ASBESTOS (Data in thousand metric tons, unless noted) Domestic Production and Use: One firm in California accounted for 100% of domestic production. Asbestos was consumed in roofing products, 47%; friction products, 35%; gaskets 10%; and other, 8%. Salient Statistics--United States: 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995e/ Production (sales), mine 20 16 14 10 9 Imports for consumption 35 32 31 26 24 Exports 26 25 28 18 13 Shipments from Government stockpile excesses -- -- -- -- -- Consumption, apparent 35 33 32 27 24 Price: average value, dollars per ton, f.o.b. 383 394 435 506 W Stocks, producer, yearend W W W W W Employment, mine and mill 70 70 70 30 30 Net import reliance1/ as a percent of apparent consumption 26 21 9 30 46 Recycling: Insignificant. Import Sources (1991-94): Canada, 99%; and other, 1%. Tariff: Item Number Most favored nation (MFN) Non-MFN2/ 12/31/95 12/31/95 Asbestos 2524.00.0000 Free Free. Depletion Allowance: 22% (Domestic), 10% (Foreign). Government Stockpile: Stockpile Status--9-30-95 (Metric tons) Uncommitted Committed Authorized Disposals Material inventory inventory for disposal Jan.-Sept. 95 Amosite 30,849 -- 30,849 -- Chrysotile 9,768 -- 9,768 -- Crocidolite 33 -- 33 -- Prepared by Robert L. Virta, (703) 648-7726. ASBESTOS Events, Trends, and Issues: Domestic sales of asbestos declined 10% from that of 1994. Imports and exports decreased 8% and 28% respectively, according to the Bureau of the Census. It is likely that a large percentage of the exports were either reexports, asbestos-containing products, or nonasbestos products. Exports of asbestos fiber are estimated to be less than 9,000 tons. Apparent consumption declined 11%. All of the asbestos consumed in the United States was chrysotile. Canada remained the largest supplier of asbestos for domestic consumption. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed to remove asbestos processing (asbestos milling, manufacturing and fabrication) from the 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act. The action was taken because measured emissions at several facilities were lower than previously estimated. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration amended its asbestos standard for general industry, construction, and the shipyard industry. The changes included less stringent requirements for removal of roof cements, coating, mastics, and flashings; clarification of the definition of friable materials; and modified training and health screening requirements. World Mine Production, Reserves, and Reserve Base: Mine production Reserves3/ Reserve base3/ 1994 1995e/ United States 10 9 Moderate Large Brazil 175 170 Moderate Moderate Canada 518 510 Large Large China 240 240 Large Large Kazakstan 300 300 Large Large Russia 800 800 Large Large South Africa 95 95 Moderate Moderate Zimbabwe 150 145 Moderate Moderate Other countries 122 120 Large Large World total (may be rounded) 2,410 2,390 Large Large World Resources: The world has 200 million tons of identified resources and an additional 45 million tons classified as hypothetical resources. The U.S. resources are large, but are composed mostly of short fibers. Substitutes: Numerous materials substitute for asbestos in products. The substitutes include calcium silicate; carbon fiber; cellulose fiber; ceramic fiber; glass fiber; steel fiber; wollastonite; and several organic fibers, such as aramid, polyethylene, polypropylene, and polytetrafluoroethylene. Several nonfibrous minerals were considered as possible asbestos substitutes for products in which the reinforcement properties of fibers were not required. No single substitute was as versatile and as cost effective as asbestos. e/Estimated. W Withheld to avoid disclosing company proprietary data. 1/Defined as imports - exports + adjustments for Government and industry stock changes. 2/See Appendix B. 3/See Appendix C for definitions. Mineral Commodity Summaries, January 1996