Asbestos and Health

1
Asbestos and Health
2
Overview

• Background on asbestos
• Uses of asbestos
• Health Effects
• Risk factors
• Medical tests
• Proper handling
• Standards/ guidelines

3
What is Asbestos?

• Mineral
• Fibrous
• White/grey
• Indestructible
• Fireproof

4
How Long Has it Been a Problem?

• Early Greek miners wore face masks from animal
  bladders
• Insurers stopped selling insurance in 1915
• Cancer cases in 1930s
• Asbestos industry withheld information
• Selikoff studies in 1960s
• Banning of some uses in 1980s

5
Uses of Asbestos

• Fireproofing of buildings
• Heat insulation
• Strengthen building materials

6
Products that can contain asbestos

• Spray insulation
• Pipecovering
• Asbestos cloth
• Cements, mastic, sealants
• Roofing materials
• Floor ceiling tiles
• Plaster taping compound

7
Hazards of Asbestos

• Harmful only when breathed in (maybe when
  swallowed)
• Fiber shape long, thin
• Travels in air, gets deep in lungs
• Sharp shape gets stuck in lungs
• Doesnt break down

8
Asbestos Diseases

• Asbestosis
• Pleural Plaques
• Cancer
• Lung
• Mesothelioma
• G-I Tract

9
Asbestos Diseases

• No completely safe levels
• Higher the exposure, higher the risk
• Low exposures have low risk
• Everyone exposed to asbestos
• Lag time (latency) of 10-40 years
• No acute effects

10
Asbestosis

• Not cancer
• Scarring of lungs
• From high exposures
• Causes shortness of breath

11
Pleural Plaques

• Scars on lungs
• Shows up on x-rays
• Marker of asbestos exposure
• Half of heavily exposed will have
• Not a disease no symptoms
• Does not change into cancer
• Legally considered a disease

12
Lung cancer

• Most common problem with asbestos
• Heavily exposed workers have 5-7 times increased
  risk over lifetime
• About same level of risk as a pack a day
  cigarette smoking
• Interacts with cigarettes 50-90 times increased
  risk for both combined
• Quitting smoking reduces risk

13
Other Cancers

• Mesothelioma
• Cancer of lining of the lungs
• Only caused by asbestos
• Smoking not a risk factor
• G-I tract cancer
• 2-3 times increased risk for heavily exposed

14
Medical tests

• Physical
• History
• X-rays
• Lung function tests

15
What is Risk?

• Studies are from heavily exposed asbestos workers
• Construction trades working with asbestos have
  1/4 or less risk than asbestos workers
• Chemical plant maintenance has about 1/8
• Other maintenance workers are much lower
• Asbestos has been phased out removed in many
  areas

16
Safe handling of asbestos

• Find out where the asbestos is
• Management plan
• Remove if needed by licensed contractors
• Only dangerous if is in the air
• Removal may be more dangerous than leaving
• If is bound in material (tiles, etc) is not a
  hazard
• Should be labeled if left in place

17
Safe handling of asbestos

• No absolutely safe exposure
• Wet methods
• HEPA vacuums and respirators
• Never dry sweep or compressed air
• Stays in air for days
• Small fibers cant be seen
• Friable asbestos means it can be crumbled

18
Maintenance asbestos

• Do not drill, sand, or saw asbestos materials
• Wet mop rather than dry sweep or dust
• Do not use a regular vacuum only HEPA
• Do not disturb asbestos materials
• If use a face mask, only HEPA
• If are air filters, use wet methods, do not shake

19
Training/ removal

• Removal by certified contractors
• Enclosures, ventilation, wet methods, HEPA
• Glove bags, wetting agents, signs
• Encapsulation
• Training needed based on level of exposure
• Level 4 for clean up of asbestos containing
  materials
• Proper disposal while still wet labeled bags

20
Regulations

• EPA regulations on removal
• OSHA Standard for general industry or
  construction
• State licensing for asbestos removal
• Workers compensation
• Reporting of suspected occupational diseases

21
EPAControl of Asbestos in Buildings

• Survey to see if asbestos is present
• Operations and Management Program
• Assess the asbestos
• Abatement if needed

22
Survey

• Appoint manager team
• Check building records
• Locate document all asbestos in records
• Inspect for friable
• Collect test samples
• Document

23
Operations and Maintenance

• Contact building managers maintainers
• Educate employees and occupants
• Train custodians/ maintainers
• Clean using HEPA wet methods regular basis
• Special precautions for construction work
• Inspect twice a year
• Continue program until all asbestos removed

24
Assess Asbestos

• Assess current conditions and chances of
  disturbance
• Determine
• Need for further action
• When it needs to be done
• What abatement methods to use

25
Conduct Abatement if Needed

• Hire contractor
• To select
• Precise contract
• Check references
• Interview
• Insurance
• Best, not low bid

26
Managing Abatement

• Inspect 4 times a day
• Containment barrier
• Coveralls respirators
• Changing decontamination facilities
• Stop work if problem
• Release only when
• Cleaned at least twice
• Visual test
• Airborne asbestos test

27
OSHA Standard

• Applies if over maximum exposure
• Maximum of 0.2 fibers per cc of air (8 hour)
• Maximum of 1 fiber per cc (30 minute)
• Exposure monitoring if above action level (0.1
  fiber per cc)
• Engineering controls where feasible
• Proper respirators

28
OSHA Standard (2)

• Regulated areas
• Labels
• Recordkeeping for 30 years
• Protective clothing
• Change rooms showers
• Medical Exams