Challenging the Science Behind EPA’s Risk Evaluation for Chrysotile Asbestos

While the EPA’s Report concludes that chrysotile asbestos poses an “unreasonable risk” to human health, its own benchmarks define that risk as exceeding 1 in 1,000,000 for do-it-yourself exposures and 1 in 10,000 for mechanics—thresholds that still reflect less than a 1% lifetime cancer risk. In context, these risk levels are markedly lower than many everyday hazards identified by the National Safety Council, raising questions about how the EPA characterizes and applies the concept of “unreasonable risk.”