Document Y9eQQ3gYQxxDn4DxxVveewQ4D

NEWSLETTER #24 2- - June 14, 1971 and welfare, the Board authorized in Danville that hearings be held on detailed proposed regulations which would restrict the commercial use of products containing asbestos. The set of regulations, if adopted, would be the most comprehensive set of controls for the tox substance ever enacted. The proposed regulations would, among other things, require a permit for the manufacturing of asbestos products, for the commercia use of asbestos in construction work and for the demolition of asbes containing buildings. Demolition of buildings containing asbestos would have to be conducted in accord with strict controls to reduce dust emission. Plants manufacturing asbestos products would be required to meet an emission standard. The spraying of asbestos fiber, done in high-rise construction, would be unlawful. And the use of asbestos in the brake lining of vehicles manufactured after January 1, 1975 and sold for use in Illinois would be pro hibited. A copy of the proposed regulation is appended to this Newsletter. Asbestos-containing products have, in recent years, been widely used, especially In the fireproofing of buildings and in the lining of automobile brakes. These uses and others contribute annually to the discharge of asbestos fiber Into the atmosphere. The fiber, once released, is thought to be virtually indestructible, resulting In a gradual, irreversible increase in the amount of asbestos fiber present in the ambient air. Medical evidence has shown that heavy, prolonged exposure to asbestos fiber can cause a lung disease known as asbestosis and a very rare cancer of the lining of the lungs, mesothelioma. NSSD PHOSPHORUS VARIANCE DENIED At the Danville meeting, the Board voted to deny a variance re quest in North Shore Sanitary District v. EPA, PCB 71-36. The District requested that six of its seven lakeside plants (North Chicago, Lake 31uff, Lake Forest, Park Avenue, Ravine Drive, and Carey Avenue) be exempted from the phosphorus effluent standards until December 31, 1972. The one year variance was not requested for its Waukegan plant. The Board's opinion, written by Mr. Dumelle, points out that the District's cost estimates for compliance were not realistic. The district maintained that temporary phosphorus treatment facilities v;c cost $654,000 the first year and $292,000 annually, thereafter. This sum includes costs for tanks, hardware, chemicals, additional sludge handling, additional labor, and a minimal salvage value. But, at a subsequent hearing relating to the Districts compliance to the Board's order in League of .Women Voters et al v. North Shore Sanitary District, PCB 70-7, 12,13, 14, the District made a statement 'which is in effect an amendment to this variance request, thus, substantially lowering the estimated cost. It withdrew its request for a variance as to the North Chicago plant. This removes almost half of the