With asbestos proven track record for reliability and flexibility of use in almost any commercial and industrial application, its removal from the market took a much longer time than it was earlier projected.
With the EPA’s attempt to forever ban the manufacture, importation, processing, and distribution of asbestos in the 90s because of occupational health and safety concerns, the removal of asbestos from the market finally started rolling, albeit slowly. And with the advent of technological, regulatory, and economic advances, the manufacturing industry has turned to other ways to either use asbestos substitutes or eliminate asbestos in the process altogether.
The action was initiated in response to a burgeoning claim in the medical research field of asbestos’ role in the development of three of man’s most chronic, and often lethal, forms of diseases. These included asbestosis – a chronic form of lung disease that is characterized by scarring of lung tissues, losing their ability to take in oxygen and remove carbon dioxide – mesothelioma, and lung cancer. The major downside to these disease conditions is that they take relatively long to develop – usually 20 to 30 years from year of first exposure.
However, the problem was that not all asbestos and asbestos-related and –containing products have been pulled out of the market until the turn of the new millennium. This is the reason why the federal government had to issue several prescriptive guidelines in the testing of establishments for the presence of asbestos. At the same time, the federal government issued the policies and guidelines to remove such substances from these identified establishments and or structures for the safety of the occupants and the general public.
The question now is that, were these government regulations regarding the testing and abatement of asbestos achieved its purpose in the end?
The Basics
Before we can even begin to comprehend the need for such a massive undertaking by the federal government, let us establish a few simple facts first.
1. Asbestos is a naturally-occurring substance that is used in many different applications because of its hardiness but mostly because of its ability to withstand fire and insulate against extreme heat.
2. Asbestos has been extensively used in almost 4000 different commercial and industrial products primarily because of its ready availability, low cost, excellent thermal and sound insulation, strength, flexibility, and resistance to chemical corrosion properties.
3. The danger in asbestos is that its individual fibers are so hardy that they tend to scrape off live tissue from the lungs once these fibers are inhaled. As such, asbestos is generally harmless if the fibers do not become dislodged. The manner and the place in which asbestos was applied can spell the difference between health and illness.
4. If the individual fibers of the asbestos product can easily transform into airborne dust or particles, the asbestos product is known as friable. By friable we mean the capacity of a substance to be ground to powdery form with the mere use of fingers. Non-friable asbestos products will be those whose fibers do not readily detach from the asbestos matrix.
The Concern
Having learned that the danger posed by asbestos is in the capability of its individual fibers to become dislodged from the matrix of the asbestos, it is best that we get acquainted with the three chronic diseases associated with asbestos exposure.
1. Asbestosis occurs because the individual friable asbestos fibers have found their way into the lungs of the individual. Injury to the lung tissue can occur because of the hardy characteristic o the friable fiber. Scarring can occur which can limit the degree to which the lung can expand during respiration. The end result of all these process is that the person will have a more difficult time breathing which translates into oxygenation problems. Inadequate oxygen supply to the different vital organs of the body can lead to oxygen starvation in these organs until such time that they no longer function well and they die.
2. Mesothelioma is a very rare kind of lung cancer that affects the lining of the lung or the lining of the abdomen.
3. Lung cancer can also occur because asbestos fibers are considered non-self by the human body. As such, the interaction between host defenses and the asbestos fibers can initiate the development of a new form of cell. New cell forms constitute what we call as neoplasms, “neo” for new and “plasm” for cell. In other words, there is a growth of an entirely different kind of cell, which is, essentially, the nature of cancer.
The Requirements
Because of the foregoing concern over the long term effects of asbestos exposure, federal guidelines had to be implemented in accordance with the law and with respect to the individual regulatory needs of the different states. As such, current practice will show that individual states all across the country have their own state-enforced regulations and guidelines regarding testing and abatement of asbestos.
Generally speaking, the need for testing establishments and or structures for the presence of asbestos stems from the rather slow start of the implementation of the EPA guidelines. Furthermore, the asbestos industry’s aggressive lobbying in the 90s contributed to this phenomenon.
1. All buildings and structures scheduled for demolition or renovation should be inspected and tested first for the presence of asbestos containing materials, or ACMs.
2. In cases of renovation, inspection and testing is required if the renovation activity involves handling of more than 160 square feet of building materials or more than 260 linear feet of pipe insulation. If the renovation involves the handling of materials that are positively identified as having asbestos, these materials should be first removed according to the National Emission Standards on Hazardous Air Pollutants or NESHAP guidelines.
3. Only Category II non-friable ACMs can be left inside buildings and or structures for demolition or renovation without the need for immediate removal prior to the demolition or renovation. These ACMs can include asphalt roofing products, flooring materials, valve packing and gaskets, and pliable materials and sealants that are in good condition.
4. It is important to remove all other asbestos containing materials from any building before any restoration, renovation, or demolition can take place.
5. Proper documentation and notification of government regulatory agencies is required at least 10 days before any renovation and or demolition activities can begin.
6. Persons who will perform the asbestos abatement should be properly trained and equipped in accordance with the guidelines set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in relation to the handling, transportation and disposal of asbestos containing materials.
7. Appropriate clearances and permits shall be obtained first before any demolition or renovation activities can be initiated. This is to provide proof that NESHAP notification requirements have been fully complied with or, in some cases, have been issued the necessary exemption papers from such requirements.
8. No asbestos containing materials can be re-used or recycled for other purposes other than its required disposal in the prescribed manner.
Strengthening the System
It should be noted that the testing, notification, and abatement requirements issued by NESHAP are mere guidelines. Individual states have had the sole obligation to implement these guidelines ever since the US Fifth District Court of the Supreme Court remanded the implementation to individual states in 1991.
As such, individual states have instituted several measures that seek to operationalize the guidelines set by the federal government. These measures can include a variety of regulatory mechanisms as well as prescriptive guidelines for the implementation of asbestos testing and abatement.
In Homes
In order to contribute to the removal of asbestos containing materials in American homes, homeowners should never conduct the inspection themselves unless they have been duly trained and certified by government. Furthermore, no attempts at handling or even disposing of asbestos containing materials should be performed by any homeowner even in the presence of protective gear.
We have to remember that the danger in asbestos is in the dislodgement of individual fibers into the air. Even if the person handling the asbestos has been duly protected with gloves, mask, and goggles, the dislodgement of the fibers can result in an airborne dust which can travel a few distances to possibly enter the airway passages of other persons in the room. Or these can settle in the floor’s surface awaiting to be airborne the moment individuals enter the room.
Homeowners who suspect asbestos containing materials in their respective homes should always call for professional help. This action is more practical than doing the inspection and abatement process yourself, lest lung cancer and asbestosis are not frightening enough for you.
Without Teeth?
The question we posed earlier about the effectiveness of all these government attention and measures to inspect and abate asbestos containing products from our structures can only be answered with the passing of time.
Since all state governments have actively participated in the federal government’s call for the removal of this harmful product in society’s shelves, it is without a doubt that we are making headway in the direction we have intended to go.
Yet, the true measure of all these efforts cannot be readily seen. Knowing that the chronic diseases upon which the asbestos abatement efforts are anchored on takes at least two decades to develop, only by 2010 to 2020 can we begin to appreciate whether our efforts today had teeth.
Yet again, it may be too late by then; every household should therefore play its part in ensuring a healthier and safer environment ahead of us.
