It’s been a while since the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had issued any findings or ruling on asbestos or asbestos-related products. Ever since the Asbestos Ban and Phase-Out Rule (ABPR) was gutted in 1991 in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, there has been a grey area when it comes to certain asbestos-containing materials (ACMs). Some have worried new EPA rulings could either expand that grey area or allow new asbestos manufacturing and product use in the United States. [Read more…] about The Findings of the EPA’s SNUR Ruling on Asbestos
EPA
ASB, ACM & ACWM: Common Asbestos Acronyms
Acronyms are useful shorthand in the world of asbestos remediation and removal, but can be opaque to residents and businesses who experience issues with asbestos exposure for the first time. If you’re doing your own research or digging through the information about asbestos abatement contractors in your area, you might hit a wall of unusual acronyms, referring to materials, agencies, and acts you’re not familiar with. We’re here to help provide a little clarity in your quest to learn more about asbestos acronyms. [Read more…] about ASB, ACM & ACWM: Common Asbestos Acronyms
What is the Lead RRP Rule and Why Is It Important?
We’ve talked in the last about lead paint – why it’s such a hazard in the home for children, dangerous during renovations, and why we’re Lead RRP licensed here at Fiber Control. But what is Lead RRP and why is the rule – the Leader RRP rule – so important for any home or business contractors, not just hazardous material remediation like ourselves? Let’s take a look at the EPA rule, why it was created in only the last 10 years, what you need to know about it when working on your home or commercial building. [Read more…] about What is the Lead RRP Rule and Why Is It Important?
Asbestos Regulations and the Toxic Substances Control Act
When we talk about asbestos regulations, the first one that is commonly brought up is the Asbestos Ban and Phase-Out-Rule, which was an EPA (the US Environmental Protection Agency) ruling targeted directly at banning asbestos. While its comprehensive ruling was short-lived, it was not the first legislation from the EPA about asbestos. The Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 (TSCA) was a more general rule that empowered the EPA to put requirements and regulations into play when it came to certain materials and substances, including asbestos. In many ways, it provided the groundwork for asbestos control, including regulations for how asbestos contractors work. [Read more…] about Asbestos Regulations and the Toxic Substances Control Act
How the EPA’s Significant New Use Rule Could Affect Asbestos
On June 1st, 2018, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), specifically the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, proposed a new rule concerning asbestos. This rule, the “Significant New Use Rule” or SNUR had two parts: first blocking some of the currently unregulated uses of asbestos, and then building a new framework for those and other new uses of asbestos to gain formal approval after testing and a safety review by the EPA. For asbestos watchdogs, this is why the SNUR is concerning, as it could potentially bring in new asbestos products into the US for use. [Read more…] about How the EPA’s Significant New Use Rule Could Affect Asbestos
The Rise and Fall of Banning Asbestos: Repeal of the ABPR
It’s a common misconception that in the United States, asbestos use is banned. While there is a patchwork quilt of legislation in place in federal and state levels, there are no single rules or acts that have been issued by Congress or the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that completely bans asbestos and Asbestos-Containing Material (ACM). The closest we had was the rule issued by the EPA in July of 1989 called the Asbestos Ban and Phase-Out-Rule (ABPR), which was met with a quick demise less than two years later. In this article, we’ll take a look at why. [Read more…] about The Rise and Fall of Banning Asbestos: Repeal of the ABPR
