EPA IG QUESTIONS ABSESTOS-RELATED DEMOLITION AT DOE SITES

The Environmental Protection Agency’s Inspector General is questioning how asbestos-related demolition is conducted at some Department of Energy cleanup sites. In an “early warning” report issued last week, the EPA Inspector General said that alternative asbestos control methods that are less restrictive than EPA regulations have been allowed for use at Hanford and are being considered for use during D&D activities at the Paducah site. “The use of unapproved methods is counter to EPA regulations. The current and proposed use of unapproved methods may jeopardize the health and safety of the public,” the EPA IG report says, adding that the agency should “identify all sites, such as Hanford, with work plans that contain EPA authorization to use unapproved methods for asbestos demolitions and retract any such approvals that deviate from the Asbestos NESHAP [National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants] regulations.” The report also calls on the EPA to “assess whether any authorizations resulted in potential asbestos exposure of workers or the public, and notify them accordingly.”