FREE Encyclopedia of Building & Environmental Construction, Diagnosis, Maintenance & Repair The accuracy & trustworthiness of every article or Q&A is researched by human experts. See WHO ARE WE?
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.
Page top photo: corrugated cement asbestos roofing on a building in Herefordshire, England, UK.
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.
These guidelines also 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.
- Daniel Friedman, Publisher/Editor/Author - See WHO ARE WE?
In 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.
Photo: presumed-asbestos-containing material (PACM) in perforated acoustic ceiling tiles found above a suspended ceiling.
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.
2024: Netherlands prohibition of asbestos roofing materials - must be removed by 2024
2022: U.S. EPA proposed ban on ongoing uses of asbestos [status uncertain as of July 2022 - Ed.]
EPA ACTIONS TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC FROM EXPOSURE TO ASBESTOS [PDF] (18 July 2022) - retrieved 2022/07/22 original source: https://www.epa.gov/asbestos/epa-actions-protect-public-exposure-asbestos
Excerpt: April 2022 EPA’s Proposed Ban of Ongoing Uses of Asbestos will, if finalized, protect American workers and families by prohibiting ongoing uses of the only known form of asbestos currently imported into the U.S. to address the unreasonable risk found to human health in the December 2020 chrysotile asbestos risk evaluation.
The proposed rule would prohibit manufacture (including import), processing, distribution in commerce, and commercial use of chrysotile asbestos for all ongoing uses of chrysotile asbestos. EPA is proposing this risk management rule under section 6(a) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
This proposed rule is the first-ever risk management rule issued under the new process for evaluating and addressing the safety of existing chemicals under re-authorized TSCA. EPA extended the comment period by 30 days and accepted comments on the proposed rule until July 13, 2022.
2020: US EPA December 2020 Final Risk Evaluation for Asbestos, Part 1: Chrysotile Asbestos, found unreasonable risks to human health for all ongoing uses of chrysotile asbestos.
2019: U.S EPA, LIST OF USES COVERED UNDER APRIL 2019 FINAL RULE; RESTRICTIONS ON DISCONTINUED USES OF ASBESTOS [PDF] (2019), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, original source: https://www.epa.gov/asbestos/list-uses-covered-under-april-2019-final-rule-restrictions-discontinued-uses-asbestos
In April 2019, EPA issued a final rule that strengthens the Agency’s ability to rigorously review an expansive list of asbestos products that are no longer on the market before they could be sold again in the United States. This action gives EPA the authority to prohibit the use of these products or put in place restrictions to protect public health.
Under the April 2019 Final Rule:
The public is protected from uses of asbestos that are no longer on the market and are not covered under any other laws or regulations.
Products like certain asbestos vinyl floor tiles, insulation, and other building materials, as well as clothing and manufacturing products, are prohibited from being produced and sold before EPA reviews them and puts in place any necessary restrictions or prohibits use.
EPA is not allowing new uses of asbestos.
Persons subject to the rule are required to notify EPA at least 90 days before commencing any manufacturing, importing, or processing of asbestos or asbestos-containing products covered under the rule. These uses are prohibited until EPA conducts a thorough review of the notice and puts in place any necessary restrictions, including prohibiting use.
Uses of asbestos covered under the partial 1989 ban will remain banned. T
his rule keeps these prohibitions in place and would not amend them in any way. In other words, this action does not provide a means by which these prohibited products could return to the marketplace.
Excerpts: The following table contains a list of the products covered under EPA’s April 2019 final rule to ensure that asbestos products that are no longer on the market cannot return to commerce without the Agency evaluating them and putting in place any necessary restrictions or prohibiting use.
This table includes:
Any use of asbestos not otherwise identified:
Except those uses prohibited under § 763.165 (i.e. Corrugated Paper, Rollboard, Commercial Paper Specialty Paper, Flooring Felt and New Uses (the manufacture, importation or processing of which would be initiated for the first time after August 25, 1989)) and uses of imported chrysotile (including as part of an article) that are currently ongoing in the United States (i.e. diaphragms; sheet gaskets; oilfield brake blocks; aftermarket automotive brakes/linings; other vehicle friction products; and other gaskets).
