-March 4, 2008
The MSHA recently gave a final ruling to better protect miners who have been exposed to asbestos at metal, nonmetal and underground coal mines.
The new plan will supposedly reduce the asbestos exposure limit by 95 percent.
Reducing Asbestos Exposure
“The final rule will help improve health protection for miners who work in an environment where asbestos is present,” explains MSHA Administrator Richard Stickler. “It will also help to lower the risk of material impairment of health or functional capacity over a miner's working lifetime.”
Reports claim that the rule will lower the permitted asbestos limit from two fibers per cubic centimeter to 0.1 fibers.
The MSHA says that it will retain the current method for analyzing the levels of asbestos, along with existing counting criteria.
The Harmful Effects of Asbestos
Asbestos exposure has been linked to various cancers including mesothelioma and lung cancer, as well as asbestosis.
In the past, the amount of asbestos permissible by the MSHA was reportedly 20 times more asbestos than workers were covered by under the OSHA rules.
(Source: Occupational Hazard)
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