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PLAINTIFF'S EXHIBIT BIR-561 EPA proposes ban on asbestos-containing products n January, the United States Envi ban the remaining asbestos products in 10 ronmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposal to immediately ban five major asbes tos products, including saturated and unsaturated roofing felts. The proposal also called for a phaseout of all remaining uses of asbestos in the United States over . ( ' " ` i} Asbestos .roofing ` years. Option three would ban asbestos con struction products and asbestos clothing immediately and phase out the remaining products over a 10-year period. "Finally," Thomas said, "we are propos ing that all products not immediately the next 10 years. In announcing the proposed ban, EPA felts banned be labeled as containing asbestos. ' ' He said labeling would ensure that persons Administrator Lee M. Thomas said, "This proposal starts us down the path that would be working with asbestos products would know that the products contained asbes will eventually rid asbestos from our environment. banned 1 tos, enabling them to take steps to reduce the likelihood ofexposure. "The proposal would immediately pro hibit the importation, manufacture and processing of five asbestos products for as well Asbestos ban would make itself felt If the EPA's proposal to ban asbestos which substitutes are now readily availa roofing felts were to become reality, what ble," Thomas continued. "These asbestos would the probable effect on the roofing products accounted for about half of cur rent asbestos consumption in 1981 byJim Matthews industry be? Kenneth Nyquist, a spokes man for the Asbestos Information Associa The 10-year phaseout is almost a carbon tion (AIA), characterized the impact as copy of a proposal EPA made nearly 18 primarily a concern of industry suppliers. months ago. The Office of Management "This is really a manufacturers' wan" he and Budget (OMB) turned thumbs down on said. that proposal, however, saying it was not Only one company. Cascades, Inc., still warranted and too expensive. produces asbestos felts. Other felt produc Thomas said his agency's latest proposal ers havesubstituted fiberglass for asbestos. not only has OMB's blessing, but that OMB Cascades, a Canadian company that pur has also suggested the labeling requirement chased the Manville Corp.'s asbestos roof for products containing asbestos that are ing business several years ago, is not subject to immediate ban. represented in the United States by Power Door number 1,2 or 3 Marketing. President Jim Power is con vinced his product does not pose a health In addition to the main proposal, EPA also hazard and will vigorously oppose EPA's offered several options for consideration. efforts to implement the ban. "We are asking for comment on a num ber of alternative ways of achieving the Some producers ready to protest same goal: the ultimate elimination of EPA's proposal also applies to asbestos- widespread asbestos use in this country," Thomas said. One option would immedi J cement roofing products. Three com 1 panies--Supradur, Atlas Turner and Atlas ately ban asbestos construction products such as asbestos-cement sheets and shin J International Building Products--make and distribute asbestos-cement shingles and sid gles as well as felts, floor tile, A/C pipe and ing EPA's primary proposal wouldn't ban .) asbestos clothing. A second option would ban alt asbestos theseproductsimmediately, asall three com panies have been quick to point out to their construction products in five years, and customers. However, EPA's options would, if approved, immediately ban these products Jim Matthews is afree-lance writer liv ing in Chicago. He is afrequent contribu torto Roofing Spec. i as well as asbestos felts. i t President Alfred Netter of Supradur believes the ban doesn't apply to his prod i uct because during the manufacture of the MARCH 1986 35 BIRD 012237 At tbis time, tbe i ban is no more .7 4 than aproposal and willnot take effect immediately, j product the asbestos fibers are "perma nently bound into the cement base." Don Stevenson of Turner Brothers, a Canadian asbestos-cement shingle distribu-* tor, said, "Our response to EPA is that the ban doesn't apply to us. Even if our prod uct is pulverized, the asbestos fibers can't be released into the atmosphere." Jack Coombs-Payac of AIBR another Canadian company with a significant U.S. market, said, "We plan to attend the hear ings and will lobby throughAIA. Our belief, which we're prepared to support with documented evidence, is that our lockedin-cement asbestos roofing tiles are not a health hazard." What now? At this time, the ban is no more than a proposal and will not take effect immedi ately, despite the wording EPA used in its announcement. In fact, Thomas said EPA wants "public comment" on the proposal, which he believes will be "widely and actively debated. ' ' That raises several questions. First, when will theban take effect? Second, what form will the ban take, i.e., will it be Option 1, 2 or 3, or something else? Finally, is a ban likely? Although the battle lines surrounding this controversial issue have been firmly and unmistakably drawn, both sides agree on one thing: it will be many months before the proposed ban or any of the options becomes binding. "The [EPA] administrator has forecast that it could be a year from now," Luke Hester, EPA's press officer, told Roofing Spec. AIA's Nyquist thought two years might be necessary to resolve the issues. While the exact lead time is debatable, it is known that federal procedures dictate a 90-day period for interested parties to comment on the proposal That comment period beganJan. 29,1986, andwill extend to April 29. Beginning May 14, according to Nyquist, EPA will hold public hearings on its pro posal, probably at several locations around the country. An announcement as to the exact time and place(s) of the public hear ings will be made later, most likely in the FederalRegister. In the meantime, EPA has established an Asbestos Hot Line for those who want to stay abreast of developments. The toll-free number is 800/424-9065; District of Columbia residents can call 544-1404, and residents outside the United States can call 202/544-1404. What will they go for? Right now, no one knows what form the ban will take. At first glance, it appears that EPA seeks no less than an immediate ban on the five specifically mentioned product categories, with all other asbestos products to be gradually phased out over 10 years. But that's not necessarily the case. "The ban is the ultimate, but there are several lesser things EPA might go for," said Nyquist. "One of those is just labeling all products without banning anything. It's a graduated proposal. In addition to the allout immediate ban, they've announced a possible ban after so many years for groups of products and labeling. And of course, there are combinations of these." Netter's thoughts on the probable end result paralell Nyquist's. "It's not a take-itor-leave-it proposition," he said. "Any thing can still happen, and certain things will happen. Any regulations proposed by any federal agency must be ruled on by OMB for their cost effectiveness and eco nomic impact. To some extent, certain aspects of this proposal are intended to be horse-traded during the process." No one can say with certainty that EPA will be able to implement a ban. Nyquist did say, `The industry's position is that EPA can't support its case to come out with an outright ban." At this writing, EPA has yet to announce what penalties will be imposed on persons or businesses that disregard the ban. Nor has EPA said how it will enforce the ban, or what plans it has for disposing of existing stocks of banned products when the ban takes effect. What should contractors be doing now? According to EPA's Hester, until the EPA announces an actual ban and how it will be implemented, "It's business as usual." How to express your views Public comment, whether pro or con, will have some influence on the EPA's final decision. If you want to express your views to the EPA on the proposed ban and how it might affect you, write to Edward Klein, director, Office of TSCA Assistance (TS-799), Room E543, 401 M St., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20460. You can contact the Asbestos Information Association, the asbestos industry lobby organization, by calling 703/979-1150. 36 ROOFING SPEC BIRD 012238