v>EPA
                                   United States
                                   Environmental Protection
                                   Agency
                                   Industrial Environmental Research
                                   Laboratory
                                   Cincinnati OH 45268
                                   Research and Development
                                   EPA-600/S7-81-032  May 1981
Project  Summary
                                   Asbestos/Asbestiform
                                   Research  in  EPA  ORD

                                   Lisa S. Kohn and Michael R. Taylor
                                    This report summarizes the current
                                  effects of the EPA Office of Research
                                  and Development laboratories to pro-
                                  vide state-of-the-art research and
                                  development regarding asbestos and
                                  asbestos-like minerals.
                                    The EPA asbestos/asbestiform re-
                                  search program encompasses a wide
                                  range of activity directed toward the
                                  control and management of mining,
                                  milling, processing,  fabricating, and
                                  end  uses of asbestos.  Widespread
                                  applications of  asbestos in the past
                                  have exposed large segments of the
                                  population  to   unknown risks. Re-
                                  search  should provide valuable
                                  answers to numerous questions related
                                  to the  use of  and the  exposure  to
                                  asbestiform. Access to  state-of-the-
                                  art research information is a necessary
                                  ingredient that  enables  programs of
                                  corrective action to be carried for-
                                  ward,  minimizing  environmental
                                  damage and risk.
                                    Five agencies  comprising the Inter-
                                  agency  Regulatory  Liaison Group
                                  (IRLG)  signed  an interagency
                                  agreement to improve public health
                                  through information exchange and to
                                  reduce  waste-  and   duplication  in
                                  government. The IRLG consists of the
                                  Department of Agriculture, Consumer
                                  Product Safety Commission, Environ-
                                  mental Protection Agency, Food and
                                  Drug Administration and Occupation-
                                  al Safety and Health Administration.
                                  These agencies  have established a
                                  cooperative endeavor to protect the
                                  public from exposure to harmful levels
                                  of toxic substances  (the toxic  sub-
                                  stances can result from the use  of
                                  consumer products, food and drugs in
                                  the workplace, or from exposure to
                                  contaminants in land, air or water) by
                                  the sharing of information and the
                                  development of consistent regulatory
                                  policy. This report is intended to up-
                                  date EPA's laboratory research-pro-
                                  grams dealing with asbestos  and
                                  related asbestiform.
                                    The final  report was submitted in
                                  fulfillment of Contract No. 68-03-2673
                                  by JACA Corporation, Management
                                  Consultants  and  Engineers,  Fort
                                  Washington, PA, under the sponsor-
                                  ship of the Environmental Protection
                                  Agency.
                                    This Project Summary was develop-
                                  ed by EPA's Industrial Environmental
                                  Research Laboratory. Cincinnati. OH.
                                  to  announce  key  findings of the
                                  research project that is  fully docu-
                                  mented in a separate report of the
                                  same t/tle-fsee Project Report ordering
                                  information at back).
                                  Introduction
                                    The association of impaired human
                                  health  with  industrial exposure  to
                                  asbestos is  well known.  Asbestosis
                                  (fibrosis of the lung) and pulmonary
                                  cancer are associated with the mining
                                  and milling of asbestos and the manu-
                                  facture and use of asbestos products.
                                    There is a need to define the various
                                  sources  from  which  asbestos and
                                  asbestos-like minerals  enter the envi-
                                  ronment,  to establish  subsequent
                                  health and environmental effects, and
                                  to examine possible control strategies
                                  that will offer current regulatory alter-
                                  natives.

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  In response to this need, the Office of
Research and Development  (ORD) is
active in several  areas of  laboratory
research. The following laboratories are
involved  m  these  asbestos-related
research  projects:

•  Industrial Environmental Research
   Laboratory—Cincinnati (lERL-Ci)

•  Municipal Environmental Research
   Laboratory—Cincinnati (MERL-Ci)

•  Environmental  Monitoring
   Systems Laboratory—Research
   Triangle Park (EMSL-RTP)

•  Environmental  Monitoring
   Systems  Laboratory—Las  Vegas
   (EMSL-LV)
•  Health Effects Research Laboratory
   —Cincinnati (HERL-Ci)

•  Health Effects Research Laboratory
   —Research Triangle  Park  (HERL-
   RTP)

•  Environmental  Research  Labora-
   tory—Duluth (ERL-Du)

•  Environmental  Sciences  Research
    Laboratory—Research  Triangle
    Park  (ESRL-RTP)

•  Environmental  Research  Labora-
    tory—Athens (ERL-Ath)

•   Environmental  Research  Labora-
    tory—Gulf Breeze (ERL-GB)

  The research encompasses: (1) con-
trol, removal, and disposal technologies;
(2) monitoring and sampling techniques;
(3) health effects; and (4) identification
arid measurement techniques.
  Efforts  are focused on  the develop-
ment of technologies for the safe and
effective  control, removal, and disposal
of asbestos in both industrial and public
buildings (lERL-Ci). The application of
various treatment techniques for filtra-
tion of asbestos fibers  in public water
supply systems  and the coating  of
asbestos-containing materials  to
prevent the entrance of asbestos into air
and  water  are also  being  studied
(MERL-Ci).  The development of these
technologies  will   minimize  human
exposure to asbestos  and  asbestos-
containing materials.
  Extensive monitoring and sampling
are conducted to develop an asbestos
standard, support revisions  of  existing
standards (EMSL-RTP), and  respond to
emergency requests  for  information
(EMSL-LV).
  Cooperative  in  vivo  and  in  vitro
studies, and mineralogical analyses are
used to develop a predictive model for
the analysis of asbestos-like minerals
(HERL-RTP, ERL-Du).  Epidemiological
studies of  occupational   and  non-
occupational exposure are  also being
conducted. The results of these studies
can provide health effects data useful
for evaluating  the risk of human expo-
sure to asbestiform.
  Epidemiological,  animal,  and  cell
culture studies are conducted in order to
examine the health effects of drinking
water  containing asbestos (HERL-Ci).
The accumulation of mineral  fibers in
aquatic organisms is  also  studied to
extend the methodology for identifying
and  characterizing  asbestos  and
asbestos-like fibers in tissue (ERL-Du,
ERL-GB).
  Research  is  continuing  for  the
development   and  improvement  of
standard  measurement  methods  of
using the electron microscope in the
analysis of both inhaled (ESRL-RTP) and
ingested  (ERL-Ath)  asbestos fibers.
Research is also  being directed toward
the development of non-electron, bulk,
rapid,  analytical  methods that will  be
less  costly and  time-consuming, and
toward the development of improved
preparation and  preservation  method-
ology.
   Lisa S. Kohn and Michael R. Taylor are with JAC A Corporation, Ft. Washington,
     PA 19034.
   Orville Macomber and Thomas Po wers are the EPA Project Officers (see below).
   The complete report, entitled "Asbestos/Asbestiform Research in EPA ORD,"
     Order No. PB31-191 876; Cost $9.50, subject to change) will be available only
     from:
          National Technical Information Service
          5285 Port Royal Road
          Springfield, VA 22161
           Telephone: 703-487-4650
   Contact Thomas Powers at:
          Industrial Environmental Research Laboratory
           U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
           Cincinnati. OH 45268
                                                                                 «r U.S GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1tt1 -757-0 U/711Z

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United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Center for Environmental Research
Information
Cincinnati OH 45268
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Fees Paid
Environmental
Protection
Agency
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Official Business
Penalty for Private Use $300

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