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In many parts of the world there are no government regulations regarding the mining, production, manufacturing and disposal of asbestos. That is not the case in the US. The mining and production of asbestos has been banned for many years. It was officially recognized as a hazardous air pollutant in section 112 of the clean air act of 1970; its use (unfortunately) has not been completely banned. In 1974, Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act. This law requires EPA to monitor what levels of chemicals in the drinking water is safe, and what levels may cause health problems. These levels (non-enforceable) are based solely on possible health risks and exposure and are called Maximum Contaminant Level Goals (MCLG). The MCLG for asbestos has been established to be 7 million fibers per liter of water as per the EPA website. This level is believed to not pose a health risk. It is also the lowest level to which water systems can be required to remove this contaminant. The US Consumer Product Safety commission has also developed bans on the use of asbestos in particular consumer products such as textured paint, and wall patching compounds. (EPA Asbestos Bans clarification, May 18, 1999) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimated that the amount of asbestos still used in products exceeded 55,000 tons a year. In 2003, the US banned the use of asbestos in brake linings and brake pads. Some products are still legally allowed to contain asbestos. To be legally, the percentage of asbestos must be typically less than 1%. However, consider that if enough of that 1% was to be released into the atmosphere, it could still potentially result in a health threat. The US government has strict guidelines on the disposal of any asbestos products, the special filters used in the abatement procedures (removal of asbestos from buildings), they also require certain steps to be completed by abatement contractor who themselves have to be trained and licensed. There must be strict record keeping of all jobs, and waste disposals. There are guidelines for demolition of buildings containing asbestos. They regulate the manufacturing industry where asbestos products are used and created. Safety training, suits, manuals etc all need to be in place and in effective use for each and every employee. The US government has established that all EPA asbestos regulations fall primarily under the authority of two different federal laws and their implementations. These are the Clean Air Act (eg. Asbestos National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants) and the Toxic Substances Control Act (eg. Asbestos Ban and Phaseout) As new knowledge surfaces new regulations will come into effect to protect the public.
Article Source: http://www.articleshowroom.com
Rick has been writing about health related topics for over 12 years. He specializes in mesothelioma and asbestos related ailments.
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