Summary of the Proposed Rule
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing a rule under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to address the unreasonable risk of injury to health it has identified for conditions of use of chrysotile asbestos following completion of the TSCA Risk Evaluation for Asbestos, Part 1: Chrysotile Asbestos.
TSCA requires that EPA address the unreasonable risks of injury to health and environment by rule and to apply requirements to the extent necessary so that chrysotile asbestos no longer presents such risks.
Therefore, to address the unreasonable risk identified in the TSCA Risk Evaluation for Asbestos, Part 1 from chrysotile asbestos, EPA is proposing to prohibit manufacture (including import), processing, distribution in commerce and commercial use of chrysotile asbestos for chrysotile asbestos diaphragms for use in the chlor-alkali industry, chrysotile asbestos-containing sheet gaskets used in chemical production, chrysotile asbestos-containing brake blocks used in the oil industry, aftermarket automotive chrysotile asbestos-containing brakes/linings, other chrysotile asbestos-containing vehicle friction products, and other chrysotile asbestos-containing gaskets.
EPA also is proposing to prohibit manufacture (including import), processing, and distribution in commerce of aftermarket automotive chrysotile asbestos-containing brakes/linings for consumer use, and other chrysotile asbestos-containing gaskets for consumer use.
EPA is also proposing disposal and recordkeeping requirements for these conditions of use.
2018/10/01 Current (new) Canadian asbestos regulations:
2018/08/11: New US EPA Rules Limit Asbestos Regulations in the U.S.
Friedman, Lisa, "E.P.A. Emails Reveal Clash Over Asbestos", The New York Times, retrieved 2018/08/10, original source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/10/climate/epa-asbestos-rule.html
This article appeared in print in the New York Times p. B1, B4, on 2018/08//11, titled: " E.P.A. Emails Reveal Clash Over Asbestos".
Excerpts: Top officials at the Environmental Protection Agency pushed through a measure to review applications for using asbestos in consumer products, and did so over the objections of E.P.A.’s in-house scientists and lawyers, internal agency emails show.
The clash over the proposal exposes the tensions within the E.P.A. over the Trump administration’s efforts to roll back environmental rules and rewrite other regulations that industries have long fought.
The E.P.A. says it is toughening oversight. However, the way its new rule is written has spawned a spirited debate over whether it will actually make it easier for asbestos to come back into more widespread use. Consumer groups say the agency should be looking for ways to prohibit asbestos entirely.
“The new approach raises significant concerns about the potential health impacts,” wrote Sharon Cooperstein, an E.P.A. policy analyst, in one of the emails. She, along with a veteran E.P.A. scientist and a longtime agency attorney, said the proposal as designed left open the possibility that businesses could start using asbestos in some cases without getting the government’s assessment, putting the public at risk.
“Upper management asked us to take a different approach,” wrote Robert T. Courtnage, an associate chief in E.P.A.’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, in an April 25 email sent to 13 members of an agency group working on the then-forthcoming proposal.
Specifically: Rather than call for all new uses of asbestos to come before the E.P.A. for a risk review, the rule would include just 15 specific uses that would trigger a federal assessment.
The list of 15 included a number of specific and relatively common uses for asbestos, including as separators in fuel cells and batteries and as a component in vinyl-asbestos floor tile and high-grade electrical paper.
Watch out: OPINION: The extensive list asbestos products at ASBESTOS LIST of PRODUCTS shows a very wide range of uses.
There is in our view [DF] no way that a list of fifteen specific uses of asbestos could possibly cover nor anticipate this enormous range of uses of asbestos.
The result risks un-regulated re-appearance of asbestos in consumer and other products, some of which could expose people to dangerous levels of asbestos.
Those risks are exacerbated further by significant variations in asbestos particle shedding into the air that occurs between the manufacture, distribution, use, aging, demolition, or deterioration of asbestos-containing products.
On 2018/08/12 We sent the following comments to the NY Times Reporter
Thank you for this very important report. I have been collecting, studying and reporting on sources of asbestos in and around buildings since 1985.
