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 November 2024, EPA released Part 2 of the 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. Legacy uses are uses in which manufacturing, processing, or distribution have ended, but there may still be asbestos present, such as building materials containing asbestos that may be found in older homes such as in floor and ceiling tiles, pipe wrap, and other insulation.
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. 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 determined that disturbing and handling asbestos associated with legacy uses, and asbestos as a chemical substance, poses unreasonable risk to human health.
Recent Activities and Opportunities for Public Comment
EPA accepted public comments on the draft risk evaluation and associated supporting documents for 60 days beginning in April 2024 via docket EPA-HQ-OPPT-2021-0254 at www.regulations.gov.
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 letter 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.
EPA used feedback from the peer review of the white paper and public comments on the scope, white paper, and draft risk evaluation to inform the final risk evaluation.
Risk Evaluation and Supporting Documents
Read the Federal Register notice.
- Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2: Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos (pdf)
- Asbestos Part 2: Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos, Supplemental File: Systematic Review Protocol (pdf)
- Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2: Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos, Supplemental File: Data Quality Evaluation and Data Extraction Information for Physical and Chemical Properties (pdf)
- Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2: Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos, Supplemental File: Data Quality Evaluation and Data Extraction Information for Environmental Fate and Transport (pdf)
- Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2: Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos, Supplemental File: Data Quality Evaluation and Data Extraction Information for Environmental Release and Occupational Exposure (pdf)
- Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2: Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos, Supplemental File: Data Quality Evaluation Information for General Population, Consumer, and Environmental Exposure (pdf)
- Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2: Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos, Supplemental File: Data Extraction Information for General Population, Consumer, and Environmental Exposure (pdf)
- Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2: Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos, Supplemental File: Data Quality Evaluation Information for Human Health Hazard Epidemiology (pdf)
- Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2: Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos, Supplemental File: Data Quality Evaluation Information for Environmental Hazard (pdf)
- Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2: Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos, Supplemental File: Data Extraction Information for Environmental Hazard and Human Health Hazard Epidemiology (pdf)
- Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2: Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos, Supplemental File: Risk Calculation for Take-Home Exposure Assessment (xlsx)
- Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2: Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos, Supplemental File: Ambient Air Specific Facilities Release Concentrations (xlsx)
- Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2: Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos, Supplemental File: Ambient Air Generic Facilities and Deposition Concentrations (xlsx)
- Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2: Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos, Supplemental File: Consumer Exposure Assessment Workbook (xlsx)
- Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2: Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos, Supplemental File: Risk Calculation General Population (xlsx)
- Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2: Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos, Supplemental File: Aggregate Analysis (xlsx)
- Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2: Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos, Supplemental File: Environmental Release and Occupational Exposure Data Tables (xlsx)
- Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2: Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos, Supplemental File: Occupational Risk Calculations (xlsx)
- Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2: Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos, Supplemental File: Supplemental Information on Modeling Results in the General Population Exposure Assessment (pdf)
- Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2: Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos: Nontechnical Summary (pdf)
- Response to Public Comments Received 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 Disposal of Asbestos (pdf)
- Response to Public Comments Received on the Draft 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 (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)