Glossary
Non-Friable
ACM that cannot be crumbled, pulverized, or reduced to powder by hand pressure when dry. Generally less likely to release fibers than friable ACM.
Non-friable describes asbestos-containing material that cannot be crumbled, pulverized, or reduced to powder by hand pressure when dry. The asbestos fibers are bound into a matrix (cement, vinyl, asphalt) that is intact and structurally stable.
Common non-friable ACM includes vinyl asbestos floor tile, asphalt-asbestos roofing, asbestos-cement siding (transite), and asbestos-impregnated mastics.
Non-friable ACM is generally less regulated under EPA NESHAP than friable ACM because intact removal poses lower fiber-release risk. NESHAP further divides non-friable ACM into Category I (resilient floor coverings, asphalt roofing, packings, gaskets) and Category II (other non-friable ACM such as asbestos-cement products).
Non-friable material can become friable through the work itself. Breaking floor tile with a chisel, sawing asbestos cement, or grinding mastic creates friable debris. NESHAP treats Category I non-friable ACM that has been “crumbled, pulverized, or reduced to powder” as RACM, with the full work-practice requirements that follow.