Asbestos Awareness Training

Instructor: David L. PattersonDirector/Radiation Safety OfficerEnvironmental Health & Safetyhttp://www.csupomona.edu/~ehsEmail: dlpatterson@csupomona.eduPhone: (909) 869-3695Fax: (909) 869-4698

Chrysotile Amosite

Anthophyllite

Introduction

• Instructor• Instructor Qualifications:

– Asbestos Hazard and Emergency Response Act (AHERA) Certified Contractor/Supervisor, Inspector, Management Planner, Project Designer

– NIOSH Asbestos Air Sampling Course (NIOSH 582), August 1986

– 20 years of experience with asbestos

Introduction

• Purpose of class– Provide general information regarding

asbestos to non-asbestos workers

– Address question any questions

• Overview of class

– History – Condition

– Types and uses – Management

– Health effects – Regulations

– Locations

History

• Asbestos - derived from Greek word meaning “inextinguishable”

• Early Uses– Spun into cloth similar to

cotton

– Wicks of lamps

– Pottery – Added to clay to give strength

History Continued

• Re-discovery– Fell out of use in early A.D.

– Rediscovered at the beginning of the industrial revolution

– Estimated in 1890 that 1,000,000 tons was used in the U.S. By 1978 6,000,000 tons were used

• Common Uses– Name some uses

– Note Asbestos Inventory in Training Booklet

Asbestos Types or Species

Minerologic Geographic Common RelativeType Class Distribution Name Characteristics Strengths Use Chrysotile Serpentine Quebec, Ontario, White Long, wavy fibers Weak Fabric, pipe95% of US Canada, Northeast Asbestos flexible runs,asbestos and Southwest US fireproofing,

(deposits found in floor tiles 30 of 50 States)

 Amosite Amphibole South Africa Brown Straight, stout Moderate Elbows of(Cummingtonite Asbestos fibers, bonds pipes,-grunerite) well with fireproofing,3-5% of US plastics floor tilesasbestos Crocidolite Amphibole South Africa Blue Long. Straight Strongest of Sometimes1-2% of US Asbestos fibers, acid and the top three mixed withasbestos seawater resistant Chrysotile Fibrous Amphibole -- -- Industrial talc -- LittleTremolite contaminant common use Fibrous Amphibole -- -- Industrial talc -- LittleAnthophyllite contaminant common use Fibrous Amphibole -- -- -- -- --Actinolite  

  

Chrysotile Asbestos

Minerologic class: Serpentine

US Consumption: 95% of asbestos used in the US

Common Name: White Asbestos (bulk amounts appear white)

Characteristics: Weak, Long, wavy fibers. Flexible Fibers

absorb water.

Uses: Textiles, pipe runs, fireproofing, brakes • Quebec and Ontario, Canada

• Much of the Northeast and Southeast, USA• Deposits have been found in 30 of 50 States• Serpentine is the California State Rock

Geographic Distribution:

Amosite Asbestos

(Cummingtonite-Grunerite)

Minerologic class: Amphibole

US Consumption: 3-5% of asbestos used in the US

Common Name: Brown Asbestos (bulk amounts appear brown)

Characteristics: Moderate strength straight, stout fibers

Uses: Pipe elbows, floor tiles

• South Africa primarily• Name is derived from Asbestos Mines Of South

Africa

Geographic Distribution:

Crocidolite

Minerologic class: Amphibole

US Consumption: 1-2% of asbestos used in the US

Common Name: Blue Asbestos

Characteristics: Strong acid and sea water resistant

Uses: Rarely found in US, butwhen it is, it is oftenseen mixed with Chrysotile as a strengthening agent

• South Africa primarily

Geographic Distribution:

Tremolite

Minerologic class: Amphibole

US Consumption: Rarely used in the US

Common Name: None

Characteristics: Industrial talc contaminant

Uses: Little common use

• N/A

Geographic Distribution:

Anthophyllite

Minerologic class: Amphibole

US Consumption: Rarely used in the US

Common Name: None

Characteristics: Industrial talc

contaminant

Uses: Little common use

• N/A

Geographic Distribution:

Actinolite

Minerologic class: Amphibole

US Consumption: Rarely used in the US

Common Name: None

Characteristics: N/A

Uses: N/A

• N/A

Geographic Distribution:

When Could You Potentially BeOccupationally Exposed To Asbestos?

Whenever Manufacturing, Cutting or Grinding Asbestos –Containing Materials

Whenever Disturbing Asbestos – Containing Insulation Materials

During Renovation or Demolition Operations

While Removing Asbestos – Containing Tile Flooring, Ceiling, or Insulation Materials

While Occupying Work Areas Near Asbestos-Related Operations

What Are Some Occupations In Which Asbestos May Be Encountered?

Asbestos Abatement Contractors

Plumbing Contractors

Air Conditioning Contractors

Acoustical Products Manufacturers

Brake Lining Manufacturers

Demolition Workers

Auto Mechanics

Some Properties of Asbestos That ResultIn Industrial and Home Use

Protection from Fire

Absorption of Heat from Friction

High Tensile Strength as a Reinforcing Material

Resistance to Corrosion

Insulation from Heat, Cold, and Noise

Health Effects of Asbestos

– Nose

– Mouth

– Trachea

– Bronchi: Carries oxygen to lungs

– Alveoli: where gas exchange occurs with the blood

– Pleura: liquid coated membrane that surrounds lungs and allows lungs to slip past the chest wall during breathing

• Vast majority of asbestos related disease is respiratory• Function of respiratory system & structures

Symptoms & Effects of Asbestos Exposure

Acute Exposure

• There Are No Immediate Symptoms or Effects

Healthy Lung Diseased Lung

Chronic Exposure

• Shortness of Breath• Dry Cough• Loss of Appetite• Weight Loss• Asbestosis (Lung Fibrosis)• Lung Cancer• Mesothelioma• Intestinal Tract Cancers• Non-respiratory Conditions (warts & intestinal tract cancers)

Asbestosis

• Characterized by fibrotic scarring of the lung.

