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Liability and Regulations
Legal liability
The production of company documents and testimony given in prior lawsuits has shown that the large manufacturers of asbestos-containing products and silica were well aware of the dangerous health consequences by the 1930s. It was proven that some of these manufacturers actively conspired to keep these hazards secret. Some of them even distributed information claiming that asbestos was safe. The industries made billions of dollars manufacturing asbestos insulation and silica, some of which was installed or used in almost every building, plant, home and school in the United States.
Asbestos regulation
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have issued regulations regarding exposure limits, engineering contracts, respirators, protective clothing, exposure monitoring, hygiene facilities, warning signs, labeling and record keeping. OSHA is responsible for regulating health and safety exposure in the work place. The EPA is responsible for enforcing regulations that protect the general public.