing catch-up ever since.

The TSCA reform in 2016 gave the EPA new authority and they've been moving on chrysotile specifically, but the rulemaking process is slow and the current partial restrictions still have carve-outs for certain uses. In the meantime the US imported around 100 metric tons as recently as 2023, mostly for chlor-alkali plants.

Your dad's timeline is one I see a lot. Construction in Chicago from '78 to '04 means he was working through the peak use years and well into the period when old materials were being disturbed during renovation work on buildings that had been insulated and finished in the 60s. The latency period for mesothelioma (the time between first exposure and diagnosis) runs 20 to 50 years, which is why we're still seeing cases now from exposures that happened then.

And yes, new exposures are still happening. HVAC techs, roofers, abatement workers who don't follow proper protocols, people doing DIY renovation on pre-1980 homes. The NIOSH published updated exposure data in 2022 that confirmed ongoing occupational risk in those trades.

None of this changes your dad's situation right now, but understanding the mechanism matters. Please make sure his care team knows the full occupational history in as much detail as you can document. Talk to his oncologist about whether that history affects staging considerations or treatment planning.
2 found this helpful
Veteran
You're right to dig into that. The doc gave you the straight story. I was on the Oriskany from 71 to 91 and that ship was built in 1950. Asbestos everywhere. Pipe insulation, boiler rooms, ventilation ducts, fireproofing around the reactors. We didn't know what we were breathing back then but the Navy sure did. They just didn't tell us much.

What gets me is your dad's situation. Construction work in that timeframe hitting asbestos constantly and nobody was really enforcing the rules yet. My diagnosis came up in June during a routine VA screening almost 34 years after I left active duty. Pleural mesothelioma, stage II. The latency on this stuff is brutal. Your old man probably won't see symptoms for another decade or more depending on his exposure load.

The renovation angle your doc mentioned is real. We had some work done on our house in Norfolk two years back and the contractor found asbestos in the old floor tiles from 1967. Had to call in a licensed removal crew. Cost us a decent chunk but it had to be done right. That's how people are still getting hit today, not from mining operations but from tearing into walls and ceilings that are 40, 50 years old.

Get your dad connected with the VA if he's not already. Don't wait on this. I had my pleurectomy in August and I'm recovering solid but getting ahead of it matters. The screening caught mine early enough to actually do something about it.
Family
Yeah this is exactly what mom's pulmonologist told us back in September when we were trying to understand how she even got exposed. She worked as a nurse in the 70s and 80s but also did some renovation work in their house in the 90s, and he basically said both were huge risk factors. The renovation part really stuck with me because we had no idea that disturbing old insulation could be that dangerous without proper containment.

What got me is that he said the exposure risk isn't really about new products being made anymore, it's about all the old stuff still in buildings that nobody thinks about. Like my mom's school building probably still has asbestos in the pipes and ceiling tiles and nobody even knows. I teach elementary now and sometimes I wonder about it honestly, though I try not to spiral about that.

The slow EPA process your dad's doctor mentioned... yeah we've dealt with that too. When mom got diagnosed in August I started reading everything I could find and it's frustrating how many loopholes there are. Your dad's timeline makes sense though. Construction in the 70s and 80s was basically the absolute worst window for asbestos exposure. Those were peak decades for it being everywhere and nobody caring.

I'm really sorry your dad is dealing with this. The "it's not ancient history" part is what gets me most. People think oh that was decades ago but the reality is people are still getting sick from it today because nothing really stopped the exposure, it just changed forms. How is he doing with treatment so far?
Family
Yeah the renovation thing is scary once you actually know about it. My dad did some of that too in the 90s and I remember him just ripping out old insulation without a mask, like it was nothing. Your mom's doc was right that it's a dual exposure situation for people in her generation - the occupational stuff AND the home projects nobody thought twice about.

The containment part is what kills me. People had no idea they needed to treat it like a hazmat situation. I've been reading up on this way more than I probably should at 2 AM and the fibers are so small you can't even see them. Your mom was exposed at work AND thought she was just doing a normal home improvement project. That's the frustrating part.
Family
Yeah, the oncologist's answer tracks with what I've learned too. My dad's pulmonologist at Northwestern went through the same thing with us back in April when I asked. The regulatory landscape is honestly frustrating because it's so fragmented. The EPA can regulate but there's this whole process where companies can petition for exemptions and it takes years, and yeah, imported materials slip through because the oversight on incoming goods is spotty.

What got me was learning that some chlorine bleach still contains asbestos as a flow agent. Like, people are cleaning their homes with it. And the vermiculite story, which I'm sure you know about but it's worth mentioning if your dad was around construction dust in the midwest. A lot of vermiculite insulation from the Libby Montana mine contained tremolite asbestos. Chicago has older buildings everywhere so the exposure risk during renovations is real.

For your dad specifically, if he's doing any home projects or living in a space where work is being done, that's the thing to watch now. We had a contractor come do some water damage work at my dad's place last year and I basically asked them point blank about their asbestos protocols before they started. They looked at me like I had three heads but then they actually checked their equipment and materials. Sometimes people just don't think about it anymore because it feels like ancient history.

The construction exposure window he had from 78 to 2004 is brutal though. Those were peak years for it still being everywhere, not fully labeled properly, no real PPE requirements the way we have now. I'm sorry he's dealing with this.

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