Based on that experience my opinion is that no list of 15 uses of asbestos could possibly anticipate the enormous range of asbestos-containing products that has already appeared.
The result risks and in fact pretty much assures the un-regulated re-appearance of asbestos in consumer and other products, some of which are likely to expose people to dangerous levels of asbestos.
Those risks are exacerbated further by significant variations in asbestos particle shedding into the air that occurs between the manufacture, distribution, use, aging, demolition, or deterioration of asbestos-containing products.
Take a look at ASBESTOS LIST of PRODUCTS at https://inspectapedia.com/hazmat/Asbestos_Products.php
where I list well over 1000 uses and locations of asbestos in products. In that article I link to more-detailed descriptions of many of those products including asbestos in rather unusual and un-anticipated places that normal people would not imagine.
That website and that article are my work. I have assisted Times reporters with work previously, and if I can help you research future articles don't hesitate to ask
Respectfully Daniel Friedman, editor, publisher, InspectApedia.com
2018: Current U.S. Asbestos Exposure Limits: see 2016 below
2017: Brazil bans asbestos use in these municipalities: São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Pernambuco, Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, Santa Catarina, Pará, Maranhão and Amazonas.
Ukraine approved legislation to ban the sue of all types of asbestos.
2016 Canada: 2016/12/15, announced asbestos ban to take effect in 2018
U.S. EPA, ASBESTOS HAZARD SUMMARY 1332-21-4 (Updated), retrieved 2018/06/13, original source: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-10/documents/asbestos.pdf
In 2010, there were two U.S. suppliers of asbestos and most of the asbestos used in the U.S. is imported from Canada. ... EPA has classified asbestos as a Group A, known human carcinogen.
... Many uses [of asbestos, but not all uses] have been prohibited, including the spraying of asbestos-containing material on buildings and structures for fireproofing, insulation and decorative purposes, asbestos inclusion in patching compounds and asbestos heat shields in hair dryers. Asbestos substitutes continue to be developed.
For example, nonasbestos friction materials are currently being used in disc
brake pads, and substitutes have been developed for drum brake linings.
Asbestos has been detected in indoor air, where it is released from a variety of building materials such as insulation and ceiling and floor tiles.
It is only released, however, when these building materials are damaged or disintegrate.
Netherlands: 2016/01/04 announced subsidies for removal of asbestos roofing, all to be removed by 2024
2015 Korea total ban of asbestos 2015/04/01
2014: Argentina permit for limited use of asbestos-containing materials expired
Hong Kong: 2014/01/22 (declared in 2013) bans import and transshipment of all forms of asbestos
Nepal asbestos ban 2014/12/22
Thailand asbestos prohibition support by ministries of interior and public health
2012 U.K. ASBESTOS: The SURVEY GUIDE [PDF], (2012) U.K. HSE, Health and Safety Executive, Website: www.hse.gov.uk
This heavily illustrated publication replaces and expands on MDHS100, Surveying, sampling and assessment of asbestos-containing materials.
It is aimed at people carrying out asbestos surveys and people with specific responsibilities for managing asbestos in non-domestic premises under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.
The book covers competence and quality assurance and surveys, including: survey planning, carrying out surveys, the survey report and the dutyholder’s use of the survey information. It includes extensive appendices and references. - retrieved 2018/06/13, original source http://www.hse.gov.uk/pUbns/priced/hsg264.pdf)
2002-2011: New Zealand banned white chrisotile asbestos.
2000: U.S. ATSDR issues statements summarizing the public health hazards of asbestos
ATSDR, PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT, ASBESTOS [PDF] CAS#: 1332-21-4, US Dept. of Health & Human Services, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Division of Toxicology/Toxicology Information Branch, 1600 Clifton Road NE, E-29, Atlanta, Georgia 30333 USA, retrieved 2018/06/13, original source: https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ToxProfiles/tp61-c1-b.pdfz
Discussed in this excellent summary about asbestos:
What is asbestos?
What happens to asbestos when it enters the environment?
