thefingerfuckingfemalefury:

hiedaakyuu:

raejin99:

exeggcute:

apparently the EPA said asbestos is “safe” again, which is good news for asbestos memes, and bad news for literally everyone else

Someone may be asking about what asbestos actually IS so I’ll write up a quick summary.

Asbestos are a kind of natural silicate fiber. They’re really durable and resist heat and fire really well, which is why people had started using them to make buildings and fabrics fireproof back during the 20th century. Hence things like asbestos electric hotframe insulation, building insulation, carpeting, curtains, even oven mitts.

The problem with this is that asbestos can and will tear off into microfibers and get into the air, where it’s really easy to breathe in. These fibers though are still mineral, and once they get into the lungs they start shredding through the cell tissues and cause bleeding, inflammation, scarring, and cancer. Hell there’s a disease specifically CALLED asbestosis cause it’s that significant. It’s been banned in the EU for a while, and the US had previously put strong restrictions on its use.

Y’know that “If you or a love one have been affected my mesothelioma, you may be qualified for financial compensation” meme? That’s asbestos. And if state governments don’t start restricting asbestos use in buildings, it may become your problem too.

Oh, and for a chilling thought on this matter… The current residing President does not believe in the negative effects of asbestos, stating in his 1997 book The Art of the Comeback that he believes all of the asbestos restrictions is more or less fearmongering. Want something more recent? How about a 2012 tweet where he flat out says that the World Trade Center wouldn’t have burned down in 9/11 if they didn’t remove the asbestos.

Want something worse? You got it. Here’s an article detailing how Uralasbest, a Russian asbestos company, ships and sells asbestos with a “President Trump stamp of approval” on each package.

OP’s a little misleading, I will note. The EPA hasn’t marked asbestos as safe, but they have made a statement about how they’ll begin allowing asbestos products in manufacturing on a “case by case basis”. Reports seem to show however, that the EPA does not care about air or water pollution when making these risk assessments.

Contact your government representatives right now. What the actual hell is going on here?

I assume the case by case basis is that in cases where rich white people can tuck some cash into their pocket they’ll say its fine and in cases where that’s not happening they will tell the truth