• Reduces lung capacity-lungs cannot expand

• Latency-fifteen to thirty years

• Clear dose response relationship– Greater the exposure, the

greater the potential for injury

• All types of asbestos have been linked to asbestosis

Asbestosis Proposed Mechanism

• Some fibers are not filtered out in the upper airways

• Fibers reach the terminal air sacs (alveoli)

• Macrophages engulf and try to destroy the inert fiber

• A coating is deposited on the fiber (Fibroblast)

• Scar tissues forms around the fiber

• Scarring results in asbestosis

Lung Cancer

• Asbestos related tumors are usually found in the lower lobes

• Most cancer tumors found are glandular, which is rarely the case in non-asbestos related tumors.

• Latency Period-twenty plus years

• No clear dose response relationship & no safe level

1 5X

10X 50-90X

(general population)

Smoker

Non-smoker

Non-Asbestos Worker

AsbestosWorker

• Risk of getting lung cancer for a smoker is drastically increased– Set probability for general

population to 1– Non-smoking asbestos

workers have a probability of 5 and Smoking Non-Asbestos Workers have a probability of 10

– Smoking asbestos workers have a probability of 50-90

– This relationship is more than additive-It is synergistic

Lung Cancer & Smoking

Relationship of Smoking and Lung Function

The effect of cigarette smoking and age on lung function. After, age 25, lung function declines at a slow rate. Smoking accelerates this decline, leading to disability or death at an early age.

Asbestos Related Lung Cancer & Smoking Two Proposed Mechanisms

• Mechanism 1– Ciliated cells along the

airways are temporarily paralyzed by smoke

– Unwanted dust & fibers cannot be cleared

– This allows them to work down to the alveolar region or imbed into tissue.

Asbestos Related Lung Cancer & Smoking Two Proposed

Mechanisms• Mechanism 2

– Inhaled asbestos is trapped in fibrotic areas

– Clearance by ciliated cells is disrupted

– Tobacco smoke is cleared less efficiently leaving carcinogens in contact with tissue

• More than likely a combination of factors results in the synergistic response seen

Mesothelioma

• A cancer of the pleura• The abdominal cavity lining

can also be affected• Latency Period-twenty to

forty years• Can be caused by low

exposure (not dose related)• It spreads rapidly and is

always fatal

Non-Respiratory Conditions Caused By Asbestos

• Asbestos Warts– Fibers embed in tissue; usually the hands

– Gloves should be worn when handling asbestos

• Colon, esophageal, stomach cancer– May be asbestos related

– Fibers can work their way through soft tissue to adjacent structures and embed

– Fibers are swallowed and enter the digestive tract

– Poor hygiene, leaving food out in asbestos areas, carelessness-all can contribute to ingestion of asbestos

Locations of Asbestos

• The detailed list of asbestos materials is available on the EH&S Web Site at http://www.csupomona.edu/~ehs/ftp/Asbestos.xls and in your training booklet.– This list includes material that contains

asbestos as well as material that does not.

– Most of the asbestos has been removed from Buildings 3.

– The information for Buildings 3, 13 and 15 has been updated.

– Building 35 updates are in progress.

Condition of Asbestos

• Friable: Easily crumbled by hand pressure (e.g. sprayed fireproofing, acoustic insulation)

• Friable or damaged material can more easily release airborne fibers when disturbed

• Physical disturbance– Basketballs

– Broom handles

– Renovation/Demolition

– Pipe work

Condition of Asbestos Continued

• Deterioration or Delamination– Water leaks causing ceiling coating to pull away

– Steam Leaks

– Weather

• Recognizing damage– Water stains

– Visibly disturbed lagging

– Suspicious debris

– Other suggestions

Campus Management

• EH&S provides program coordination• Facilities Management has trained staff

for small scale jobs• Large scale jobs:

– Are done by approved registered contractors, while a separate contractor monitors work and takes air samples

• Asbestos incidents or emergencies– Take precautions to avoid or reduce

exposure– Close doors to area or tape it off– Contact EH&S at Ext 4697 and Facilities

Customer Service at Ext 3030

Campus Management Continued

• Discovery of new materials that may contain asbestos– Arrange for sampling prior to

disturbing

• Dos and Don’ts– Avoid touching/disturbing asbestos

materials– Do not drill holes or hang objects from

walls/ceilings containing asbestos.– If you believe asbestos has been

damaged contact Facilities Customer Service at extension 3030

– Only persons authorized & trained are to perform work involving asbestos

Regulation of Asbestos Exposure•Code of Federal Regulations

–Title 29, Section 1910.1001 & 1926.1101 – Employee Safety

–Title 40, Section 61 – Air Emissions

–Title 40, Section 763 Subparts E, F & G – Training & Schools

•California Health & Safety Code

–Section 25915 – Annual Employee Notification

•California Code of Regulations, Title 8

–Sections 349, 1549 & 5208 – Employee Safety

•South Coast Air Quality Management District

–Rule 1403 – Air Emissions and Employee Safety

Regulation of Asbestos Exposure Continued

•Exposure Levels

–Action Level & Permissible Exposure Limit: 0.1 f/cc

–Excursion Limit: 1.0 f/cc for 30 minutes

–Clearance Level for Schools: 0.01 f/cc by TEM

–Clearance Level for Cal Poly Pomona: 0.01 f/cc by PCM

–Calif. No Significant Risk: 100 f/day (25705(b) Title 27 CCR