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• I use/used vermiculite to enhance my potting soil. Should I be concerned?

  EPA's investigation ( https://www.epa.gov/asbestos/protect-your-family-asbestos-contaminated-vermiculite-insulation ) into these products indicates that consumers face only a minimal health risk from using vermiculite products at home or in their gardens. To further reduce the risk associated with the occasional use of vermiculite products during gardening activities, EPA recommends that consumers: Use vermiculite outdoors…

  • Last published: March 6, 2024

• My school district will be performing asbestos abatement in a kindergarten classroom that was built before 1978. Do the asbestos abatement workers also need to comply with the RRP rule? 

  Yes, if the asbestos abatement disrupts over six square feet of painted surface per room in an interior, or over 20 square feet of painted surface on an exterior, or involves window replacement or demolition of painted surfaces. If so, the asbestos abatement will need to be performed by a…

  • Last published: February 16, 2024

• I have changed my brakes in the past, should I be worried about asbestos exposure?

  Because some, but not all, automotive brakes and clutches available or in use today may contain asbestos, professional automotive technicians and home mechanics who repair and replace brakes and clutches can potentially be exposed to asbestos dust. Brake and clutch dust can be seen when a brake disk, drum, clutch…

  • Last published: March 21, 2024

• What training is the designated person required to have?

  A local education agency (LEA) is required to designate a person to ensure that all LEA responsibilities and/or requirements are properly implemented (40 CFR part 763.84(g)(1)). The LEA’s designated person is not required to be “accredited” as the term is used in the asbestos in schools rule; nonetheless, he or…

  • Last published: May 7, 2024

• A school building includes a covered exterior hallway or walkway. Is this covered exterior hallway or walkway covered by the asbestos-containing materials in schools rule? If so, does this include both the underside and roof of these areas?

  Yes. Under 40 CFR part 763.83 of the asbestos-containing materials in schools rule, “school building” is defined to include “[a]ny portico or covered exterior hallway or walkway,” so the covered exterior hallway or walkway is covered. However, only the underside of the hallway or walkway is included; the roof is…

  • Last published: March 21, 2024

• Are schools supposed to notify parents if their child attends a school that has asbestos in it?

  Yes. The asbestos-containing materials in schools rule, pursuant to the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), requires local education agencies (e.g., school districts) to notify building workers (including teachers) and parents annually regarding asbestos-related activities such as asbestos inspections, and response actions (abatement). The local education agency must also annually…

  • Last published: March 15, 2024

• Are the school district's administrative offices (such as the Board of Education or the Superintendent's Office) covered by the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), even if students never attend classes in these buildings?

  Yes. Among the structures covered in the definition of “school building” in AHERA (section 202) and in the asbestos in schools rule (40 CFR part 763.83) are "... any other facility used for the instruction or housing of students or for the administration of education or research programs." Other Frequent…

  • Last published: March 15, 2024

• Can a local education agency (LEA) designate a committee instead of one person to coordinate asbestos programs for an LEA?

  No. Section 763.84(g)(1) requires each LEA to designate “a person” (i.e., an individual). The name, address, and telephone number of the person designated under 40 CFR part 763.84 to ensure that the duties of the local education agency are carried out must appear in the management plan (40 CFR part…

  • Last published: March 15, 2024

• Does my school district know where the asbestos in its school buildings is located?

  They are required to know and to describe where the material is located in the asbestos management plan, and also to monitor and record any change in its condition that might pose a potential safety risk. Other Frequent Questions about Asbestos Learn About Asbestos Asbestos and School Buildings Information for…

  • Last published: March 15, 2024

• I have seen the janitor machine-cleaning the floor tile in our school. Should I be worried that these machines will degrade the tiles and create a hazard?

  Machine-cleaning of floor tile can be part of a good maintenance program for asbestos-containing floor tiles, as long as the machine is operated properly and the tiles are not in poor condition. EPA has issued special guidance on the proper maintenance of asbestos-containing floor tiles, and the guidance is available…

  • Last published: April 4, 2024

• I thought asbestos was banned and then removed from schools years ago?

  In March 2024, EPA set prohibition dates for the last remaining ongoing manufactured (including imported) asbestos uses in United States. Asbestos-containing building materials are no longer imported into the U.S. However, asbestos-containing materials are still “managed-in-place” in schools. Under requirements set forth by the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA)…

  • Last published: April 4, 2024

• If a building is on the premises of a local education agency (LEA) property and under the authority of the LEA, but is being used only as a private residence, is it subject to the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA)?

  If the residence does not perform any of the functions listed or fall under any of the descriptions given in the definition of a “school building” in AHERA section 202(13) and the asbestos-containing materials in schools rule (40 CFR part 763.83), then it is not subject to AHERA. Other Frequent…

  • Last published: April 4, 2024

• If, during a periodic surveillance check, a custodian finds damaged thermal system insulation, what must be done under the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA)?

  40 CFR part 763.90(b) states that “[i]f damaged or significantly damaged thermal system insulation ACM is present in a building, the local education agency shall: At least repair the damaged area; Remove the damaged material if it is not feasible, due to technological factors, to repair the damage; and Maintain…

  • Last published: April 22, 2024

• Is the local education agency (LEA) required to provide a separate notification to non-short-time workers and building occupants (i.e. parents, teachers, and employees or their organizations) for each response action that is performed?

  No. Under 40 CFR part 763.84(c), a separate notification for each response action taken is not required. A notice to parents, teachers, and employees or their organizations once a year is sufficient. Other Frequent Questions about Asbestos Learn About Asbestos Asbestos and School Buildings Information for Owners and Managers of…

  • Last published: April 22, 2024

• Please define the term "nonfriable suspected ACBM." Also, what does the term "manner sufficient to determine" mean with respect to sampling such material under the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA)?

  Nonfriable suspected asbestos-containing building material (ACBM) means suspected surfacing asbestos-containing material (ACM), thermal system insulation ACM, or miscellaneous ACM that is found in or on the interior structural members or other parts of a school building and that when dry, cannot be crumbled, pulverized, or reduced to powder by hand…

  • Last published: April 24, 2024