Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2: Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos
Following EPA’s June 2016 designation of asbestos as one the first ten chemicals to undergo risk evaluation under TSCA, as amended by Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, EPA initially focused the risk evaluation for asbestos on chrysotile asbestos as this is the only asbestos fiber type that is currently imported, processed, or distributed in the United States.
However, as a result of the November 2019 decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Safer Chemicals Healthy Families v. EPA, EPA determined that the risk evaluation for asbestos would be issued in two parts. Part 1 of the Risk Evaluation for Asbestos was completed in December 2020.
In April 2024, EPA released Part 2 of the draft Risk Evaluation for Asbestos. In Part 2, EPA evaluated legacy uses and associated disposals, other types of asbestos fibers in addition to chrysotile, and conditions of use of asbestos-containing talc.
EPA has entered into a consent decree to complete the final risk evaluation by December 1, 2024.
On this page:
- Background on/Uses of Asbestos for Part 2 of the Risk Evaluation for Asbestos
- Recent Activities and Opportunities for Public Comment
- Risk Evaluation and Supporting Documents
On other pages:
- Read about the steps in EPA’s risk evaluation process for asbestos.
- Learn more about EPA’s risk evaluation process.
- Learn about EPA's risk evaluation for asbestos, part 1: chrysotile asbestos.
- Learn about risk management for chrysotile asbestos
Background on/Uses of Asbestos for Part 2 of the Risk Evaluation
For Part 2 of the Risk Evaluation for Asbestos, EPA considered chrysotile (serpentine), crocidolite (riebeckite), amosite (cummingtonite-grunerite), anthophyllite, tremolite, actinolite, and Libby Amphibole Asbestos (and its tremolite, winchite and richterite constituents). This expansion was consistent with the focus of Part 2 of the Risk Evaluation for Asbestos on legacy uses and associated disposals, particularly asbestos-containing building material. Additionally, EPA assessed the relevant conditions of use of asbestos-containing talc because talc has been implicated as a potential source of asbestos exposure.
EPA has preliminarily determined that disturbing and handling asbestos associated with legacy uses, and asbestos as a whole chemical, poses unreasonable risk to human health.
Recent Activities and Opportunities for Public Comment
Upon publication of the Federal Register notice, EPA will accept public comments on the draft risk evaluation and associated supporting documents for 60 days via docket EPA-HQ-OPPT-2021-0254 at www.regulations.gov. EPA will use feedback received from public comments to inform the final risk evaluation.
On May 13, 2024, EPA hosted a public webinar providing an overview of the risk evaluation. View materials from the webinar.
In August 2023, EPA released for peer review a white paper that describes EPA’s quantitative approach for the human health assessment to be applied in Part 2 of the risk evaluation.
In June 2022, EPA released the final scope for Part 2 of the Risk Evaluation for Asbestos.
The final scope includes the conditions of use, hazards, exposures, and the potentially exposed or susceptible subpopulations that EPA plans to consider in conducting Part 2 of the Risk Evaluation for Asbestos.
In addition to public comment periods, EPA will continue to engage with stakeholders as it develops part 2.
Risk Evaluation and Supporting Documents
Read the federal register notice.
- Draft Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2: Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos (pdf)
- Draft Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2: Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos, Supplemental File: Systematic Review Protocol (pdf)
- Draft Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2: Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos Systematic Review Supplemental File: Data Quality Evaluation and Data Extraction Information for Physical and Chemical Properties (pdf)
- Draft Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2: Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos Systematic Review Supplemental File: Data Quality Evaluation and Data Extraction Information for Environmental Fate and Transport (pdf)
- Draft Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2: Systematic Review Supplemental File: Data Quality Evaluation and Data Extraction Information for Environmental Release and Occupational Exposure (pdf)
- Draft Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2: Systematic Review Supplemental File: Data Extraction Information for General Population, Consumer, and Environmental Exposure (pdf)
- Draft Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2 – Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos Systematic Review of Data Quality Evaluation Information for Human Health Hazard Epidemiology (pdf)
- Draft Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2 – Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos Systematic Review Supplemental File: Data Quality Evaluation Information for Environmental Hazard (pdf)
- Draft Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2 – Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos Systematic Review Supplemental File: Data Extraction Information for Environmental Hazard and Human Health Hazard Epidemiology (pdf)
- Draft Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2 – Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos Supplemental File: Draft Risk Calculations for Take-Home Exposure Assessment (xlsx)
- Draft Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2 – Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos Supplemental File: Draft Ambient Air Specific Facilities Release Concentrations (xlsx)
- Draft Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2 – Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos Supplemental File: Draft Ambient Air Generic Facilities and Deposition Concentrations (xlsx)
- Draft Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2 – Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos Supplemental File: Consumer Exposure Assessment Workbook (xlsx)
- Draft Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2 – Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos Supplemental File: Draft Risk Calculation General Population (xlsx)
- Draft Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2 – Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos Supplemental File: Draft Aggregate Analysis (xlsx)
- Draft Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2 – Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos Supplemental File: Draft Environmental Release and Occupational Exposure Data Tables (xlsx)
- Draft Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2 – Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos Supplemental File: Draft Occupational Risk Calculations (xlsx)
- White Paper: Quantitative Human Health Approach to be Applied in the Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2 – Supplemental Evaluation including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos (pdf)
- White Paper: Quantitative Human Health Approach to be Applied in the Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2 – Supplemental Evaluation including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos: Systematic Review of Data Quality Evaluation Information (pdf)
- Final Scope of the Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2: Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos (pdf)
- Response to Public Comments Received on the Draft Scopes of the Risk Evaluations under TSCA for Asbestos Part 2: Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos (pdf)