EPA Finalizes Comprehensive Asbestos Reporting Rule

On July 6, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced its final rule requiring comprehensive reporting on asbestos. The new directive, issued under the Toxic Substances Control Act, requires importers and manufacturers of asbestos-related products to report use and exposure information from the past four years. The reporting rule comes out of the EPA’s Risk Evaluation of Asbestos Part 2, which is focusing on legacy asbestos and disposal. This includes details about any products containing the carcinogenic mineral and applies to all six types of asbestos. Data acquired from this new rule will help inform and guide the EPA’s actions in the future.  “We know that exposure to asbestos causes cancer and other serious health problems that still result in thousands of people dying every year, and today we’re continuing our work to protect people from this dangerous chemical,” said Michal Freedhoff, assistant administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, in the EPA announcement. Under the new rule, any manufacturer, importer or processor who handled asbestos between 2019 and 2022 and had annual sales of $500,000 or above during those years must report certain exposure-related information. That includes quantities of asbestos, types of use and employee data.  The new reporting rule also applies to any products that contain asbestos as an impurity, such as asbestos-contaminated talc. Companies subject to the rule have...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Asbestos (general) Asbestos Exposure Source Type: news