How might I be exposed to asbestos?
How can asbestos enter and leave my body?
How can asbestos affect my health?
How can asbestos affect children?
How can families reduce the risk of exposure to asbestos?
Is there a medical test to determine whether or not I have been exposed to asbestos?
What recommendations has the federal government made to protect human health?
ATSDR, TOXICOLOGICAL PROFILE FOR ASBESTOS (TP-61) [PDF], (2001) US Dept. of Health & Human Services, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Division of Toxicology/Toxicology Information Branch, 1600 Clifton Road NE, E-29, Atlanta, Georgia 30333 USA, retrieved 2018/06/13, original source: https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp61.pdf
1999: ASBESTOS MATERIAL REGULATIONS Update US EPA 1999. This document makes clear that EPA has no existing bans on asbestos-containing products other than items listed in this document: ACM ceiling tiles were not banned. Note: however because of public resistance to purchase or use of ACM products, many manufacturers discontinued of asbestos in various products, particularly after 1976. Check the individual product MSDS for confirmation of its content. - Ed.
In 1999 Great Britain banned the sale or re-use of white asbestos (chrysotile). The UK The Asbestos (Prohibitions) (Amendment) regulations came into force on November 24, 1999 [26] Chrysotile (white asbestos) had been permitted in the UK.
Statutory Instrument No. 2373 banned the import of crude fiber, flake, powder or waste chrysotile and the new use of asbestos cement, boards, panels, tiles and other products. Chrysotile-containing products installed prior to November 24, 1999 could remain in place until they reached the end of their service life. The sale of second-hand asbestos cement products and building materials with asbestos-containing coatings was forbidden. [57]
Kazan-Allen. L. UNITED KINGDOM BANS CHRYSOTILE [PDF] (1999) British Asbestos Newsletter, Issue 36: Autumn 1999. retrieved 2018/02/07 original source: http://www.britishasbestosnewsletter.org/ban36.htm
1992 Expiration of the 1986 temporary OSHA stay was on 30 Msy 1992. Pursuant to the stay and its extension, the standard, covering tremolite, anthophyllite, and actinolite were to remain in effect as they had applied to minerals under the previous standard. The 1972 standard was republished as 29 CFR 1910.1101 (1987).
1990 OSHA Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) proposing to remove non-asbestiform tremolite, anthophyllite and actinolite from the scope of the revised standards for Asbestos. OSHA also presented and requested comment on various alternatives for regulating non-asbestiform ATA. The Administration Stay was extended to May 30, 1992
Banned Forms of Asbestos in the U.S. - 1989
1989: EPA ASBESTOS MATERIAL BANS -1989 - later referred to as the 1989 Partial Ban on the manufacture, import, processing, and distribution of some asbestos-containing products. EPA also banned new uses of asbestos which prevent new asbestos products from entering the marketplace after August 25, 1989. These uses remain banned. The April 2019 rule does not provide a way for these uses to return to the marketplace.
Excerpt: Under the 1989 rule Asbestos: Manufacture, Importation, Processing, and Distribution in Commerce Prohibitions (54 FR 29460, July 12, 1989) (FRL-3476-2), five uses of asbestos and any “new use” – defined by that rule as uses of asbestos for which the manufacture, importation, or processing would be initiated for the first time after August 25, 1989 – are banned in the United States.
The manufacture, importation, processing, and distribution of the following asbestos-containing products are banned under TSCA.
Corrugated paper
Rollboard
Commercial paper
Specialty paper
Flooring felt
New commercial uses that begin after August 25, 1989
Under the Clean Air Act (CAA), the following asbestos-containing uses are banned.
Asbestos pipe insulation and asbestos block insulation on facility components, such as boilers and hot water tanks, if the materials are either pre-formed (molded) and friable or wet-applied and friable after drying.
Spray-applied surfacing asbestos-containing materials
Spray-on application of materials containing more than 1% asbestos to buildings, structures, pipes, and conduits unless certain conditions specified under 40 CFR 61, Subpart MEXITEXIT EPA WEBSITE are met.
