Press Releases at EMSL

Earlier in March, the U.S. Senate agreed to the passage of a bipartisan resolution that designates the first week of April 2016 as National Asbestos Awareness Week. The resolution aims to raise public awareness about the prevalence of asbestos-related diseases and the dangers of asbestos exposure which include lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis.

Senate Resolution 376 reminds the public that asbestos hazards still exist today due to its past use and that the United States continues to consume about 400 metric tons of the fibrous mineral each year for use in certain products. Environmental professionals and public health advocates who work to protect the American public from the dangers associated with exposure to asbestos applaud the Senate’s actions.

“Although many people think that the use of asbestos has been banned in the U.S., there are still products that can legally contain the material,” said Joe Frasca, Senior Vice President of Marketing at EMSL Analytical, Inc. “In 1989, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) did issue a final rule under Section 6 of Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) banning most asbestos-containing products. This was short-lived however, as this rule was vacated and remanded by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in 1991. As a result, most of the original ban on the manufacture, importation, processing or distribution in commerce for the majority of the asbestos-containing products originally covered in the 1989 final rule was overturned.”

Since 1981, EMSL Analytical has been at the forefront of providing testing services to help identify materials and environmental samples that contain asbestos. These services protect building occupants, workers, the public and the environment from exposure to the hazards associated with asbestos fibers.  

To learn more about EMSL’s asbestos testing services or other hazardous material and indoor air quality services, please visit www.AsbestosTestingLab.com or www.EMSL.com, call (800) 220-3675 or email info@EMSL.com.

About EMSL Analytical, Inc.

EMSL Analytical is a nationally recognized and locally focused provider of environmental, indoor air quality, consumer product and materials testing services and products for professionals and the general public.  The company has an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations as well as state and federal regulating bodies.