QuestionsQuestions (DENR ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 2000-02)
It is issued based on DENR authority under Republic Act (RA) 6969 of 1990 and DENR Administrative Order (DAO) No. 29 (1992), specifically Title II (Toxic Chemical Substances, Chapter IV, Section 20) and Title III (Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes, Chapter VII, Section 25), in addition to other requirements under DAO 29.
The CCO is designed to control and regulate asbestos use and disposal to minimize hazards to human health and the environment, considering that prolonged exposure to certain asbestos fibers is linked to lung cancer and asbestos is classified as a known human carcinogen.
Any material containing more than 1% asbestos (by standard polarized light microscopy) that, when dry, can be crumbled, pulverized, or reduced to powder by hand pressure, releasing airborne fibers.
Any material containing more than 1% asbestos (by standard polarized light microscopy) that, when dry, cannot be crumbled, pulverized, or reduced to powder by hand pressure.
Examples include: importers; manufacturers; transporters; industrial facility owners/operators and contractors; shipbuilders; and waste management service providers such as demolition contractors (haulers, transporters and disposers) and shipbreakers.
They must register with the Bureau; importers must also secure an importation clearance; those involved in treatment, storage, demolition, transport, and disposal of asbestos and friable asbestos-containing wastes must register; and existing structures with sprayed-on asbestos and friable asbestos-containing materials must register.
They must submit an annual report to the Bureau and retain records of imports and manufactured products in accordance with the CCO, including details like importer/manufacturer names/addresses, end-use category, and quantities of wastes produced (per reporting formats).
Records retained at the premises must include, among others, names and addresses of importer/manufacturer, end-use category, and quantities of wastes produced from manufacturing, and must be available for inspection upon proper request and during emergencies presenting a clear and present hazard.
Amosite (brown) and crocidolite (blue) asbestos fibers and products containing these fibers are strictly prohibited.
No spraying of all forms of asbestos in buildings is allowed. There is also a prohibition on 'no new use of asbestos.'
Examples include: toys; flooring felt and covering; pipe and boiler lagging; corrugated and commercial paper; low density jointing compounds; rollboard; specialty paper; and untreated textiles.
The authorized owner/operator must inspect and assess for friable or non-friable asbestos that has become friable before the activity. A written notice to the Bureau must be submitted at least 30 days before activity that will disturb asbestos material, and adequate wetting is required unless an exemption is requested or other emission control devices ensure no emissions.
It should not exceed 2 fibers per cubic centimeter of air as an 8-hour time-weighted average by Light Microscopy or an equivalent reference method.
All regulated premises must comply with manifest requirements specified under Title III of DAO 29 and those to be prescribed by the Bureau for the transportation and treatment, storage, and disposal (TSD) of asbestos wastes off-site.
Visible signs must be required on all packaging for asbestos and asbestos-containing products handled by covered entities, after the lapse of one (1) year from the effective date of the Order, clearly marking that the product contains asbestos and that disposal of friable asbestos-containing wastes is regulated.
They must be adequately wetted to prevent release of fibers. If wetting presents a safety hazard or damages equipment, an exemption must be requested from the Bureau; alternatively, if other emission control devices are used to ensure no emissions, wetting is not required.
They must be placed in a special waste disposal site whose plans and specifications comply with DENR standards and criteria, with no visible emissions during disposal operations; non-friable asbestos-containing waste can be disposed in any authorized municipal or industrial landfill.
Six (6) months after formal publication in the Official Gazette and in two (2) newspapers of general circulation.
Violations may subject responsible persons to administrative and criminal sanctions specified under Title V, Chapter XI, Sections 41 and 42 of DAO 29 (Series of 1992).