Under the Consumer Product Safety Act (Consumer Product Safety Commission), asbestos in artificial fireplace embers and wall patching compounds are banned.
Under the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), asbestos-containing filters in pharmaceutical manufacturing, processing and packing are banned.
1986 OSHA granted a temporary stay insofar as the standards applied to non-asbestiform tremolite, anthophyllite, and actinolite (51 FR 37002).
In 1986 OSHA set a permissible exposure limit (PEL) of 0.2 fibers per cubic centimeter (f/cc) of air over an 8-hour time-weighted average exposure period.
1985: U.K. ban on Amosite & Crocidolite forms of asbestos [57]
1983 OSHA issued an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) for asbestos, lowering the permissible exposure limit from 2 fibers per cubic centimeter (2 f/cc) to 0.5 f/cc (48 FR 51086, November 4, 1983). [55]
1981-1991: New Zealand banned the import of raw amphibole (blue & brown) asbestos in 1984. Great Britain banned blue & brown asbestos materials in 1985. In 1989 : US EPA issued its "Asbestos Ban and Phase Out Rule", later overturned in court in 1991, thus continuing to permit asbestos in many products. Australia introduced a ban on all ACM in 1991 (in-stock materials continued to be sold) [28]
1976:
E.U. ban on marketing & use of chrysotile asbestos [26]
1975 OSHA proposed to reduce the PEL and otherwise revise and tighten the asbestos standard to protect employees against carcinogenic effects of asbestos (40 FR 47652, October 9, 1975). [55]
1972 OSHA issued a permanent asbestos exposure standard. Quoting OSHA: OSHA conducted rulemaking and issued a permanent standard under section 6(b) of the OSH Act, which regulated occupational exposure to asbestos. The standard defined asbestos as chrysotile, crocidolite, amosite, tremolite, anthophyllite, and actinolite [29 CFR 1910.93a (later renumbered as Section 1910.1001); 37 FR 11318, June 7, 1972].
Note: Because the 1972 standard did not distinguish between asbestiform and non-asbestiform ATA, OSHA began to inspect employers whose employees were exposed to either mineralogic variety. [55]
1971 OSHA issued emergency regulations for asbestos exposure. Quoting OSHA: OSHA first regulated asbestos on 1971 when, under authority of section 6(a) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, it adopted the existing Federal standard for asbestos under the Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act. [54][55]
The Occupational Safety & Health Act was passed into law;
NIOSH founded
1970: The Celotex Corporation of America introduced an isocyanurate foam ceiling tile [11] (not an asbestos-containing product). Asbestos widely used as fireproofing in roofs, floors, ceilings.[28] In the U.S.
OSHA began functioning in the U.S. at the very end this year (29 December) but did not issue asbestos regulations until 1971.[54][55]
1967: U.S. Gypsum ceiling tiles, reported produced using ingredients that included asbestos from 1967-1976[29]
1953: National Gypsum recommends acoustic plaster mixers wear respirators
1934 U.S. Bureau of Labor Standards created [56]
1927-1944: asbestos health hazards & fatalities reported in the U.S. The U.S. government began regulating asbestos exposure in 1926.
1913 U.S. Department of Labor established [56]
1907: first testimony of illness or death due to asbestos exposure [27], though there had been studies of asbestos-related illness before 1900 [28]
1903, the U.S. Bureau of Labor began publishing detailed studies of occupational fatalities and illnesses in the dusty trades [56]
1877 Massachusetts passed the nation’s first safety and health legislation, requiring the guarding of belts, shafts, and gears, protection on elevators, and adequate fire exits in factories. [56]
Australian, New Zealand, & Japan Regulation of Asbestos Containing Products
According to the Government of South Australia SafeWork SA,
The use of all types of
asbestos in the amphibole group was banned in the mid 1980s.
Chrysotile asbestos was banned on 31 December 2003
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
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
Chile
Cyprus
Finland
Ireland
Kuwait
Latvia
Malta
Monaco
New Zealand - banned the import of amphibole asbestos in 1984, and banned chrysotile asbestos in 2002.
