EPA Announces a Final Rule to Prohibit Ongoing Uses of Chrysotile Asbestos

The full announcement can be found here: Biden-Harris Administration finalizes ban on ongoing uses of asbestos to protect people from cancer | US EPA

As stated in the announcement, “Exposure to asbestos is known to cause lung cancer, mesothelioma, ovarian cancer, and laryngeal cancer, and it is linked to more than 40,000 deaths in the U.S. each year....Chrysotile asbestos is found in products including asbestos diaphragms, sheet gaskets, brake blocks, aftermarket automotive brakes/linings, other vehicle friction products, and other gaskets. The use of asbestos in the United States has been declining for decades, and its use is already banned in over 50 countries.”

There are several known types of asbestos, but the only form known to be imported, processed, or distributed for use in the United States is chrysotile. Raw chrysotile asbestos was imported into the United States as recently as 2022 for use by the chlor-alkali industry.

Most consumer products that historically contained chrysotile asbestos have been discontinued, but the material is still present in existing buildings and products. The ALS Environmental laboratories offer asbestos testing, with the method choice depending on the matrix and analytical technique.

ALS is accredited by AIHA LAP and NVLAP for various forms of testing, offering phase contrast microscopy (PCM), polarized light microscopy (PLM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).

Available methods include:

• Asbestos in Air by AHERA Protocol or method NIOSH 7402
• Asbestos in Air by NIOSH 7400 (PCM, screening method)
• Asbestos in Bulk Building Materials by EPA 600/R93/114
• Asbestos in Soil by ASTM D7521
• Asbestos in Water by EPA 100.2
• New York (NY) ELAP methods -
  • PLM ELAP by 198.1 or 198.6
  • TEM ELAP 198.4

Contact a technical project manager at 513-733-5336 for more information or a price quotation.