The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a risk evaluation for chrysotile asbestos on December 30, 2020. The EPA found that there is an unreasonable risk to workers, consumers, and bystanders.
Under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the EPA’s next step will be to develop a plan to reduce or eliminate the unreasonable risks found in their evaluation. They will address how to regulate how chrysotile asbestos and how it will be used and limited or prohibited in use and disposal in the marketplace.
According to the report, chrysotile asbestos is the greatest form of asbestos currently mined worldwide and imported, processed, and distributed in the U.S. The EPA took into consideration importing, processing, distributing for commerce, occupational and consumer uses, and disposal in the risk evaluation.
The EPA plans to perform a second part of the risk evaluation for chrysotile which will include evaluation for five other types of asbestos: crocidolite (riebeckite), amosite (cummingtonite-grunerite), anthophyllite, tremolite, or actinolite.