The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is claiming that asbestos fibers
shorter than 5 microns in length are safe and harmless. EPA's testing
of air in apartments in NYC, contaminated by asbestos after the WTC collapse,
only looked for these longer fibers. EPA ignored all the shorter fibers
that it found.
EPA is assuming that the very small fibers are cleared from the body because
they are small enough to be engulfed by macrophages, and thus do not remain
long enough to cause cancer.
However, these two new studies contradict this hypothesis. There are other
studies as well which contradict EPA's hypothesis.
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) held a conference
in New York City last week bringing together a very limited, select number
of researchers who are working on this controversial "small fiber"
issue. We do not know whether or not the ATSDR is intending to consider
all the available evidence on small fibers, or apply the precautionary
principle and assume that the small fibers have carcinogenic effects until
absolutely proven to be harmless.
Cate Jenkins
EPA
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Asbestos tissue burden study on human malignant mesothelioma.
Industrial Health, 39, 150-160.
Y. Suzuki and R. Yuen (2001)
[Mount Sinai School of Medicine]
Asbestos fibers contributing to the induction of human malignant mesothelioma.
Y. Suzuki and R. Yuen (2002)
[Mount Sinai School of Medicine]
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, in press.