What is asbestos?
Asbestos is a group of naturally occurring silicate minerals found in rock and soil. Mined and milled from native rock, asbestos is fibrous, thin, and strong. Chrysotile, amosite, crocidolite, tremolite, anthophyllite, and actinolite fibers are the most common types of asbestos minerals. But only chrysotile, crocidolite, and amosite varieties are of industrial importance.
Characteristics, like heat resistance, chemical inertness, and insulating capacity, coupled with the flexibility to be woven make asbestos suitable for use in many industrial applications.
Because of its fiber strength and heat resistance asbestos has been used in a variety of building construction materials for insulation and as a fire retardant. Asbestos has also been used in a wide range of manufactured goods, mostly in building materials (roofing shingles, ceiling and floor tiles, paper products, and asbestos cement products), friction products (automobile clutch, brake, and transmission parts), heat-resistant fabrics, packaging, gaskets, and coatings.
Where Asbestos May be Found
Asbestos may be found in places such as:
• Attic and wall insulation produced containing vermiculite
• Vinyl floor tiles and the backing on vinyl sheet flooring and adhesives
• Roofing and siding shingles
• Textured paint and patching compounds used on walls and ceilings
• Walls and floors around wood-burning stoves protected with asbestos paper, millboard, or cement sheets
• Hot water and steam pipes coated with asbestos material or covered with an asbestos blanket or tape
• Oil and coal furnaces and door gaskets with asbestos insulation
• Heat-resistant fabrics
• Automobile clutches and brakes
• Schools
• Workplaces
• Drinking Water
• Air
How can people be exposed to asbestos?
Asbestos fibers may be released into the air by the disturbance of asbestos-containing material during product use, demolition work, building or home maintenance, repair, and remodeling. In general, exposure may occur only when the asbestos-containing material is disturbed or damaged in some way to release particles and fibers into the air.
Health Effects from Exposure to Asbestos
Exposure to asbestos increases your risk of developing lung disease. That risk is made worse by smoking. In general, the greater the exposure to asbestos, the greater the chance of developing harmful health effects.
Disease Symptoms May Take Many Years to Develop Following Exposure
Asbestos-related conditions can be difficult to identify. Healthcare providers usually identify the possibility of asbestos exposure and related health conditions like lung disease by taking a thorough medical history. This includes looking at the person’s medical, work, cultural and environmental history.
After a doctor suspects an asbestos-related health condition, he or she can use a number of tools to help make the actual diagnosis. Some of these tools are physical examination, chest x-ray and pulmonary function tests. Your doctor may also refer you to a specialist who treats diseases caused by asbestos.
Three of the major health effects associated with asbestos exposure are:
• lung cancer
• mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that is found in the thin lining of the lung, chest and the abdomen and heart
• asbestosis, a serious progressive, long-term, non-cancer disease of the lungs
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund Program
The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Superfund program addresses abandoned hazardous waste sites. The Agency can clean up sites or compel responsible parties to perform cleanups or reimburse the government for EPA-led cleanups under the authority of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA).
Asbestos in the environment may be addressed by the Superfund program if it is the result of past industrial operations or improper waste disposal. For a long time, asbestos was part of many building materials and commercial products and may still be used in some applications. Asbestos became a popular product because it is strong, won’t burn, resists corrosion and insulates well.
Manufacturing and processing facilities are often a source of asbestos, as are other products known to contain asbestos (such as vermiculite). Asbestos products may also deteriorate over time, or buildings may be demolished without first properly removing the asbestos-containing material. In some places, asbestos is a naturally occurring substance. EPA’s website provides more asbestos-related information for communities, schools, building owners and managers, and asbestos professionals.
Where the asbestos is naturally occurring or there is concern regarding asbestos from in-place building materials, response actions to address these sites under Superfund are expressly limited under CERCLA §104(a)(3), 42 U.S.C. §9604(a)(3). For these cases, EPA reviews site-specific conditions to determine if a removal or response action under CERCLA is appropriate.
In most cases, removal of asbestos-containing building materials in place is regulated through a different EPA program, Section 112 of the National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs).
Asbestos contamination may be addressed under the removal or remediation programs as outlined in Superfund. Consistent with addressing other contaminants under Superfund, actions taken for asbestos-contaminated sites are informed by estimates of the health risk from site contamination for current and future land use. To aid in risk-based site evaluation, EPA has developed a framework for investigating asbestos-contaminated Superfund sites.
In the past, EPA response actions often addressed conditions where materials containing greater than 1 percent asbestos were present. But asbestos in soils at and below 1 percent may still pose unacceptable health risks depending on site-specific conditions and land use. Current EPA policy OSWER Directive 9345.4-05 recommends development of site-specific, risk-based action levels to determine if response actions should be taken when asbestos levels below 1 percent are found at a site.
In Florida, asbestos is recognized as a hazardous material due to its link to serious health conditions such as lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis. The use and handling of asbestos are regulated by both federal and state laws. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) oversees the management of asbestos through the National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs) and the Superfund program, as authorized by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA). These regulations govern the removal, disposal, and cleanup of asbestos-containing materials, especially during demolition or renovation of buildings. In Florida, specific statutes and regulations also apply to the management of asbestos, including certification requirements for asbestos consultants and contractors, as well as strict guidelines for asbestos abatement projects. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) works in conjunction with the EPA to ensure that asbestos is properly managed and that public health is protected. When asbestos is found in the environment, such as in soil or buildings, the EPA may intervene to assess the risk and, if necessary, conduct or mandate a cleanup. The approach to managing asbestos contamination is informed by site-specific conditions and the potential health risks associated with exposure.
