Tag: asbestos

EPA Finalizes Asbestos Reporting Rule

The EPA recently announced its final rule requiring reporting on all six fiber types of asbestos. Issued under Section 8(a) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the rule requires asbestos manufacturers (including importers) and processors to report certain use and exposure information from the past 4 years, including information on asbestos-containing products (including as […]

The EPA’s Ongoing Battle to Ban Asbestos

The EPA continues to attempt to pass regulations banning asbestos, while industry remains committed to blocking any forthcoming laws. At this time, the only remaining form of asbestos imported into the United States is chrysotile, or “white,” asbestos, which is found in products like asbestos diaphragms, sheet gaskets, brake blocks, aftermarket automotive brakes/linings, other vehicle […]

Final Death Knell for Asbestos?

The only known form of asbestos still imported into the United States has been proposed to be banned by the EPA. Chrysotile asbestos is utilized in asbestos diaphragms, sheet gaskets, brake blocks, aftermarket automotive brakes/linings, other vehicle friction products, and other gaskets also imported into the United States. The proposed rule banning the import of […]

Asbestos exposure, asbestos danger

EPA Reaches Settlement to Close Asbestos Reporting Loopholes

In a settlement agreement announced June 7, 2021, the EPA said it will require reporting on asbestos usage under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), according to San Francisco CBS. The legal battle over this decision was preceded by the 2017 EPA refusal to consider a petition to close some asbestos reporting “loopholes.” “The EPA […]

Asbestos danger tape

Asbestos Compliance for Operations and Maintenance Programs

Asbestos compliance is heavily regulated by both the EPA and the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA). An April 14, 2021, EPA settlement with the Idaho Transportation Department (IDT) serves as a stark reminder of the importance of complying with these regulations.

Asbestos exposure, asbestos danger

Occupational Asbestos Exposure: Still a Threat

Asbestos usage remains a public health issue in the United States—we have not banned asbestos use, and there is still a plethora of products being used that contain asbestos. That’s why we continue to see considerable concerns surrounding asbestos exposure, and companies should ensure that, where asbestos is present, they alert workers and contractors to […]

Asbestos danger tape

Group Petitions for Review of EPA’s Risk Evaluation for Asbestos

A group of public health organizations and asbestos scientists led by the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) petitioned the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals for administrative review of the EPA final risk evaluation for asbestos on January 26, 2021. The groups also sent the EPA a 60-day notice of their intent to file suit against […]

Asbestos danger tape

Asbestos: Federal Court Closes EPA Reporting Loophole

On December 22, 2020, the federal district court in the northern district of California ordered the EPA to make broad changes in its asbestos reporting requirements under the Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) rule.

Asbestos danger

Bill That Would Ban Asbestos Fails in House

Partisan politics are blamed for the House’s failure to pass a bill that would have amended the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to prohibit the manufacturing, processing, and distribution of asbestos or any mixture or article containing asbestos, according to The Hill.

asbestos

EPA’s Draft Asbestos Evaluation Lists Unreasonable Risks, Legacy Uses Not Addressed

The EPA’s release of its Draft Risk Evaluation for Asbestos is a significant step in the Agency’s halting progress over more than 30 years to control the effects of one of the most carcinogenic substances in commercial use in the United States. The risk evaluation is a product of the 2016 amendments to the federal […]