Asbestos Awareness

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Asbestos Awareness
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Objectives

• Background
• Standards
• Contracting
• Repair/Removal
• Maintenance Activities

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Background

• Asbestos
• Origin
• Properties
• Uses
• Diseases

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Asbestos

• Is a naturally occurring fibrous mineral which is
  mined like diamonds and comes in two forms
• Serpentine - snake like
• Amphibole - needle like
• Mineral content includes
• Silica
• Water
• Iron
• Magnesium (may include)

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Asbestos Types

• Chrysotile - 95type used in the United States
• Amosite - Used to harden
• Crocidolite - Frequently found as a contaminant
  of Amosite

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Origins

• Found in nature
• Arctic
• Deserts
• Mountains
• Snow
• Drinking water

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Origins continued

• Mined
• USA
• Canada
• Russia
• South Africa
• Italy

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Properties

• Tensile strength
• Flexibility
• Heat Resistant
• Chemical Resistant

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Uses

• Historical
• 480 BC - Candle wicks
• Egyptians wove asbestos into cremation shrouds
• Romans used in textiles like cremation shrouds,
  lamps, napkins and table cloths
• Wide spread uses in the late 1800 and 1900
• Present Day
• Acoustical spray-on asbestos
• TSI -Thermal system insulation
• brakes/clutches
• vinyl floor tile

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Diseases

• Asbestosis - Scarring of the lungs due to cell
  damage from inhalation of asbestos fibers.
• Mesothelioma - Cancer of the lining around the
  lungs called the mesothelium. Fatal
• Lung Cancer - Cancer of the bronchioles.
  Synergistic effect with cigarette smoking.

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Standards

• COMDTINST 6260.16A
• 29 CFR 1910.1001 (General Industry)
• 29 CFR 1926.1101 (Construction)
• 40 CFR 61.156 (NESHAPS)

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Vocabulary

• ACM Asbestos-containing material. Material
  which contains one or more percent asbestos.
• Friable/Nonfriable Friable-ACM which can be
  crumbled under hand pressure. Nonfriable-ACM
  which can not be crumbled or become airborne
  easily such as floor tile or transite.
• TSI Thermal system insulation
• PACM Presumed asbestos-containing material.
  TSI or surfacing materials installed prior to
  1980.
• Competent person/Qualified person Someone who
  is capable of identifying existing and
  predictable hazards in the surroundings or work
  conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous or
  dangerous especially in regards to asbestos and
  who is authorized to select the appropriate
  control strategy and can take prompt corrective
  actions to eliminate them.

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Vocabulary of Standards

• PEL OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit-limit which
  is based on an 8-hour time weighted average and
  can not be exceeded. (This is law.)
• TWA Averaged airborne concentration of a
  substance over a given period of time such as
  eight hours.
• Excursion Limit A 30 minute limit which must
  not be exceeded more than twice per day.
• TLV a time weighted average concentration for a
  normal 8-hour work day and a 40-hour work week,
  to which nearly all workers may be repeatedly
  exposed, day after day, without adverse effects.
  (recommendation from ACGIH).

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Criteria

• PEL - 0.01 f/cc
• Excursion Limit - 1.0 f/cc

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Program Elements

• Responsibilities
• Asbestos Management Plan
• Identification
• Repair and Removal

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Asbestos Management Plan

• Designation of a Coordinator
• Identification
• Inventory
• Labeling
• Management in Place

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Identification

• Sampling - Sampling should be done as outlined in
  the handout provided and provided to MLCPAC (kse)
  to process for analysis.
• Analysis - Analysis is done by an accredited lab.

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Sampling

• Who can Sample - Legally the person sampling must
  be A CIH or certified by attending an AHERA
  course
• Training Requirements to Sample - Classes
  referred to as AHERA certified by the EPA
• Uses of Samples Results - Samples taken by
  personnel who are not certified to take samples
  can only be used for establishing the cost of the
  project. The can not be used by the contractor.

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Analysis

• PLM-Polarized Light Microscopy
• TEM-Transmission Electron Analysis

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Labels
DANGER CONTAINS ASBESTOS FIBERS AVOID CREATING
DUST CANCER AND LUNG DISEASE HAZARD
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Repair and Removal

• Prohibited Activities
• Contract Concerns
• PACM

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Prohibited Activities

• Coast Guard personnel are prohibited from
  repairing or removing asbestos-containing
  materials.
• Except at the CG Yard, Base Ketchikan and
  underway casualty repair activities.

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Contract Concerns

• MLCPAC (kse) Review spec packages
• Inform contractors
• Standards to be followed
• Possible presents of asbestos
• Recommend independent consulting firm to oversee
  the abatement.

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Signs
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Maintenance Activities Involving ACM

• Buffing floor tiles
• Replacing gaskets
• Replacing brake pads

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Definitions for Maintenance Operations

• Wet Methods Wetting the material to be removed
  prior to disturbing it. Prefer the use of
  amended water over plain water.
• Amended Water Water which has had a chemical
  added to make it penetrate and adhere to the
  material be removed more readily.
• HEPA high efficiency particulate air. A filter
  or filtration system designed to trap and retain
  99.97 of all particles 0.3 micrometers or
  greater.

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Maintenance Procedures Involving ACM

• Buffing and waxing floor tiles
• Must have a heavy wax coating
• No abrasive buffers
• Gasket material replacement
• Must be done using wet methods
• Brake replacement
• Must use HEPA vacuum drum to catch fibers from
  asbestos brakes or
• Interim wet methods

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Prohibited Procedures

• Sanding, drilling, grinding, sawing with high
  speed abrasive discs, anything that causes
  asbestos fibers to be released from the material.
• Dry sweeping, shoveling or other forms of dry
  clean-up and use of compressed air to remove
  asbestos debris.

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Actual Abatement Activities

• Beyond the scope of this training.
• Standards are
• Complicated
• Lengthy
• Confusing
• Require extensive training

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Summary

• Asbestos is used throughout the Coast Guard in
  many ways, e.g. insulation, gaskets, brakes, etc.
• Exposure to asbestos can cause diseases that can
  be fatal.
• Asbestos must be identified, inventoried,
  labeled, removed or managed in place.
• Coast Guard personnel are prohibited from working
  with asbestos (with notable exceptions).
• If personnel must work with asbestos, they must
  have extensive training.

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Who how this applies, at Activities San Diego
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Where to get more information

• MLCPAC (kse)
• Coast Guard Island - [phone]
• District health and safety representatives
• Headquarters
• Consulting services