Emergence of a New Policy for Asbestos: A Result of the World Trade Center Tragedy

Abstract

Modern day risks from asbestos, especially in environmental settings, have been questioned. The concerns associated with stringent regulation of asbestos are mostly no longer voiced in regulatory communities. As a result of the World Trade Center (WTC) event in 2001, issues relating to the actual risks of asbestos in building materials have re-surfaced. Regulatory agencies, through their policy statements, have downplayed the risks associated with the WTC event of asbestos in debris and dust which covered the surrounding area. These statements now question past practices and requirements associated with asbestos as mandated by these same agencies. It is suggested that such statements by asbestos regulatory agencies will reduce and lower the current regulatory requirements, and change the direction of regulatory policy. This paper discusses risks from asbestos and the possible future direction of regulatory standards for these minerals in the United States. Future risks from ‘‘hazardous’’ materials, it is suggested, should be based on actual scientific facts, with less influence from social and political factors.