Norway
Slovenia
Sweden
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. )
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:
OSHA CLARIFICATIONS re: Questions concerning the OSHA requirements covering the renovation of school buildings that have hard plaster containing some asbestos, but the amount is not more than 1%", [PDF], OSHA Clarification, (2003) Letter, Richard E. Fairfax, Director
Directorate of Enforcement Programs to Kurt Varga, Ph.D.
The InService Training Network
6813 Flags Center Drive
Columbus, OH 43229 USA, November 24, 2003, retreived 2017/05/17, original source: https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=INTERPRETATIONS&p_id=24748
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)
Presumed 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.
Photo: asbestos pipe insulation was most-often in a form that can be identified without a lab test: look at the end of the pipe wrap in this photo as well as where it's falling apart in the photo center: this asbestos pipe insulation looks like grey-white corrugated cardboard in form.
For presumed asbestos-containing materials, there are two courses of action (under OSHA's standards):
Rebut or disprove the Presumed Asbestos Containing Material (PACM )designation
for a particular material or environment being addressed
Treat the PACM as Asbestos Containing Material (ACM)
and follow the OSHA requirements for protecting worker and building occupant safety and health
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)
(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
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 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.
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.
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In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.
[17] National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) (1989). In NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods (P. M. Eller, Ed.),
Method 7400. NIOSH, Washington, DC.
[18] U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA—Green Book) (1990). In Managing Asbestos in Place: A Building Owners Guide to Operations and Maintenance Programs for Asbestos-Containing
[19] U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (USDOL) (1994). In Occupational Exposure to Asbestos:
Final Rule, FR Vol. 59, No. 153:40964–41162. Materials, Report 2OT-2003. USEPA, Washington, DC.
[20] U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(USDOL) (1986). In Occupational Exposure to Asbestos: Tremolite, Anthophyllite, and Actinolite: Final Rule, FR Vol. 51, No. 119:22631–22644.
[21] U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) (1990). In Environmental Asbestos Assessment Manual, Superfund Method for the Determination of Asbestos in Ambient Air, Part 2, Technical Background Document, Report EPA/540/2-90/005 b. USEPA, Washington, DC
[22] Ceiling - Frequently Asked Questions, Armstrong Corporation, web search 6/30/12, original source: https://www.armstrongflooring.com/resclgam/na/ceilings/en/us/article17697.html
[23] BPB America Inc.,
5301 West Cypress St., Suite 300,
Tampa, FL 33607,
Tel: 866-427-2872
E-mail: crc@bpb-na.com
Web: www.bpb-na.com. Acoustic ceiling tile & accessories.
[24] Affa Tile Company
No. 1116/8, Poonamalee High Road, Opposite Hotel Shan Royal, Koyambedu
Chennai, Tamil Nadu - 600 107, India, E-Mail: affatiles@gmail.com website: http://www.affatiles.com Tel:044-24757498, 044 - 24757497
[26] "Directive 2003/18/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 March 2003 amending Council Directive 83/477/EEC on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to asbestos at work". Publications Office of the European Union. 27 March 2003 Web search 6/30/12, original source: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32003L0018:EN:NOT,
[27] H. M. Murray, testimony before the Departmental Committee on Compensation for Industrial Diseases "Minutes of Evidence, Appendices and Index", 1907. p. 127
[28] D. Auribault, "Note sur l'Hygiène et la Sécurité des Ouvriers dans les Filatures et Tissages d'Amianté (On hygiene and security of the workers in the spinning and weaving of asbestos)" in Le Bulletin de l'Inspection du Travail, 1906, pp 120–132.
