Asbestos is a mineral fiber that occurs naturally in rock and soil. Under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), asbestos is defined as the “asbestiform varieties of six fiber types – chrysotile (serpentine), crocidolite (riebeckite), amosite (cummingtonite-grunerite), anthophyllite, tremolite or actinolite.”  In the United States, asbestos has not been mined or manufactured since 2002. The only type of asbestos currently imported into the United States is chrysotile. EPA is aware of the use of raw chrysotile asbestos in the chlor-alkali industry as well as the use of some imported asbestos-containing products such as gaskets and friction products.

EPA is proposing a significant new use rule (SNUR) for certain uses of asbestos (including asbestos-containing goods) that would require manufacturers and importers to receive EPA approval before starting or resuming manufacturing, and importing or processing of asbestos. Learn more.

Learn more about what asbestos is, where it’s found and how to protect your family.

On this page:

• Problem Formulation for asbestos risk evaluation under amended TSCA
• Scope of asbestos risk evaluation under amended TSCA

Problem Formulation for Asbestos Risk Evaluation under Amended TSCA

• CASRN: 1332-21-4
• Initiated: December 19, 2016
• Docket: EPA-HQ-OPPT-2016-0736

This problem formulation refines the scope of the asbestos risk evaluation by clarifying the chemical uses that EPA expects to evaluate and describing how EPA expects to conduct the evaluation. This is an important interim step prior to completing and publishing the final risk evaluation. The problem formulation document will be available for comment until August 16, 2018 in the docket listed above.

• Read the problem formulation for asbestos under amended TSCA

Scope of Asbestos Risk Evaluation under Amended TSCA

This scope document includes the hazards, exposures, conditions of use, and the potentially exposed or susceptible subpopulations the EPA expects to consider in its risk evaluation of asbestos conducted pursuant to TSCA Section 6(b)(4). 

• Read the scope document for asbestos under amended TSCA
• View the supplemental files for the asbestos scope document:
  • Strategy for Conducting Literature Searches for Asbestos: Supplemental File for the TSCA Scope Document
  • Asbestos (1332-21-4) Bibliography: Supplemental File for the TSCA Scope Document

After releasing the scope documents, the dockets for each of the first 10 chemicals were open for public comments. Read EPA’s Responses to Public Comments Received on the Scope Documents for the First Ten Chemicals for Risk Evaluation under TSCA. This document addresses cross-cutting public comments received in response to EPA publishing the scope documents.