ASBESTOS DISEASE AWARENESS ORGANIZATION URGES FORCEFUL EPA RESPONSE TO PUBLIC HEALTH THREAT OF LEGACY ASBESTOS
ADAO Expresses Concern that EPA’s Draft Evaluation Fails to Address Widespread Risk of Cancer and Lung Disease from Legacy Asbestos
Washington, D.C. — The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), an independent nonprofit dedicated to preventing asbestos exposure through education, advocacy, and community work, today filed detailed comments on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Part 2 Draft Asbestos Risk Evaluation.
The evaluation addresses the ongoing health threat of “legacy” asbestos, which is in millions of public and private buildings, infrastructure, and products across the United States. ADAO’s comments seek extensive changes in EPA’s draft evaluation so that it recognizes the full magnitude of the dangers legacy asbestos poses to the public.
“As drafted, the EPA’s Part 2 Risk Evaluation does not reflect the urgency needed to address the pervasiveness of legacy asbestos in the United States,” said Linda Reinstein, ADAO President and co-founder.
“This is the first critical examination of legacy asbestos in 40 years, yet the EPA has missed an opportunity to comprehensively evaluate its presence in homes, schools, buildings, and workplaces. Disappointingly, the EPA has also failed to meaningfully engage stakeholders and the independent scientific community in collecting and interpreting the best available data on legacy asbestos exposure and risk. ADAO remains committed to working with the EPA and Congress to mitigate and eliminate the risks of legacy asbestos, which continues to threaten public health and safety,” she concluded.
Legacy asbestos is an insidious hazard responsible for nearly 40,000 American deaths annually from diseases such as mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other serious health conditions. Despite its known carcinogenic properties and the absence of a safe exposure level, the draft evaluation does not capture the full scope of risk nor the urgency needed to mitigate these dangers.
“A strong, rigorous, and comprehensive risk evaluation is long overdue, but unfortunately, the Part 2 draft does not provide policymakers and public health experts with authoritative guidance on the ongoing health threats from legacy asbestos,” said Bob Sussman, ADAO counsel. “EPA must strengthen its evaluation significantly, so we have a solid foundation for stronger protections for at-risk first responders, construction workers repairing, renovating or demolishing older buildings, janitors servicing older HVAC systems, and teachers and students in older schools built with asbestos.”
To ensure that legacy asbestos is a priority for EPA and other decision-makers, ADAO’s comments recommend that EPA:
- Contract with the National Academy of Sciences to provide a complete review of the risks of legacy asbestos and its impact on public health and identify risk management strategies that will more effectively prevent asbestos-related death and disease.
- Convene a stakeholder advisory committee to review existing laws and regulations applicable to legacy asbestos, identify gaps in coverage and implementation, and recommend improvements in cooperation with other agencies and departments.
- Conduct an updated study of the presence of asbestos in public, residential, and commercial buildings in the US.
- Develop educational asbestos prevention materials and conduct extensive community outreach campaigns.
The EPA was required to create a Part 2 legacy asbestos risk evaluation following a court decision and subsequent lawsuit from ADAO and other public health organizations. Under a consent decree negotiated by the EPA and ADAO, the Part 2 risk evaluation must be completed by December 1, 2024.
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ABOUT THE ASBESTOS DISEASE AWARENESS ORGANIZATION
Founded in 2004, the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) is the largest independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the U.S. dedicated to preventing asbestos exposure to eliminate asbestos-related diseases through education, advocacy and community initiatives. For more information, visit www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org. ADAO, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, does not make legal referrals.