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Toxic Substances
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Both routine and non-routine agricultural operations may expose individuals to toxic substances. Awareness of these substances, as well as an understanding of how to manage and handle them, will ensure the safety of those who may come in contact with them.
- Asbestos
- Chemical Use and Safety
- Lead-Based Paint
- Managing Electrical Equipment With PCBs
- Global Cooperation To Control Toxic Chemicals
Asbestos
Asbestos is the name for a group of naturally occurring minerals that separate into strong, very fine fibers. The fibers are heat-resistant and extremely durable. Because of these qualities, asbestos has become very useful in construction and industry. In the home it may or may not pose a health hazard to the occupants, depending on its condition. When it can be crushed by hand pressure or the surface is not sealed to prevent small pieces from escaping, the material is considered friable -- fragile or easily crumbled. In this condition fibers can be released and pose a health risk. However, as long as the surface is stable and well-sealed against the release of its fibers and not damaged, the material is considered safe until damaged in some way.Asbestos tends to break down into a dust of microscopic fibers. Because of their size and shape, these tiny fibers remain suspended in the air for long periods of time and can easily penetrate body tissues after being inhaled or ingested. Because of their durability, these fibers can remain in the body for many years and thereby become the cause of asbestos-related diseases. Symptoms of these diseases generally do not appear for 10 to 30 years after the exposure. Therefore, long before its effects are detectable, asbestos-related injury to the body may have already occurred. There is no safe level of exposure known; therefore, exposure to friable asbestos should be avoided.
Buildings on agricultural establishments and agribusinesses may contain asbestos or asbestos-containing materials (ACM). Used for insulation and as a fire retardant, asbestos and ACMs can be found in a variety of building construction materials, including pipe and furnace insulation materials, asbestos shingles, millboard, textured paint and other coating materials, and floor tiles. Asbestos may also be found in vehicle brakes. Buildings built in the sixties are more likely to have asbestos-containing sprayed- or troweled-on friable materials than other buildings.
Related laws and policies
Toxic Substances Control ActRelated environmental requirements
Toxic Substances Control Act (Section 6)
40 CFR Part 61, subpart M (PDF) (23 pp, 990K)More information from EPA
Asbestos
Asbestos and NESHAP: Common Questions on the Asbestos National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) - The Asbestos NESHAP regulations protect the public by minimizing the release of asbestos fibers during activities involving the processing, handling, and disposal of asbestos-containing material.Telephone assistance from EPA
Asbestos Information Hotline: 800-438-2474
Asbestos Ombudsman: 800-368-5888
Chemical Use and Safety
Whenever significant hazards are found in the course of accident investigations, EPA issues Chemical Safety Alerts to caution facilities, State Emergency Response Commissions, Local Emergency Planning Committees, emergency responders, and others to reduce risks and prevent future accidents.Related topics
Chemical SafetyRelated publications from the Ag Center
Chemical SafetyMore information from EPA
New Strategic Plan Released for Evaluating the Toxicity of Chemicals
Lead-Based Paint
In 1978, EPA banned the manufacture and use of lead-based paint and lead-based paint products. Current studies suggest that the primary sources of lead exposure for most children are deteriorating lead-based paint, lead contaminated dust, and lead contaminated residential soil. EPA is playing a major role in addressing these residential lead hazards. Lead-based paint chips and dust, if ingested, can create severe, long-term health effects, especially for children. Lead is a known carcinogen and, through any exposure pathway, may result in significant health effects.Lead-based paint on an agricultural establishment or agribusiness farm will typically be found on building interiors and exteriors for buildings constructed prior to 1978. During renovation and demolition, the activity of paint removal has the potential to impact human health and the environment as fibers, dust, and paint chips are released. Paint chips and dust can cause indoor air contamination during renovation, and soil contamination from demolition or improper disposal.
Related laws and policies
Toxic Substances Control ActRelated environmental requirements
Toxic Substances Control Act (Section 6)
40 CFR Part 35
40 CFR Part 745More information from EPA
Lead ProgramsTelephone assistance from EPA
National Lead Information Center: 800-424-LEAD
Managing Electrical Equipment With Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)
PCBs are mixtures of synthetic organic chemicals that have the same basic chemical structure and that have physical properties ranging from oily liquids to waxy solids. Due to their non-flammability, chemical stability, high boiling point, and electrical insulating properties, PCBs were used in hundreds of industrial and commercial applications including electrical, heat transfer, and hydraulic equipment; as plasticizers in paints, plastics and rubber products; in pigments, dyes and carbonless copy paper; and in many other applications. More than 1.5 billion pounds of PCBs were manufactured in the United States before production stopped in 1977.PCBs have significant ecological and human health effects including carcinogenicity (probable human cancer-causing or cancer-promoting agent), neurotoxicity, reproductive and developmental toxicity, immune system suppression, liver damage, skin irritation, and endocrine disruption. These toxic effects have been observed from both acute and chronic exposures to PCB mixtures with varying chlorine content. PCBs do not break down readily in the environment and are taken into the food chain by microorganisms. PCBs are then biologically accumulated and concentrated at levels much higher than found in the surrounding environment, thus posing a greater risk of injury to human health and the environment than might be imagined.
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were widely used in electrical equipment manufactured from 1932 to 1978. Types of equipment on agricultural establishments and agribusinesses potentially containing PCBs include transformers and their bushings, capacitors, reclosers, regulators, electric light ballasts, and oil switches. Any equipment containing PCBs in their dielectric fluid at concentrations of greater than 50 ppm are subject to the PCB requirements. Human food or animal feed must not be exposed to PCBs. Therefore, transformers and other items containing PCBs must not be located near food or feed.
Related laws and policies
Toxic Substances Control ActRelated environmental requirements
Toxic Substances Control Act (Section 6)
40 CFR Part 761More information from EPA
PCB Program
Global Cooperation To Control Toxic Chemicals
The United States, along with more than 90 other countries, has signed a global treaty on persistent organic pollutants (POPS). POPS, which include substances such as DDT, PCBs, and dioxins, are toxic, persist in the environment for long periods of time, and accumulate as they move up the food chain. The United States has already banned or severely restricted the production, use, sale and/or release of these chemicals; however, many countries have taken little or no action. EPA Administrator Christie Whitman signed the convention on behalf of the United States in Stockholm, Sweden. The Administration plans to move swiftly to submit the treaty for the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate.More information from EPA
Global Cooperation To Control Toxic Chemicals (press release)More information from other organizations
Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
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