The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is contemplating new regulations that could limit the use of asbestos in home products.

The EPA is working towards a deadline of late 2019, by which time it’s required to issue a risk assessment for asbestos and nine other dangerous substances. Congress called for this new review in last June’s amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act.

By late 2019, the EPA will have determined whether asbestos and the other substances constitute an “unreasonable risk.” If so, the agency will decide whether to strengthen existing regulations or ban the substance outright.

Old Uses of Asbestos

Asbestos in home products
used to be quite common. Before regulators began clamping down on the use of asbestos throughout the 1970s, it was used throughout the construction industry and several other industries. Back in the day, asbestos was manufactured into ceiling and floor tiles, pipe insulation, roofing and siding shingles, and products like patching compounds and textured paints.

Not all uses of asbestos are banned today. The EPA issued a short-lived ban on almost all asbestos uses in 1989. That ban was struck down three years later by a federal appeals court, effectively grandfathering in many uses of asbestos that predated the EPA’s rule.

Today, asbestos may still be manufactured into certain products like automotive parts and fireproofing materials. Contemporary vinyl tiles, corrugated sheeting, roofing materials and some imported concrete pipe may all contain asbestos.

Asbestos in Home Construction Materials

Asbestos is still present today in many existing buildings – even residential structures. Generally, any buildings constructed before the mid-1970s are likely to contain asbestos-based construction materials. Moreover, due to the continued presence of asbestos in home products, it may also be present in newer residential buildings.

That’s not necessarily an immediate health hazard, say environmental health experts. As long as this asbestos is left physically undisturbed, it won’t get into the air and into people’s lungs. That’s good news for homeowners who may not have to pay for expensive professional asbestos abatement.

Trouble can happen though when asbestos is physically agitated – like when remodeling or demolition work tears into asbestos-based insulation or tiles. Disturbing asbestos this way launches microscopic fibers into the air. These fibers can be inhaled and can lodge into lung tissue, where over time they may trigger asbestos-related diseases like asbestos lung cancer.

New renovation work in older buildings may trigger local or federal legal requirements for testing and asbestos abatement. These projects must be handled by certified professional asbestos abatement specialists.

Experts warn that minor improvement projects can cause asbestos exposure even if they don’t involve tearing out walls, floors or ceilings. Working in attics or running cables though asbestos-containing walls creates a risk of exposure.

It’s hard to tell by looking whether or not there is asbestos in home construction materials. The only way to confirm asbestos content is through testing by a certified asbestos-handling professional.

Until you’re sure, the safest advice is to leave the material alone, according to asbestos abatement professionals.