FAQs • Pinal County, AZ • CivicEngage

How much asbestos must be present before the Asbestos NESHAP work practice standards apply to renovation projects?: Asbestos NESHAP regulations must be followed for all renovations of facilities with at least 260 linear feet of regulated asbestos-containing materials (RACM) on pipes, or 160 square feet of regulated asbestos-containing materials on other facility components, or 35 cubic feet off facility components where the amount of RACM previously removed from pipes and other facility components could not be measured before stripping. These amounts are known as the “threshold” amounts.

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Air Quality - Asbestos

1. What is the purpose of the Asbestos NESHAP Regulation?: The purpose of this regulation is to protect public health by minimizing the release of asbestos when facilities that have asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) are demolished or renovated.

2. What is the difference between demolishing a facility and renovating it?: “Demolition” and “renovation” are defined in the regulation. You “demolish” a facility when you remove or wreck any load-supporting structural member of that facility or perform any related operations; you also “demolish” a facility when you burn it. You “renovate” a facility when you alter any part of that facility in any other manner. Renovation includes stripping or removing asbestos from the facility.

3. What is a facility?: As defined in the regulation, a “facility” is any institutional, commercial, public, industrial, or residential structure, installation, or building (including any structure, installation, or building containing condominiums, or individual dwelling units operated as a residential cooperative, but excluding residential buildings with four or fewer dwelling units); any ship; or any active or inactive waste disposal site. Any building, structure, or installation that contains a loft used as a dwelling is not considered residential. Any structure, installation, or building that was previously subject to the Asbestos NESHAP is not excluded, regardless of its current use or function.

4. If I renovate several two family units, are the units defined as a facility?: Residential buildings that have four or fewer dwelling units are not considered “facilities” unless they are part of a larger installation (for example, an army base, company housing, apartment or housing complex, part of a group of houses subject to condemnation for a highway right-of-way, an apartment which is an integral part of a commercial facility, etc.)

5. Are mobile homes or mobile structures regulated by the Asbestos NESHAP?: Mobile homes used as single-family dwellings are not subject to Asbestos NESHAP. Mobile structures used for nonresidential purposes are subject to NESHAP. Mobile home parks where the owner of the property owns more than 4 units are subject to the NESHAP.

7. Are single-family private residences regulated by the Asbestos NESHAP?: No

8. How much asbestos must be present before the Asbestos NESHAP work practice standards apply to renovation projects?: Asbestos NESHAP regulations must be followed for all renovations of facilities with at least 260 linear feet of regulated asbestos-containing materials (RACM) on pipes, or 160 square feet of regulated asbestos-containing materials on other facility components, or 35 cubic feet off facility components where the amount of RACM previously removed from pipes and other facility components could not be measured before stripping. These amounts are known as the “threshold” amounts.

9. How much asbestos must be present before the Asbestos NESHAP work practice standards apply to demolition projects?: Asbestos NESHAP regulations must be followed for demolitions of facilities with at least 260 linear feet of regulated asbestos-containing materials (RACM) on pipes, 160 square feet of regulated asbestos-containing materials on other facility components, or at least 35 cubic feet off facility components where the amount of RACM previously removed from pipes and other facility components could not be measured before stripping. However, all demolitions must notify the appropriate regulatory agency, even if no asbestos is present at the site, and all demolitions and renovations are “subject” to the Asbestos NESHAP insofar as owners and operators must determine if and how much asbestos is present at the site.

10. If a facility is being demolished under an order of a State or local government because the facility is structurally unsound, and unsafe, do all the normal regulations covering demolitions apply?: No. The regulations which do apply are specified in 40 CF61.145 Paragraphs: (b)(1), (b)(2), (b)(3)(iii), (b)(4).

11. If a facility is being demolished under an order of a State or local government, must all the debris be treated as asbestos-contaminated waste?: If, for safety reasons, the RACM in the facility is not removed prior to demolition, the RACM must be kept adequately wet during the wrecking operations. After wrecking, all the contaminated debris must be kept adequately wet until disposal. All contaminated debris that cannot be segregated and cleaned must be disposed of as asbestos waste.