U.S. imports asbestos products

The United States continues to import substantial quantities of asbestos-cement construction materials and other asbestos products.

In 2006, the US imported over 63,000 metric tons of asbestos-cement sheets from Mexico, a 25 percent increase from the year 2000. These hazardous construction products have not been made in the US since 1992.

Their handling, transport, installation (with cutting, drilling, etc.), renovation, and demolition expose countless US workers and other citizens to occupational and environmental dangers.

This is commonly unrecognized as asbestos exposure; and even where it is so recognized, it is from a practical point of view largely uncontrollable by government regulators. The World Trade Organization concluded that the idea of "controlled use" of asbestos-containing construction materials is unrealistic.