Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs Department of Environmental Protection Boston, Massachusetts

ASBESTOS CEMENT SHINGLES GUIDANCE DOCUMENT: February 2006

Background

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection's (MassDEP’s) asbestos regulations (310 CMR 7.15) protect public health and the environment by establishing safe handling practices for demolishing or renovating buildings to prevent the release of asbestos fibers from asbestos-containing building materials. MassDEP’s regulations include notification, removal, handling, and disposal requirements for asbestos-containing material (ACM).

Specific handling practices include removing ACM prior to demolition or renovation activities, wetting the materials prior to removal to prevent asbestos dust, and fully containing the work area (e.g., with plastic sheeting). Handling practices also include drawing air out of the containment through a filter capable of capturing asbestos fibers, sealing the wetted asbestos waste in leak-tight containers with asbestos labeling, and properly disposing of the waste in a permitted landfill.

Common building materials that may contain asbestos include thermal insulation on boilers and pipes, vinyl floor tiles, ceiling tiles, various mastics (i.e., glues), and asbestos cement products, including cement shingles.

Some of these materials are "friable," meaning the material can easily be crumbled and release asbestos fibers, and some are "non-friable," meaning the material cannot easily be crumbled and cannot easily release asbestos fibers (e.g., vinyl floor tiles and asbestos cement shingles in good condition).

MassDEP regulates non-friable ACM because if these materials have deteriorated, are significantly damaged, and/or are mishandled, asbestos fibers may be released to the ambient air.