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Corrugated cement asbestos roofing Asbestos Building Material Regulations, Bans, Dates, Rules & Laws
Current & historic asbestos regulations & asbestos laws around the world

  • POST a QUESTION or COMMENT about asbestos building material regulations, standards, & codes. Requirement to notify workes of the presence of asbestos.

Asbestos Bans, Rules, Regulations Guide: this article describes current asbestos exposure & handling regulations and lists the history of asbestos law and regulations for most countries.

We include a list of countries where asbestos containing materials or products (ACM) are banned in various forms. We provide a summary of OSHA regulations for asbestos containing building materials, including assumed asbestos containing building materials (roofing, flooring, insulation, drywall, etc), suspected asbestos containing materials, and assumed asbestos containing materials.

We address the handling of asbestos containing building materials, including the permissible exposure limits for asbestos particles or fibers in buildings (Asbestos PELs), ACM (asbestos containing materials), PACM (presumed asbestos containing materials), SACM (suspect asbestos containing materials), and ACRM (asbestos containing roofing materials).

InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.

Asbestos Containing Materials: Regulations, Bans, Exposure Limits

Asbestos containing acoustic ceiling tilesIn the U.S. and other countries, using the U.S. EPA guidelines, if either TEM or PLM analysis yields a result that the asbestos-suspect material contains greater than 1 percent asbestos, then the material must be considered ACM - "Asbestos-Containing-Material" and thus would merit appropriate protective measures depending on the material's friability, condition and location.

- U.S. EPA, ASBESTOS FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS [PDF] cited in the REFERENCES section of this article.

Photo above left: presumed-asbestos-containing material (PACM) acoustic ceiling tiles found above a suspended ceiling.

[Click to enlarge any image]

Really? In the U.S. OSHA regulations and letters clarifying them also state that items or materials that do not contain >1% asbestos are covered to at least some extent by the Construction Asbestos Standard.

That is, in the workplace, OSHA 29 CFR 1926.1101 would apply even if neither asbestos permissible exposure limit (PEL) is exceeded 1. The standard contains numerous work practice requirements and prohibitions which apply, regardless of the exposure levels.

However, only two of the requirements and three of the prohibitions must be observed in the case of work activities involving installed construction materials that do not contain >1% asbestos. Details from OSHA are given later in this article.

That same US EPA reference and many others also remark that

Asbestos that is in good condition and left undisturbed is unlikely to present a health risk. The risks from asbestos occur when it is damaged or disturbed where asbestos fibers become airborne and can be inhaled.

Managing asbestos in place and maintaining it in good repair is often the best approach.

Article Contents

History & Dates of Asbestos Containing Material Bans & Regulations & Related Occupational Safety Regulatory History

Banned Forms of Asbestos in the U.S. - 1989

Australian, New Zealand, & Japan Regulation of Asbestos Containing Products

According to the Government of South Australia SafeWork SA,

According to Australian contractor Bill Bradley, referring to Fibro asbestos-cement roofing, "Only cement sheet products made before 1987 contain the deadly stuff.  In NSW, for example, the use of it was discontinued in cement sheets by 1982, in corrugated sheets by 1984 and in all other products by 1986. Products containing it have been totally banned in Australia since 2004."

In Japan asbestos production peaked in 1974 but did not significantly drop before 1990. - citation needed beyond Wikipedia

New Zealand banned the import of amphibole asbestos in 1984, and banned chrysotile asbestos in 2002

See details at ASBESTOS PRODUCTS in AUSTRALIA

See details at ASBESTOS FLOORING IDENTIFICATION 1950's or LATER in New Zealand

See details at PINEX CEILING TILES - in New Zealand

Complete List of Countries that Ban or Regulate the Use or Production of Asbestos

List of Countries Banning All Asbestos Use & Production as of 2005

List of Countries Banning Asbestos Use but Permitting Small Production or Trade in ACM

  • Argentina
  • Australia - We read other reports that Australia did not ban asbestos completely until 2004 - citation needed.(See Wittenoom, Australia: mine source for crocidolite asbestos ("blue asbestos") from 1917 to 1966. )

    ASBESTOS PRODUCTS in AUSTRALIA
  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Coratia
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • France
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • Italy
  • Japan - production did not significantly drop before 1990. - citation needed beyond Wikipedia
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Slovakia
  • South Africa - a major source of asbestos production
  • Spain
  • Switzerland
  • Netherlands, The
  • United Kingdom, the U.K.
  • Uruguay

List of Countries that Ratified the 1986 ILO 162 Rules on Asbestos Safety in the Workplace