[29] Wikipedia entry on Asbestos and various citations from that article, web search 6/30/12, original source: en.wikipedia.org "Asbestos"
[30] "Handling Asbestos-Containing roofing material - an update", Carl Good, NRCA Associate Executive Director, Professional Roofing, February 1992, p. 38-43
[31] EPA Guidance for Controlling Asbestos-Containing Materials in Buildings, NIAST, National Institute on Abatement Sciences & Technology, [republishing EPA public documents] 1985 ed., Exposure Evaluation Division, Office of Toxic Substances, Office of Pesticides and Toxic Substances, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington,D.C. 20460
[32] EPA Asbestos Materials Bans-1989: 1989 (OBSOLETE)
On July 12, 1989, EPA issued a final rule banning most asbestos-containing products. In 1991, this regulation was overturned by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. As a result of the Court's decision, the following specific asbestos-containing products remain banned: flooring felt, rollboard, and corrugated, commercial, or specialty paper. In addition, the regulation continues to ban the use of asbestos in products that have not historically contained asbestos, otherwise referred to as "new uses" of asbestos.
Web Search 01/20/2011, original source: epa.gov/asbestos/pubs/ban.html - quoting:
Below are four relevant Federal Register notices [ concerning asbestos manufacture, use, and bans in the U.S.] :
[38] Title 2 - Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response, web search 01/2/2011, original source: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2009-title15
/html/USCODE-2009-title15-chap53-subchapII.htm
[39] Code of Federal Regulations and Federal Register Notices
Code of Federal Regulations
[40] 40 CFR Part 763 - Asbestos (PDF) (96 pp, 588K, about PDF), web search 01/2/2011, original source: http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/pubs/2003pt763.pdf
Subpart E - Asbestos-Containing Materials in Schools
Subpart G - Asbestos Worker Protection
Subpart I - Prohibition of the Manufacture, Importation, Processing and Distribution in Commerce of Certain Asbestos-Containing Products; Labeling Requirements
Federal Register Notices - The Government Printing Office maintains a searchable database of all Federal Register (FR) Notices.
[43] The U.S.
EPA also maintains a searchable listing of Federal Register Notices published by EPA.
[44] Asbestos products and their history and use in various building materials such as asphalt and vinyl flooring includes discussion which draws on Asbestos, Its Industrial Applications, D.V. Rosato, engineering consultant, Newton, MA, Reinhold Publishing, 1959 Library of Congress Catalog Card No.: 59-12535 (out of print).
[45] "Handling Asbestos-Containing roofing material - an update", Carl Good, NRCA Associate Executive Director, Professional Roofing, February 1992, p. 38-43
[46] EPA Guidance for Controlling Asbestos-Containing Materials in Buildings, NIAST, National Institute on Abatement Sciences & Technology, [republishing EPA public documents] 1985 ed., Exposure Evaluation Division, Office of Toxic Substances, Office of Pesticides and Toxic Substances, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington,D.C. 20460
[47] Copy on file as - /hazmat/Asbestos_in_Your_Home_US_EPA.pdf - Asbestos in Your Home - U.S. EPA, Exposure Evaluation Division, Office of Toxic Substances, Office of Pesticides and Toxic Substances, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington,D.C. 20460
[48] NRCA Roofing and Waterproofing Manual, 4th Ed., available from the National Roofing Contractors' Association.
[49] "Tips for working with fiber-cement roofing products", Thomas L. Smith, AIA, RRC, Professional Roofing, September 1996
[50] "About Asbestos Cement Roof Shingles", Ann Johnson, at ehow.com, a nice article about the history of this material - November 2008.
[51] Thanks to reader Tom Sukeforth, Asbestos & Lead Project Manager, Department of Facilities Management, University of Maine
for updating our information on the current permissible exposure limits (PELS) for asbestos fibers, and for the discussion of PACM. 07/29/2010.
[52] Presumed Asbestos-Containing Material (PACM) vs. Suspect Asbestos-Containing Material, Michael Kindley, CIHWorkplace Hygiene website, via web search 07/29/2010, http://www.workplace-hygiene.com/articles/PACM-v-Susp.html
[53] Asbestos regulations for Ontario are published under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and are in Ontario Regulation 278/05 Web search 11/4/2010, original source: http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/regs/english/elaws_regs_050278_e.htm
[57] Kazan-Allen. L. United Kingdom Bans Chrysotile. British Asbestos Newsletter, Issue 36: Autumn 1999.
In addition to citations & references found in this article, see the research citations given at the end of the related articles found at our suggested
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