Sen. Feinstein pushes for more asbestos regulation

With support from Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the federal Toxic Substances Control Act could be amended to provide new safety regulations to limit the use of asbestos.


"The Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act will amend the Toxic Substances Control Act and allow for the Environmental Protection Agency to increase regulation of the distribution of asbestos in the United States," said Helga Holoubek, an agent at the Environmental Protection Agency in San Francisco.


"The Act would take a ‘worst-first’ approach. The EPA would have the authority to classify whatever chemicals they deem the most hazardous and further push to change rules and regulations," said Holoubek.


According to the EPA, the act would also remove two prior rulings that prevented chemicals such as asbestos from being regulated:


  • The requirement that costs be considered when determining is a chemical is safe.
  • The requirement that the EPA adopts the least burdensome regulatory requirement.

Under new law, the EPA will only consider costs and risks of harmful chemicals through proper evaluation..


What is Asbestos?
According to the EPA, asbestos is a mineral fiber found in rock and soil. Its fiber strength and heat resistance make it a very popular material used in construction. It is used as a fire retardant and for insulation.


It can be found in manufactured goods, building materials such as ceiling and floor tiles, friction products such as a car brake and heat-resistant packaging and coating. Asbestos is dangerous when inhaled and is often inhaled during home repairs, demolitions and remodeling.


A regular exposure to asbestos can possibly lead to lung cancer or mesothelioma. Although many homes do have some types of asbestos in them, exposure is preventable by making sure that it is not touched or destroyed.


A solidified type of asbestos is not harmful as long as it is not touched. There is much more danger in damaged asbestos as the particles in the chemical are flying around and open to inhalation.


Asbestos in Chico
Many homes in Chico may have asbestos insulation. Homes and buildings built from the 1930s to the 1970s have a "high chance" of asbestos insulation, according to the EPA.  There are many buildings on the Chico State University campus that may have asbestos insulation.


According the Chico News and Review, this raised concerns in 2012 when two professors at the university, who had classrooms in the northwest corner of Butte Hall, developed lung cancer and eventually died. Chico State has denied the allegations of any asbestos exposure, but it was and has not been ruled out. The further regulation of asbestos under the act could possibly reject any new type of asbestos-induced material in the near future.


Although some uses of asbestos are completely banned, such as in the use of corrugated paper and flooring felt, many forms are still legal to use in the United States.


"My men have to deal with possible exposure every time they enter an old home or building. It would be good to know that it's less likely to be exposed," said Rick Doane, a Chico fire marshal.  


Looking Forward
A Toxic Substances Act amendment was already passed back in June 2016, but it does not allow the EPA full liberty in deciding which chemicals are hazardous.


“A reform to this bill would allow the EPA to prioritize the threat of asbestos using the best science available," said Sen. Feinstein in a letter to the administrator of the EPA.


The main opponents to these bills are the asbestos distributors and other chemical distribution organizations and plants.


Although losing the original bill, many of the demands of the asbestos industry were met and provided much leeway for these companies to operate because of a lawsuit won by Corrosion Proof Fittings, an asbestos manufacturer, in 1991, according to the Mesothelioma Center.

"Reform is all that we can hope for at the moment. It's going to be very hard, but there is still hope," Holoubeck said.

(Cover photo from the Laborers' Health and Safety Fund of North America)

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