U.S. imports asbestos brake shoes, pads and other asbestos products from Mexico

The U.S. imports an increasing amount of asbestos brake shoes, linings and pads, now over $120 million worth a year, from Mexico -- and an unknown share of these imports is made with asbestos.

The U.S. International Trade Commission has refused to separately classify brake friction materials made with asbestos from those made with other materials, so it is not possible to know exactly what the imports of the asbestos brake parts come to. But leading sources of these brake friction material imports are countries that still use (and three of them mine) a lot of asbestos: Brazil, China, Colombia, and Mexico.

US brake friction material imports from these countries have risen from $23 million in 2000, to $76 million in 2005, and $90 million in 2006. Automotive friction materials have not been made with asbestos in the US for the past several years.