Requires the Administrator to: (1) study the status of the manufacture, processing, distribution, ownership, importation, and disposal of asbestos-containing products and contaminant-asbestos products (those that contain asbestos as a contaminant of any substance); and (2) promulgate regulations prohibiting the manufacture, processing, or distribution in commerce of asbestos-containing products. Requires inventories and disposal of products subject to this prohibition.
Requires establishment of: (1) an asbestos public education program, unless the Administrator determines on the basis of the study conducted under this Act that asbestos-containing products used by consumers and workers do not pose an unreasonable human health risk; and (2) a consumer education campaign concerning the dangers of vermiculite insulation that may be contaminated with asbestos.
Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of HHS to expand, intensify, and coordinate programs of research on asbestos exposure-caused diseases, particularly mesothelioma, asbestosis, and pleural injuries. Requires establishment of a National Mesothelioma Registry. Provides funds to certain institutions for purposes of strengthening their mesothelioma treatment programs.