The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) is tasked to test all toxic substances that might endanger human beings and the environment. As a matter of policy, it is required under the United States Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) of 1976 to notify the government concerned when certain chemical substances are exported to a particular country; hence, USEPA has informed us that asbestos will be shipped from the United States to the Philippines.

We were advised that such export of asbestos may represent a bulk shipment of raw fiber, a mixture, or a product containing asbestos that will undergo further processing or fabrication. Asbestos is a general term for a group of naturally hydrated mineral silicates.

According to USEPA, scientific evidence from studies of occupational and other exposure situations indicates that asbestos is associated with lung cancer, cancer of the abdominal cavity and other organs, and asbestosis (a chronic non-cancerous disease of the lung).

All the necessary precautions in handling the subject cargoes in accordance with PPA rules and regulations, particularly PPA MC No. 2-85, "Guidelines on the Handling and Storage of Dangerous Cargoes," should, therefore, be taken by all concerned.

Adopted: 02 May 1997