  • Belgium
  • Bolivia
  • Bosnia
  • Brazil
  • Cameroon
  • Canada - a major source of asbestos production - see CANADA ASBESTOS REGULATIONS
  • Chile
  • Columbia
  • Croatia
  • Cyprus
  • Ecuador
  • Finland
  • Germany
  • Guatemala
  • Herzegovina
  • Japan
  • Macedonia
  • Montenegro
  • Portugal
  • Russia
  • Serbia
  • Slovenia
  • Switzerland
  • Uganda
  • Uruguay
  • Zimbabwe

OSHA Definition of & Handling Rules for Suspect Asbestos Containing Materials (SACM) & Presumed Asbestos Containing Materials (PACM)

The term suspect ACM or SACM (Suspected Asbestos Containing Material) does not appear in either of the OSHA standards. The term, however, has long been used by the asbestos industry to refer to any building material that is suspected of being asbestos-containing (based on appearance, usage, age of building, etc.), but has not been proven conclusively to be ACM (asbestos containing material) (based on sampling and analysis, documentation, building records, etc).

For OSHA’s purposes, suspect material would include any material (including TSI, surfacing, and flooring) that a building owner suspects of containing asbestos and is found in a building constructed after 1980, or any material (excepting TSI, surfacing, and flooring) found in a building constructed prior to 1981. See:

Other typical suspect building materials would include ceiling tiles, asbestos-cement products (Transite®), and joint compound. The exercise of due diligence (as noted in the OSHA asbestos standards) requires that, where a building owner knows or should have known that materials other than PACM (presumed asbestos containing material) are asbestos-containing, these materials must be treated as ACM until proven otherwise.

This makes sense especially for building products for which a non-asbestos-containing-form was not ever produced, or was not produced during certain years. It is on this basis that we assert that it is possible to identify some asbestos-containing materials with confidence, even before any asbestos lab tests.

For examples of PACM (presumed asbestos containing materials), see:

A building constructed prior to 1981, therefore, could contain both PACM and suspect ACM. Newer buildings (constructed after 1980) would contain only suspect ACM.

ASBESTOS REGULATIONS FOR ONTARIO are published under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and are in Ontario Regulation 278/05 and provide a clearly-written and comprehensive guide to cleaning up and disposing of asbestos containing materials in or on buildings.

OSHA Definition of & Handling Rules for Presumed Asbestos Containing Material (PACM)

Photograph of asbestos pipe insulation in poor conditionPresumed Asbestos Containing Material (PACM) as OSHA defines it refers to thermal insulation and surfacing materials prior to 1980 but within the regulation they also mention that flooring (tile & sheet) and roofing materials shall also be deemed as asbestos containing unless sampled and shown otherwise.

For presumed asbestos-containing materials, there are two courses of action (under OSHA's standards):

  1. Rebut or disprove the Presumed Asbestos Containing Material (PACM )designation 

    for a particular material or environment being addressed
  2. Treat the PACM as Asbestos Containing Material (ACM)

     and follow the OSHA requirements for protecting worker and building occupant safety and health

According to CIH Kindley,

In both the OSHA Construction Asbestos Standard (29 CFR 1926.1101) and the General Industry Asbestos Standard (29 CFR 1910.1001) PACM is defined as thermal system insulation (TSI) and surfacing material found in a building constructed no later than 1980.

TSI is the material applied to pipes, fittings (joints, "Ts", elbows, valves, etc.), boilers, breechings, tanks, ducts or other structural components, generally to prevent heat loss or gain. Surfacing material refers to materials sprayed, troweled-on or otherwise applied to surfaces generally for acoustical, fireproofing, or other purposes.

Examples of surfacing materials include decorative finishes on ceilings and walls, fireproofing on structural members, and acoustical plasters. OSHA requires that building owners identify PACM in their buildings and treat the PACM as asbestos-containing materials (ACM) until the materials are proven not to contain asbestos.

U.S. Federal & State Rules on Asbestos Handling & Worker Notification of Asbestos Materials in the Workplace

Does an employer have to tell workers about asbestos present in their workplace? Does the employer have to tell workers when an asbestos-removal or abatement or remediation job is ongoing? Yes.

Building owners should inform occupants about the presence of ACM by distributing written notices, posting signs or labels in a central location where affected occupants can see them, and holding awareness or information sessions.

Some states and localities have “right-to-know” laws that may require that all occupants, workers, and visitors in buildings with ACM be informed that asbestos is present.

OSHA also requires warning signs to be displayed at each regulated area so that an employee may read the signs and take necessary protective steps before entering the area.

- US EPA cited below, in turn citing Occupant Notification in Buildings Containing Asbestos - https://www.epa.gov/asbestos/occupant-notification-buildings-containing-asbestos - The material in this section is based on regulations from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration found at 29 CFR § 1910.1001(j)

  • CALIFORNIA CODE OF REGULATIONS, TITLE 8, SECTION 1529. ASBESTOS [PDF] (2015) in Title 8, Subchapter 4, Construction Safety Orders; Article 4, Dusts, Fumes, Mists, Vapors, and Gases; Section 1529, Asbestos.
    Excerpt:

    (a) Scope and application.

