EPA Releases New Rules for TSCA Asbestos Review

As part of the latest updates to the reformed Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last week proposed new rules for the risk evaluation of asbestos. The EPA released a significant new use rule (SNUR) proposal which would allow the agency to prevent new uses of asbestos, the naturally occurring mineral linked to deadly cancers such as mesothelioma. It is the first time the EPA has issued such an action. The SNUR would require the agency’s approval before asbestos-containing goods can be manufactured, imported or processed. It would grant the EPA power to evaluate the intended use of asbestos and take action, when necessary, to prohibit or limit its use. “These actions provide the American people with transparency and an opportunity to comment on how EPA plans to evaluate the ten chemicals undergoing risk evaluation, select studies, and use the best available science to ensure chemicals in the marketplace are safe,” EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said in an agency press release. “At the same time, we are moving forward to take important, unprecedented action on asbestos.” However, environmental groups and anti-asbestos advocates are skeptical of the SNUR proposal and what it may mean for a future ban of asbestos in the U.S. They say the new rules undermine the spirit of the reformed TSCA and ignore the health concerns of asbestos disposal and past uses of asbestos. “Every day, Americans are exposed to deadly substances ...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: news