Asbestos Regulations

In the 1970s the Federal Government began to regulate asbestos primarily through the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

In 1973, asbestos was included in the "National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants" (NESHAP). In Wisconsin, the Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) enforces the control of asbestos emissions through chapter NR447 Wisconsin Adm. Code (see Demolition or renovation/asbestos removal project, WDNR/USEPA NESHAP regulations -- renovation and demolition, and Control of asbestos emissions). WDNR is one of the agencies in Wisconsin that regulates and requires notification for asbestos abatement activities. The WDNR also regulates and requires notification for demolition activities. Fire Department training burns are also regulated and require notification (see Fire training burns and Wisconsin DNR asbestos regulations). The WDNR Bureau of Waste Management regulates the transportation and disposal of asbestos and issues licenses to landfills in the state (see Fact sheet on asbestos disposal and Construction and demolition waste recovery).

WDNR shares the same notification form with the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services (WDH&FS) (see Form #4500-113 and instructions.) Through chapter HFS159, Wis. Adm. Code, the WDH&FS Asbestos and Lead (Pb) Unit requires and enforces training and certification of individuals involved in asbestos-related activities and also enforces the USEPA's Asbestos-Containing Building Materials in Schools Regulation. (See WDH&FS asbestos programs.) The WDH&FS OSHA Consultation Unit provides free technical and OSHA compliance assistance to the private sector. Worker protection issues in Wisconsin are enforced by federal OSHA in the private sector and by the Wisconsin Department of Commerce, Safety and Buildings Division (exit DNR), for the public sector.