    (1) This section regulates asbestos exposure in all construction work as defined in Section 1502 including but not limited to the following:

    (A) Demolition or salvage of structures where asbestos is present;

    (B) Removal or encapsulation of materials containing asbestos;

    (C) Construction, alteration, repair, maintenance, or renovation of structures, substrates, or portions thereof, that contain asbestos;

    (D) Installation of products containing asbestos;

    (E) Asbestos spill/emergency cleanup;

    (F) Transportation, disposal, storage, containment of and housekeeping activities involving asbestos or products containing asbestos, on the site or location at which construction activities are performed;

    (G) Excavation which may involve exposure to asbestos as a natural constituent which is not related to asbestos mining and milling activities

    (H) Routine facility maintenance; and

    (I) Erection of new electric transmission and distribution lines and equipment, and alteration, conversion and improvement of the existing transmission and distribution lines and equipment.

    (2) Whenever employee exposures to asbestos, as defined in subsection (b) of this section consist only of exposure to tremolite, anthophyllite, and actinolite in the nonasbestiform mineral habit, the provisions of Section 5208.1 shall apply.

    (3) The provisions of this section are subject to the requirements of the Occupational Carcinogen Control Act of 1976 (Labor Code, Division 5, Part 10).

    (4) Coverage under this Section shall be based on the nature of the work operation involving asbestos exposure.
  • US OSHA, Occupational Safety and Health Administration 29 CFR § 1910.1001(j)
  • US EPA, MONITORING ASBESTOS-CONTAINING MATERIAL (ACM) [PDF] U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, retriveed 2022/06/02, original source: https://www.epa.gov/asbestos/monitoring-asbestos-containing-material-acm
  • US EPA, OCCUPANT NOTIFICATION IN BUILDINGS CONTAINING ASBESTOS [PDF] U.S. EPA, retrieved 2022/06/02, original source: https://www.epa.gov/asbestos/occupant-notification-buildings-containing-asbestos - The material in this section is based on regulations from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration found at 29 CFR § 1910.1001(j)

 

Occurrence of Asbestos in Common Building Materials

This summary of the most-common places where asbestos is found in buildings has moved

to MOST COMMON OCCURRENCES OF ASBESTOS IN BUILDINGS

For our complete guide to recognizing asbestos-containing materials in buildings see the individual asbestos-containing products described

at ASBESTOS IDENTIFICATION IN BUILDINGS.

Two other articles provide longer lists of asbestos-containing products used on or in buildings and in other products as well:

Disposal of Asbestos Containing Flooring, Roofing or Siding Materials

For handling and disposal guidance concerning old roofing material, siding material, vinyl-asbestos floor tiles, asbestos pipe or boiler or furnace insulation, or other asbestos containing or suspect asbestos containing materials at a job-site, contact the US EPA, your state Department of Environmental Protection/Conservation, or your local building and health departments.

Detailed advice & regulations citations for disposing of asbestos containing materials or presumed asbestos containing materials are

at ASBESTOS DISPOSAL REGULATIONS

At OSHA REGULATIONS, ASBESTOS ROOFING, SIDING [web article] we discuss (briefly) the regulation of demolition & removal of cement asbestos or other asbestos containing roofing and siding materials.

At ASBESTOS ROOF MATERIALS [web article] we discuss environmental issues surrounding disposal of fiber cement roofing products that contain asbestos.

ASBESTOS REGULATIONS for ONTARIO [PDF] are published under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and are

in ONTARIO REGULATION 278/05 [PDF] is also found at http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/regs/english/elaws_regs_050278_e.htm

Asbestos Regulations in the E.U.

This topic has moved to U.K. ASBESTOS REGULATIONS

How to Dispose of Vinyl-Asbestos or Asphalt Asbestos-Containing Floor Tiles

This discussion has moved to a new article at ASBESTOS DISPOSAL REGULATIONS

Government Advice on Disposal of Asbestos Containing Flooring, Roofing or Siding Materials in buildings

This discussion has moved to a new article at ASBESTOS DISPOSAL REGULATIONS

Permissible Exposure Limit (PELs) for Asbestos in or at Buildings

This topic has been moved to ASBESTOS EXPOSURE LIMITS (PELS) TLVs RBCs & RELs

Most Common Locations of Asbestos in Buildings

This discussion has moved to MOST COMMON OCCURRENCES OF ASBESTOS IN BUILDINGS


...

Continue reading at ASBESTOS REGULATION UPDATE includes more recent asbestos regulations for the U.S. and other countries. That article clarifies just what products are currently permitted or not permitted to contain asbestos. - or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

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ASBESTOS MATERIAL REGULATIONS at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.


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INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to ASBESTOS HAZARDS

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