EPA Extends Comment Period for Proposed Rule to Ban Ongoing Uses of Asbestos

Released on May 24, 2022.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is extending the public comment period for the proposed rule to prohibit ongoing uses of chrysotile asbestos to give stakeholders more time to review the proposed regulation and prepare comments. The current comment period was set to close on June 13, 2022, and EPA is extending the comment period an additional 30 days until July 13, 2022.

The proposed rule released in April 2022 would ban chrysotile asbestos, the only known form of asbestos that’s currently imported into the United States, which is found in products like asbestos diaphragms used by the chlor-alkali industry, sheet gaskets, brake blocks, aftermarket automotive brakes/linings, other vehicle friction products, and other gaskets also imported into the United States.

EPA is also proposing targeted disposal and recordkeeping requirements in line with industry standards, Occupational Safety and Health Administration requirements, and the Asbestos National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP). The proposed disposal and recordkeeping requirements would take effect 180 days after the effective date of the final rule.

Read the proposed rule and submit comments in docket EPA-HQ-OPPT-2021-0057 at https://www.regulations.gov/.

Learn about EPA actions to protect the public from asbestos exposure.