Asbestos Exposure and Cancer Risk (Fact Sheet)

What other organizations offer information related to asbestos exposure?

The organizations listed below can provide more information about asbestos exposure.

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is the principal Federal agency responsible for evaluating the human health effects of exposure to hazardous substances. This agency works in close collaboration with local, state, and other Federal agencies, with tribal governments, and with communities and local health care providers to help prevent or reduce harmful human health effects from exposure to hazardous substances. The ATSDR provides information about asbestos and where to find occupational and environmental health clinics. The ATSDR can be contacted at:

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
4770 Buford Highway, NE.
Atlanta, GA 30341
1–800–232–4636 (1–800–CDC–INFO)
1–888–232–6348 (TTY)
[email protected]
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates the general public’s exposure to asbestos in buildings, drinking water, and the environment. The EPA offers a Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Hotline and an Asbestos Ombudsman. The TSCA Hotline provides technical assistance and information about asbestos programs implemented under the TSCA, which include the Asbestos School Hazard Abatement Act and the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act. The Asbestos Ombudsman focuses on asbestos in schools and handles questions and complaints. Both the TSCA Hotline and the Asbestos Ombudsman can provide publications on a number of topics, particularly on controlling asbestos exposure in schools and other buildings. The Ombudsman operates a toll-free hotline for small businesses, trade associations, and others seeking free, confidential help.

The EPA website includes a list of EPA state asbestos contacts. In addition, EPA’s Asbestos page provides links to information about asbestos and its health effects, including suggestions for homeowners who suspect asbestos in their homes, and laws and regulations applicable to asbestos. Questions may be directed to:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
EPA West Building
National Program Chemicals Division
Mail Code 7404T
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.
Washington, DC 20460
202–554–1404 (TSCA Hotline)
202–554–0551 (TTY)
1–800–368–5888 (Asbestos Ombudsman)
[email protected]
http://www.epa.gov/asbestos

Another EPA resource that may be of interest is the brochure titled Current Best Practices for Preventing Asbestos Exposure Among Brake and Clutch Repair Workers. Released in April 2007, this brochure includes work practices for both automotive professionals and home mechanics that may be used to avoid asbestos exposure. It also summarizes existing OSHA regulatory requirements for professional auto mechanics.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is responsible for protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products, including asbestos, under the agency’s jurisdiction. The CPSC maintains a toll-free 24-hour hotline where callers can obtain product safety and other agency information and report unsafe products. In addition, CPSC publications provide guidelines for repairing and removing asbestos, and general information about asbestos in the home. CPSC can be contacted at:

Office of Information and Public Affairs
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
4330 East West Highway
Bethesda, MD 20814
1–800–638–2772
1–800–638–8270 (TTY)
http://www.cpsc.gov

Individuals can also contact their local or state health department with questions or concerns about asbestos.

Selected References

1. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. What Is Asbestos? Retrieved April 10, 2009, from: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/asbestos/more_about_asbestos/what_is_asbestos.

2. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Toxicological Profile for Asbestos. September 2001. Retrieved April 10, 2009, from: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp61.pdf.

3. National Toxicology Program. Asbestos. In: Report on Carcinogens. Eleventh Edition. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Toxicology Program, 2005. 

4. Ullrich RL. Etiology of cancer: Physical factors. In: DeVita VT Jr., Hellman S, Rosenberg SA, editors. Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology. Vol. 1 and 2. 7th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, 2004.

5. U.S. Geological Survey. Mineral Commodity Summaries 2006: Asbestos. Retrieved April 10, 2009, from: http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/mcs/2006/mcs2006.pdf.

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Asbestos: Health Effects. Retrieved April 10, 2009, from: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/asbestos/asbestos/health_effects/index.html.

6. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Health Effects Assessment for Asbestos. September 1984. EPA/540/1-86/049 (NTIS PB86134608). Retrieved April 10, 2009, from: http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid=40602.

7. International Agency for Research on Cancer. Asbestos. IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans, vol. 14. Lyon, France. Retrieved April 10, 2009, from: http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/vol14/volume14.pdf .

8. O’Reilly KMA, McLaughlin AM, Beckett WS, et al. Asbestos-related lung disease. American Family Physician 2007; 75(5):683–688.

9. Landrigan PJ, Lioy PJ, Thurston G, et al. Health and environmental consequences of the World Trade Center disaster. Environmental Health Perspectives 2004; 112(6):731–739.

10. Herbert R, Moline J, Skloot G, et al. The World Trade Center disaster and the health of workers: five-year assessment of a unique medical screening program. Environmental Health Perspectives 2006; 114(12):1853–1858.

11. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Asbestos: Working with Patients: Diagnosis. Retrieved April 10, 2009, from: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/asbestos/medical_community/working_with_patients.

Source: National Cancer Institute