EPA Speeds Up Removal of Takata Air-Bag Inflators
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has implemented an interim rule to facilitate the removal of defective Takata airbag inflators from vehicles and prevent those in scrap vehicles from being reused.
The U.S. EPA approved a federal order that should expedite the removal and disposal of faulty Takata air-bag inflators.
Photo via Alexauto321/Wikimedia.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has implemented an interim rule to facilitate the removal of defective Takata airbag inflators from vehicles and prevent those in scrap vehicles from being reused.
The rule streamlines requirements and provides clarity to auto dealers and scrap recyclers on efficient, proper disposal of the inflators. The objective is to ensure the swift, safe removal of the dangerous airbags from vehicles while reducing the regulatory burden, according to the EPA.
The Takata airbag recall — one of the largest in history — involves 19 automakers and as many as 70 million airbag inflators scheduled to be recalled by December 2019. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued the recall in 2015 after determining the inflators could rupture when deployed.
The interim rule will help expedite removal of the defective airbags from vehicles by dealers and salvage yards, by exempting their collection from some Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) hazardous waste requirements as long as certain conditions are met and they are disposed of at an RCRA designated facility.
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