Dr. Weissman’s Testimony: Limiting Exposure to Asbestos-Related Disease

Read more from the testimony of Dr. Weissman, who spoke before the Senate’s Committee on the Environment and Public Works about the dangers of asbestos. In this section, he discusses limiting the public’s exposure to asbestos.

Asbestos-related diseases can be prevented by eliminating or limiting exposures to asbestos. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulate the six asbestos minerals.

The OSHA permissible exposure limit (PEL) for asbestos is 0.1 fibers per cubic centimeter (cc) of air. This limit was set in part based on the limit of detection of the exposure assessment method specified in the standard (phase contrast microscopy (PCM)) and is not completely protective against asbestos-induced disease.

Occupational exposure limits are generally set to reduce risk associated with exposures to a level at or below 1 per 1,000 working lifetimes.

Courtesy of The EPA

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