Current Status of Asbestos Concentration in Atmospheric Environment and Amendment to the Air Pollution Control Act

Abstract

The Ministry of the Environment has investigated atmospheric concentrations of asbestos annually since 2005. Recently, the geometric mean value of the total fiber concentration has been below 1f/L in the continuous investigation areas that are around the source and in the background areas. It is safe to say that it has been kept at a very low level.
　In order to prevent asbestos from dispersing during demolition works, the Air Pollution Control Act was amended based on the angle of expanding its scope to include all construction materials that contain asbestos. A series of regulations, from the provision of regulations and the preliminary survey to the reporting of work results, were also tightened and implemented.