What is Asbestos?
What is Asbestos?
What is Asbestos?
Asbestos is a mineral fiber. It can be positively identified only with a special type of microscope. There are several types of asbestos fibers. Asbestos was added to a variety of products to strengthen them or to provide heat insulation and fire resistance.
Asbestos fibers can cause serious health problems. If asbestos fibers are inhaled, these tiny microscopic fibers can cause normal functions of the lungs to be disturbed. Exposure increases the risk of developing lung cancer, mesothelioma, or asbestosis, which is a scarring of the lungs that leads to breathing problems.
NESHAP Regulation
What is Asbestos?
What is Asbestos?
The asbestos regulation applies to facilities as defined by the Asbestos NESHAP Regulations in 40 CFR Part 61, Subpart M, Asbestos NESHAPS. Facilities are defined by the EPA as “any (including government owned or operated) institutional, commercial, public, industrial, or residential structure, installation or building, excluding residential buildings having four or fewer dwelling units; any ship; and any active or inactive waste disposal site.”
New Lead Requirements
New Lead Requirements
New Lead Requirements
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced new, tighter standards for lead in dust on floors and window sills to protect children from potentially harmful effects of lead exposure. The announcement comes almost a year after the agency influentially recommended tighter dust-lead hazard standards.
The agency has lowered the dust-lead hazard standards to 10 micrograms of lead per square foot (µg/ft2) from 40 µg/ft2 for floors and to 100 µg/ft2 from 250 µg/ft2 for window sills. The more protective hazard standards will apply to inspections, risk assessments, and abatement activities in pre-1978 housing and certain schools, child care facilities, and hospitals, according to the EPA.
The decision to tighten the dust-lead hazard standards delivers on the agency's commitment to take important steps to reduce childhood lead exposure.
AHERA
New Lead Requirements
New Lead Requirements
The AHERA regulations requires public school districts and non-profit schools to:
- Perform an original inspection to determine whether asbestos-containing materials are present and then re-inspect asbestos-containing material in each school every three years
- Develop, maintain, and update an asbestos management plan and keep a copy at the school
- Provide yearly notification to parent, teacher, and employee organizations on the availability of the school's asbestos management plan and any asbestos-related actions taken or planned in the school
- Designate a contact person to ensure the responsibilities of the public school district or the non-profit school are properly implemented
- Perform periodic surveillance of known or suspected asbestos-containing building material
- Ensure that trained and licensed professionals perform inspections and take response actions
- Provide custodial staff with asbestos-awareness training