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Environment

Chlorine makers want out of asbestos bill

July 23, 2007 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 85, Issue 30

Chlor-alkali makers are seeking an exemption in a Senate bill that would ban asbestos. The legislation (S. 742), introduced by Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), would prohibit the import, manufacture, processing, and distribution of products containing asbestos???but allows exceptions for NASA and the military. The chlor-alkali industry is seeking an exemption as well, says Robert J. Simon, managing director of the American Chemistry Council's Chlorine Chemistry Division. More than 60% of the chlor-alkali production in the U.S. relies on technology that uses asbestos diaphragms to separate chlorine, caustic soda, and hydrogen, Simon tells C&EN. This use of asbestos, he says, involves "minimal exposure in the workplace" because the diaphragms operate in wet processes that prevent the mineral from becoming airborne. Few alternatives to asbestos are available for the diaphragms, Simon adds. Murray says her bill will help U.S. chlor-alkali producers phase out the use of asbestos.

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