What is the Asbestos Project Plan?
The Asbestos Project Plan is a government-produced pamphlet that agglomerates all of the Environmental Protection Agency’s recent actions and regulations regarding asbestos use. The Asbestos Project Plan offers a framework for a coordinated agency-wide approach to evaluate, identify and in general, reduce the risks associated with asbestos exposure. The Environmental Protection Agency has identified three primary areas where the government will focus its asbestos research, funding activities and general program initiative.
1. The asbestos project plan creates a framework to improve the state of the science for asbestos detection and general prevention. These efforts aim to not only find a suitable replacement for asbestos materials, but also, to bolster understanding of the mineral’s toxicity. This stage involves several activities aimed to advance the Environmental Protection Agency’s understanding of asbestos-related exposures, analysis and sample collection are applied in the scientific field.
2. The asbestos project plan creates a framework to help address and identify ways people are exposed to asbestos in schools, buildings, products and potential ways to impede or reduce exposure.
3. The asbestos project plan creates a framework to improve assessment-related experiments. This initiative attempts to reduce the risks associated with areas that require certified asbestos abatement or clean-up.
Before developing the Asbestos Project Plan, the United States Environmental Protection Agency convened the Asbestos Strategies initiative. The general purpose of the Asbestos Strategies Project—again, commissioned by the Environmental Protection Agency—was to analyze potential options and solutions regarding the management and general use of asbestos products. The Environmental Protection Agency achieved the first primary objective which was to offer suggestions, options and recommendations on effective asbestos outreach, oversight and educational approaches. The Environmental Protection Agency also achieved their second major objective which was to provide opportunities for important stakeholders to share their knowledge with regards to incentives, barriers, best practices, lessons learned and viable technological applications as they generally relate to asbestos management and use.
The Asbestos Project Plan was built in 1989, when the Environmental Protection Agency finalized the Phase out Rule and the Asbestos Ban. This initiative would have effectively banned all but a few uses of asbestos fibers. However, the bulk of this ban was reversed by the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Because of this decision, the Environmental Protection Agency’s asbestos program focused on implementing the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act, The Asbestos National Emission Standards for hazardous Air Pollutants under the clean air act and The Asbestos School Hazard Abatement Act.
The Environmental Protection Agency is committed to providing timely and accurate public health information and is continuing to address all risks and concerns related to asbestos exposure. To assist the public in securing relevant information with regards to any asbestos issue, the Environmental Protection Agency can be reached at its toll-free number (1-800-471-7127). Additionally, the Environmental Protection Agency posts information concerning asbestos issue on its website: www.epa.gov. The agency also posts information regarding the activities contained in the Project Plan.
