NIOSH Testimony on Asbestos Before the Subcommittee on Toxic Substances, Environmental Oversight, Research and Development Committee on Environment and Public Works by Richard A. Lemen, April 26, 1990.

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  This testimony concerns the position of NIOSH regarding the science and health effects caused by exposure to asbestos (1332214). Based on studies of workers exposed to asbestos before general governmental regulations were in place, it is known that asbestos causes specific diseases such as asbestosis and mesothelioma. Asbestos is one of the leading causes of lung cancer in nonsmokers. Asbestos exposure for smokers increases the risk of lung cancer approximately 55 times. Asbestos is also associated with an increased risk of gastrointestinal and other cancers. Chrysotile (12001295) is much more chemically and biologically reactive than amphibole fibers. There is no compelling evidence at this time to justify different public health policies for different asbestos fiber types. NIOSH reaffirmed its position that no distinction be made between the types of asbestos fibers with regard to regulatory purposes. The scientific evidence suggests that fiber shape and size are the most critical factors in the pathogenicity of the material.
• Subjects:
  Accidents, Occupational Benzene Hydrocarbons Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Asbestos-dust Asbestos-workers Cancer-rates Fibrous-dusts Insulation-materials Lemen-R-A Lung-disease Mineral-dusts Mortality-data NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Testimony

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• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Testimony
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00195616
• Citation:
  Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1990 Apr; :1-6
• CAS Registry Number:
  Asbestos (CAS RN 1332-21-4) ; Chrysotile (CAS RN 12001-29-5)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1990
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:32c2fbd1727b72db1c9ce4c25ae755f2697c4a96b1624477d1daf5c33ac76aedd4c31bea1fa078fc67f85e0d86aa9bb1f4281557f00e51b40dbef86c887f3e7a
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/180397/cdc_180397_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 178.40 KB ]