This is a bit misleading. We still have lead water pipes but the start of getting rid of lead from paint and gasoline in the 70's and its crazy we still have not gotten rid of it in pipes with just recently during our more sane times of the last few decades some more regulation (if it stands in the next four years.) Asbestos is a bit of a special case as it did prevent fire deaths significantly and there was issues with replacing it with something as effective and issues with disturbing it possibly being more dangerous by requiring it to be replaced. but regulation again did start in the seventies with exposure to workers in manufacturer. Still much like lead pipes it is only in the past year during our brief blip of enlightened times that its been banned mostly. Again if it stays in place.