Transcript Asbestos Awareness

Asbestos Awareness
Developed by:
State Safety and Industrial Hygiene Unit
Department of Employee Relations
September 2000
Asbestos Awareness
Purpose of training:
• Provide all employees with basic
information about asbestos and its
hazards,
• Identify typical asbestos-containing
materials within employee work areas,
• This training does not qualify employees
to work with asbestos-containing
materials
Asbestos Awareness
What is Asbestos????
• Naturally occurring fibrous mineral
• Six different forms of asbestos
Chrysotile - most common type in US (95%)
Amosite - 2nd most common (2-3%)
Crocidolite - 3rd most common (1-2%)
Actinolite
Anthophyllite
Tremolite
Asbestos Awareness
Where does asbestos come from???
• Mined from the ground
• Contaminant with other minerals
(vermiculite)
• physical properties ideal for building
materials
Why do we use asbestos???
Asbestos Awareness
What makes asbestos unique?
• Abundant
• Cheap
• Fibers cleave into smaller fibers
What makes asbestos dangerous?
• Extremely small fibers are very aerodynamic
(Fibers can remain airborne for extended periods
of time and inhaled into the deep lung)
Asbestos Awareness
Friable vs. Nonfriable - what’s more
hazardous?
• Friable - easily crumbled to dust using hand
pressure
– Spray fireproofing
– Pipe insulation
• Nonfriable - not easily crumbled by hand but
can be crumbled by mechanical means
– Floor tile
– Roofing products
Asbestos Awareness
Physical properties
• Thermal resistance
• Forms fibers with high tensile strength
• Chemically inert
• Absorbs sound
• Electrical insulator
Asbestos Awareness
History of uses:
• Used in classical times by greeks and romans
• Modern use began in 1880’s
• Extensively used by US during WWII
• Used in buildings extensively 1940’s-1970’s
• Limited asbestos products still available today
• asbestos use extensive in developing
countries
Asbestos Awareness
How do we know if something is
asbestos-containing?
• Requires laboratory analysis with
microscope
• Certain products routinely contain
asbestos
Asbestos Awareness
Common asbestos-containing materials
Pipe, boiler and duct insulation
Sprayed or troweled plaster
Spray fire proofing
Cement pipes and panels
Mechanical gaskets and packing
Ceiling tiles
Floor tile and adhesive
Linoleum backing
Asbestos Awareness
Health hazards of asbestos exposure
• Asbestosis - fribrotic scaring of the lungs
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10-20 year latency period
Associated with high dose exposure
Smoking creates synergistic effect
Increased chance of other asbestos diseases
Asbestosis fatalities
Spray-on use ends
Asbestos Awareness
Health hazards of asbestos exposure
• Mesothelioma - cancer of the chest cavity
– 20-40 year latency period
– Not necessarily associated with high dose
exposure
– Rare
– Almost always fatal
Asbestos Awareness
Health hazards of asbestos exposure
• Lung cancer
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20-30 year latency period
Many other causes of lung cancer
Most frequent form of asbestos disease today
Smoking synergistic effect (50-90 times)
Associated with high doses
Asbestos Awareness
Asbestos is extensively regulated!
Regulated by:
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State and federal OSHA
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA)
Minnesota Department of Health (MDH)
Asbestos Awareness
OSHA Regulations
• Requires employee training (i.E. This training)
• Exposure monitoring when working with
asbestos
• Establishes “permissible exposure level” for
employees = 0.01 fibers per cubic centimeter
(cc) of air (1 cc is approximately a sugar cube)
• Identifies work practices
• Identifies personal protection requirements
• Identifies work practice prohibitions
Asbestos Awareness
EPA and MPCA regulations
• Requires building survey prior to construction
work
• Removal of asbestos containing materials
before renovation or demolition
• Establishes notification requirements
• Defines proper transport and disposal
requirements
• EPA regulates asbestos in schools
Asbestos Awareness
MDH regulations
• Requires building survey prior to construction
work
• Requires building owners to maintain asbestoscontaining materials in good condition
• Requires certification of people working with
asbestos
• Identifies notification requirements
• Establishes specific removal procedures
• Establishes clearance criteria for removal projects
Asbestos Awareness
Your responsibilities:
• Do not damage or disturb any asbestoscontaining materials
• Immediately report the presence of damaged
asbestos-containing or suspect asbestoscontaining material to your supervisor or
asbestos coordinator
• Verify that building materials you will be
working with are not asbestos-containing
Asbestos Awareness
Asbestos-containing materials in
our facility: