Even a person who goes up to his or her asbestos-insulated attic in an old home on a frequent basis could be at risk, especially if he or she is a smoker. Smoking, because of the damage it does to the lungs, can exacerbate the damage of breathing in asbestos (Asbestos exposure and cancer risk, 2009, The National Cancer Institute).
Step 4: Make decisions about which options to implement
Given the risk, and the increasingly vocal calls for litigation regarding asbestos-related illnesses, an even more aggressive elimination might 'pay off' in the long run for industries that continue to deal with asbestos and for building owners whose buildings contain asbestos materials and insulation. More stringent exposure-minimization procedures and safety guidelines also seem required.
Step 5: Take actions to implement the decisions: Multi-source, multi-media, multi-chemical, and multi-risk context
Even though the risk was minimal, the federal government eliminated the use of asbestos in crayons in the interest of protecting children and the availability of other substances with which to replace the asbestos. For automotive workers who work on five or more brake jobs per week, OSHA requirements demand strict procedures to limit exposure (Current Best Practices for Preventing Asbestos Exposure, 2007, EPA.).
In the future, more proactive research must be embarked to replace asbestos with non-carcinogenic substitutes, and while it continues to be used, careful guidelines must exist to minimize worker exposure and to show workers how to minimize the risk to their loved ones through appropriate cleaning procedures.
Step 6: Conduct an evaluation of the action
Flooring felt, rollboard, and corrugated, commercial, and specialty papers remain prohibited under law. "In addition, the regulation continues to ban the use of asbestos in products that have not historically contained asbestos, otherwise referred to as 'new uses' of asbestos" (Asbestos ban and phase out asbestos ban, 2009, EPA). While the EPA has striven to minimize current worker's exposure to asbestos under the law, reevaluation of such a ban, given greater knowledge of the dangers of asbestos might be warranted, and concern for worker safety as well as possible litigation should prod more corporate entities to voluntarily replace asbestos or minimize exposure through stringent safety guidelines.
Works Cited
Asbestos. (2009). EPA. Retrieved May 10, 2009 http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/
Asbestos ban and phase out asbestos ban. (2009). EPA. Retrieved May 10, 2009
http://www.epa.gov/oppt/asbestos/pubs/ban.html
Asbestos exposure and cancer risk. (2009). The National Cancer Institute. Retrieved May 10,
2009 at http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/asbestos
Current best practices for preventing asbestos exposure (2007). EPA. Retrieved May 10, 2009
http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/pubs/brakesbrochure.html#What
Framework for environmental health risk management. (1997). Final report: Presidential/
Congressional Assessment Commission. Retrieved May 10, 2009
http://www.riskworld.com/nreports/1997/risk-rpt/pdf/EPAJAN.PDF
