Federal Asbestos Agencies: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH),
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
Department of Health and Human Services

NIOSH is the federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related injuries and illness. NIOSH is updating an earlier study of Libby vermiculite workers. The original study documented significant excess cases of asbestosis and lung cancer related to asbestos fiber concentrations in the work environment at the Libby mining and milling operations. The update is intended to yield better precision in estimating risk associated with fiber exposure from this vermiculite. In addition, NIOSH is collaborating with two universities to develop models that will enable comparison of dose-response relationships in rats and humans, and information about extrapolating data to predict risk in humans exposed to inhaled fibers for which human dose-response data are not available. NIOSH is also updating a mortality study of workers who were formerly employed at a South Carolina asbestos textile facility. The analysis will include an assessment of the relationship between various metrics of fiber dose (e.g., fiber length and diameter) and the risk of asbestosis and lung cancer.

Courtesy of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency