EMA Applauds Outcome of the EPA Final Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2

Arlington, Va., Dec. 13, 2024 – The Essential Minerals Association (EMA) greatly appreciates the thorough and complete process the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) used in developing the Final Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2, which was reviewed under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The acknowledgement from EPA that the overwhelming evidence and data submitted in the thousands of pages of public comments allowed EPA to make a strong, scientifically backed determination that the mining of non-asbestos commodities does not significantly contribute to unreasonable risks of cancer and other health effects. 

“For more than three years, EMA has led an effort to educate our members on the potential impacts of the rule and the need to be proactive in providing EPA and legislators with factual and scientific data to show there was not a health risk in the mining of non-asbestos commodities. EPA’s Final Risk Evaluation verifies that the work done by industry over the last 25 years has resulted in a consistent history of operating at detection levels of near-zero,” said Chris Greissing, EMA president. “The safety of the minerals industry workforce has been, and always will be, our top priority. Between the final risk evaluation and the reporting rules finalized over the last year, EPA has confirmed the proactive steps taken by industry have been extremely effective at protecting the industry’s workforce.”

Historically, there have been six asbestiform mineral fibers that have been considered to have health risks and identified as asbestos (actinolite, amosite, anthrophyllite, crocidolite, tremolite, and chrysotile). None of the six are actively mined in the United States, and only chrysotile had been imported and used in limited manufacturing. In the TSCA process, EPA focused the TSCA Part 1 review on just chrysotile. In the Part 2 process, in addition to the five other asbestiform mineral fibers, EPA agreed in a court settlement to include several additional minerals such as talc and vermiculite in the TSCA review process of asbestos. In the final risk evaluation, EPA determined that the five known asbestiform mineral fibers did pose an unreasonable risk to human health from the legacy uses and associated disposals. However, EPA also determined that the non-asbestiform minerals reviewed during the Part 2 asbestos review, including the mining of talc and vermiculite, did not pose significant health risks. 

In reaching this decision, the EPA relied upon significant scientific data and evidence, including information provided in EMA’s public comments, to support their final determination. EPA cited data from air samples collected during the mandatory inspections on mine operations conducted by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) from 2005 to 2022. This data included information from 200 mine sites conducted after a 2008 regulation by MSHA significantly lowered the permissible exposure limit (PEL) for asbestos at mine sites. The MSHA data samples showed a very limited number of non-zero detections and no incidents of a sample exceeding the PEL, which provided strong support for the EPA’s final determination. 

#

The Essential Minerals Association (EMA) is the representative voice for companies that extract and process a vital and beneficial group of raw materials and minerals, which are the essential ingredients for many of the products used in everyday life. EMA ensures that the voices of its member companies and the socio-economic benefits they provide – from mining to end-use products – are heard by government leaders as well as the general public. Visit essentialminerals.org to learn more.