(a) Each owner or operator of an asbestos mill shall either discharge no visible emissions to the outside air from that asbestos mill, including fugitive sources, or use the methods specified by § 61.152 to clean emissions containing particulate asbestos material before they escape to, or are vented to, the outside air.

Ask a legal question, get an answer ASAP!
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

(b) Each owner or operator of an asbestos mill shall meet the following requirements:

(1) Monitor each potential source of asbestos emissions from any part of the mill facility, including air cleaning devices, process equipment, and buildings that house equipment for material processing and handling, at least once each day, during daylight hours, for visible emissions to the outside air during periods of operation. The monitoring shall be by visual observation of at least 15 seconds duration per source of emissions.

(2) Inspect each air cleaning device at least once each week for proper operation and for changes that signal the potential for malfunction, including, to the maximum extent possible without dismantling other than opening the device, the presence of tears, holes, and abrasions in filter bags and for dust deposits on the clean side of bags. For air cleaning devices that cannot be inspected on a weekly basis according to this paragraph, submit to the Administrator, and revise as necessary, a written maintenance plan to include, at a minimum, the following:

(i) Maintenance schedule.

(ii) Recordkeeping plan.

(3) Maintain records of the results of visible emissions monitoring and air cleaning device inspections using a format similar to that shown in Figures 1 and 2 and include the following:

(i) Date and time of each inspection.

(ii) Presence or absence of visible emissions.

(iii) Condition of fabric filters, including presence of any tears, holes, and abrasions.

(iv) Presence of dust deposits on clean side of fabric filters.

(v) Brief description of corrective actions taken, including date and time.

(vi) Daily hours of operation for each air cleaning device.

(4) Furnish upon request, and make available at the affected facility during normal business hours for inspection by the Administrator, all records required under this section.

(5) Retain a copy of all monitoring and inspection records for at least 2 years.

(6) Submit semiannually a copy of visible emission monitoring records to the Administrator if visible emissions occurred during the report period. Semiannual reports shall be postmarked by the 30th day following the end of the six-month period.

[55 FR 48416, Nov. 20, 1990, as amended at 64 FR 7467, Feb. 12, 1999]