Asbestos Ban Flooring
However as a result of the court s decision only a few asbestos containing products remain banned.
Asbestos ban flooring. A highly effective and inexpensive fire retardant material and thermal and acoustic insulator asbestos was used extensively in home construction from the early 1940s through the 1970s. Asbestos a heat resistant fibrous silicate mineral was a common element in construction materials due to its resilient durable nature until the 1980s anyway when it was banned due to the. Learn more about the 1989 asbestos ban and phase out. As a result the 1989 asbestos regulation only bans new uses of asbestos in products that would be initiated for the first time after 1989 and bans 5 other specific product types.
On july 12 1989 the epa issued a final rule banning most asbestos containing products. It can cause lung cancer mesothelioma cancer of the larynx and ovaries and a health condition called asbestosis caused by fibrosis of the lungs. The name has its origin in the greek word for inextinguishable. Unfortunately vinyl sheet flooring manufactured with an asbestos backing poses a serious exposure risk when it is disturbed.
However once considerable testing proved that it was a killer the miracle became a nightmare to deal with and remove. Sbestos was once considered a miracle material used in everything from paint and pipe insulation to even tiling. In response to pressure from the asbestos industry a federal judge overturned this ruling in 1991 leaving only pieces of the ruling intact that kept the ban. Like floor tiles vinyl sheet flooring is a long lasting and economical material and it also offers more aesthetic options to suit a homeowner s taste.
Resilient sheet flooring containing asbestos was also produced finding wide use as early as 1968. Prior to use being banned asbestos was used in many products including insulation material for buildings boilers and pipes. The importation supply and use of all. Car brakes and floor tiles.
The decade old epa made a bold move to ban asbestos altogether enacting the asbestos ban and phase out rule of 1989. See 40 cfr 763 subpart i. Asbestos is a hazardous material that is present in some older linoleum flooring materials. See asbestos ban and phase out federal register notices.