December 27, 2023 — Peer Reviewer Comments on the 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
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Posted on January 3, 2024
Statement from Linda Reinstein, President and Co-Founder of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), on the EPA’s White Paper for Asbestos Part 2 Risk Evaluation under the Toxic Substances Control Act
ADAO Voices Deep Concerns about Reviewers’ Comments and EPA Process
Washington, DC — “The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) is deeply concerned about the feedback from peer reviewers who conducted a letter review of a White Paper developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its Part 2 Asbestos Risk Evaluation under the Toxic Substances Control Act.
Asbestos is a known human carcinogen with no safe exposure level. ADAO has long urged the EPA to conduct a thorough evaluation of the risks of exposure to legacy asbestos. After years of resistance, the EPA finally agreed to issue a final evaluation by December 2024, as part of a consent decree resolving litigation brought by ADAO. The recent White Paper review raises questions about whether the Part 2 evaluation will be informed by the EPA’s use of the best available science and a robust, transparent peer review process.
Reviewers were divided on the White Paper’s scientific validity, and there was widespread disappointment with the EPA’s reliance on a limited letter review instead of a full public panel process under the Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC). When the EPA first published the White Paper, ADAO had expressed concern about the adequacy of a letter review process for asbestos, a substance with an extensive database that threatens the health of a large segment of the U.S. population. We also were concerned that, except for the White Paper, the Part 2 evaluation would proceed without any peer review. The feedback from the letter reviewers reinforces these concerns, suggesting the Part 2 evaluation is not on track to provide comprehensive, science-based findings about the risks of legacy asbestos. EPA has announced that it plans to publish a draft Part 2 evaluation for comment in early 2024.
As it proceeds with this effort, ADAO urges EPA to redesign the Part 2 evaluation to include a more thorough, collaborative review process under the oversight of the SACC, drawing on complete data and the best science available. ADAO supports the International Association of Fire Fighters’ request to include firefighters as an epidemiological cohort, given their heightened risk from legacy asbestos exposures. Lastly, ADAO is committed to ensuring all forms of asbestos are adequately evaluated to protect public health across generations.”
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ABOUT 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.