As a result, there has been an immense legal history involving the material, as well as many laws and regulations that have emerged to control and limit asbestos exposure. Attention towards the hazards of asbestos began around the s and continues to be a prominent concern today. Various federal agencies are responsible for figuring out the details of federal rules, such as those that apply to asbestos. The EPA is responsible for keeping the environment clean — not just the wild outdoor spaces, but also indoor environments, water, and other factors.
When it comes to asbestos, the EPA uses its authority to asbestos in schools, workplaces , air, and new products. These organizations regulate safety in the workplace, with MSHA covering mines and OSHA covering all other job sites including factories, construction sites, and office buildings. The CPSC oversees safety in consumer products, including products that may contain asbestos.
The CPSC has specifically banned asbestos in certain products, textured paints, patching compounds, and other things that can result in asbestos fibers becoming airborne.
The federal agencies above receive their authority from bills passed by Congress and signed into law by the president. First passed in , the TSCA gives the EPA authority to regulate how chemicals are manufactured, used, and employed, including toxic materials like asbestos. Claiming authority under the TSCA, the EPA banned asbestos in the s, but that ban was challenged in court and ultimately overturned in the early s.
In recent years, the TSCA has been considered somewhat ineffective, and many people have called for it to be updated. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act. The Lautenberg Act required the EPA to review potentially dangerous substances and provide safety recommendations.
In December , the EPA released a list of the first ten chemicals it is reviewing, and asbestos was on that list. However, it will likely still be years before the EPA is able to complete its review and provide final recommendations on asbestos. Congress originally passed the Air Pollution Control Act in , and then eight years later updated it with the Clean Air Act in an effort to control the amount of air pollution throughout the country. The act has been revised at various times, including in , , and To do this, the EPA establishes air quality standards for emissions and air pollutants, including friable materials such as asbestos, which can easily become airborne.
The SDWA was first passed in in an effort to update regulations around public health.
It is the primary legislation that oversees drinking water quality at the federal, state, and municipal levels, and it has been updated twice, once in and again in This includes natural but potentially harmful materials like asbestos. The terrorist attacks in spread a massive amount of asbestos around Manhattan and nearby areas.
The act covers more than 50 different types of cancer, including mesothelioma. Over the years, Congress has passed several pieces of legislation that apply to asbestos in schools. One of these, the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act AHERA required school administrators to inspect school buildings for asbestos-containing materials and to use accredited asbestos specialists when expanding, renovating, or demolishing schools.
President Clinton signed the Asbestos Information Act in , requiring manufacturers to supply details about construction materials that might contain asbestos. Although the act did not do anything more than require companies to provide information, it gave the public more data about how much asbestos was being released in the marketplace. In their reports, companies had to identify the asbestos-containing materials they produced using specific characteristics, making it more difficult for them to hide the presence of asbestos in those products.
Duty to prevent or reduce the spread of asbestos. Cleanliness of premises and plant. Designated areas. Air monitoring.
Standards for air testing and site clearance certification. Standards for analysis. Health records and medical surveillance.
Washing and changing facilities. Storage, distribution and labelling of raw asbestos and asbestos waste. PART 3 Prohibitions and related provisions. Interpretation of prohibitions. Prohibitions of exposure to asbestos. Labelling of products containing asbestos. Additional provisions in the case of exceptions and exemptions. Exemption certificates. Exemptions relating to the Ministry of Defence.
Extension outside Great Britain. Existing licences and exemption certificates. Revocations and savings. Particulars to be included in a notification. The dimensions in millimetres of the label referred to in The label must be clearly and indelibly printed so that Explanatory Note.
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This is the original version as it was originally made. Citation and commencement 2. Interpretation 3. Duty to manage asbestos in non-domestic premises 5. Identification of the presence of asbestos 6. Assessment of work which exposes employees to asbestos 7.