Asbestos Awareness

1/06/2023 HSERetailShop Uncategorized Leave a Comment

Welcome to this training session about asbestos awareness.

It is designed for employees who may contact or work near asbestos-containing material (known as ACM), asbestos-containing building material (known as ACBM), or presumed asbestos-containing material (known as PACM), but do not disturb it as part of their normal work activities.

Session Objective

By the end of the training session, you will:

Identify asbestos and its various uses and forms,
Understand the health impacts of asbestos,
Recognize potential occupational exposure,
Be able to identify the location of ACBM at your facility,
Recognize damaged, deteriorated, and delaminated ACBM, and
Be able to contact the person designated to respond to asbestos-related problems.

What is Asbestos?

Asbestos is the name of a group of naturally occurring silica-based minerals that are still mined in Australia, Canada, South Africa, and parts of the former Soviet Union.
Asbestos minerals are thin, invisible, extremely strong crystals that form into what are usually referred to as “fibers.” It exists in various crystalline forms—Amosite, Chrysotile, Crocidolite, and Tremolite to name a few.
Asbestos fibers are amazingly resistant to heat and corrosion and have been used for centuries in many different products. The Greeks used asbestos in lamp wicks, and the Egyptians used it to make burial cloths. We have used it extensively as a heat insulator.

What is Asbestos? (cont.)

Asbestos is almost indestructible. It does not break down over time. Even when the material made with asbestos breaks down with age, the asbestos is still there. Asbestos fibers do not evaporate or dissolve in water.
Asbestos fibers are microscopic; some are up to 700 times smaller than a human hair.
Since they are so small, they can stay suspended in the air almost invisibly for hours or days.
Unlike silicate sand, which has a cubic crystalline structure, asbestos has a rod-like crystalline structure which enables it to be very adherent to human tissue.

Uses of Asbestos

Asbestos was used in many building materials that were installed before 1981. It is considered by many to be the best general insulator on earth.
Spray coatings on steel work, concrete walls and ceilings, and asbestos-insulating boards were used for fire protection and insulation. It can also be found in insulation on pipework, ductwork, and boilers.
Asbestos is part of some cement products, such as sheeting on walls and roofs, tiles, cold water tanks, gutters, pipes, and in decorative plaster finishes.
Asbestos is still used in some automotive clutch parts and brake pads, especially after-market pads.
Because of its fireproof characteristics, asbestos is widely found in older electrical wiring insulation.
Fireproof blankets and other textiles are still manufactured from asbestos.
Some gaskets and filters are made with asbestos for its resistance to heat and corrosive chemicals.

Health Risks

Many people have been led to believe that all forms of ACM are a health hazard. This is not true. Asbestos is not an immediate hazard if it is maintained in a nonfriable condition and undisturbed. “Nonfriable” means that the asbestos is bound up in a tight matrix in the material with which it is constructed. We’ll talk more about nonfriable asbestos later. ACM only becomes a hazard when it is disturbed or damaged, causing asbestos fibers to separate from the matrix material and become airborne.
The greatest potential for a health hazard occurs when ACM becomes friable. “Friable” means that the material can be crumbled, pulverized, or reduced to powder by hand pressure when dry. Friable ACM easily becomes airborne and inhaled. We’ll talk more about friable asbestos later. Depending on the material, asbestos materials are most often damaged by sawing, cutting, impact, or sanding operations. With a quality maintenance program, most asbestos materials are better left in place than completely removed.
The airborne asbestos fibers that can cause health damage are often too small to see with the naked eye.

Health Risks (cont.)

Asbestosis results in a loss of lung function that progresses to disability and death. Asbestos fibers will lodge deep inside the lungs and cut the tissue, which creates fibrosis, or scarring of the lungs. The fibrous or scarred tissue cannot transfer oxygen from the lungs into the blood, which reduces the capacity of the lungs. Asbestosis may not occur until 20 years or more after initial exposure to asbestos.
Mesothelioma affects the membranes lining the lungs and abdomen. Symptoms include shortness of breath and pain in the chest cavity and abdomen. Virtually all cases of mesothelioma are linked to asbestos exposure. Approximately 2 percent of all miners and textile workers who work with asbestos contract mesothelioma. Mesothelioma takes 30–40 years after exposure to form.
A number of different cancers have been attributed to exposure to asbestos fibers. These include cancers of the lungs, esophagus, stomach, colon, and rectum.
There is no cure for asbestos-related illnesses. Continued exposure causes the asbestos fibers to build up over time, damaging more and more tissue.

Route to Entry

The most common way for asbestos fibers to enter the body is through inhalation.
Many of the fibers will become trapped in the mucous membranes of the nose and throat where they can be removed by the body, but some may pass deep into the lungs. Because of the rod-like crystalline structure of asbestos, the human body’s removal process is not very effective for asbestos.
Once they are trapped in the lungs, they stay there. Over time, they can cause the health problems and diseases we’ve already discussed, including fibrosis or scarring of the lung tissue.

Who is at Risk?

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, an estimated 1.3 million workers face significant asbestos exposure on the job.
Heaviest exposures occur in the construction industry, particularly when removing asbestos during renovation or demolition.
Maintenance and custodial workers may be exposed when working in buildings that have materials with the potential to contain asbestos, particularly building materials that were installed no later than 1980.
Automotive brake and clutch repair work is another potential source of exposure.

Common Risk Factors

The main factors in determining your likelihood of developing these asbestos-related diseases are:

The concentration of exposure. The more fibers that enter your body, the more likely you are to develop asbestos-related health problems. The amount of exposure is measured as a concentration of asbestos fibers in the air that could potentially be inhaled.
The duration of exposure. While there is no safe level of asbestos exposure, people who are exposed more frequently over a long period of time are at higher risk of asbestos-related disease. Cases of mesothelioma have occurred in the children of asbestos workers whose only exposures were from the dust brought home on the clothing of the workers. The younger that people are when they inhale asbestos, the more likely they are to develop mesothelioma.
If you smoke and you have been exposed to asbestos, you are far more likely to develop an asbestos-related disease such as lung cancer than someone who does not smoke and who has not been exposed to asbestos.

Generally, health problems from asbestos are the result of long-term exposure to high concentrations. Again, no one knows the threshold of exposure where the risk of cancer is completely eliminated.

Risk Factors- Smoking

Smoking is a significant risk factor for asbestos-related disease for the following reasons:

Smoking temporarily paralyzes the ciliated, or hair-like, cells on the walls of the trachea and bronchi, which are the air passages that lead to the lungs.
These ciliated cells line the trachea and bronchi walls and provide an escalator-like action to move foreign particles out of the airway and into the digestive system where they are passed.
As smokers paralyze these cells, more asbestos fibers are free to lodge deeper into the lungs and increase the risk of asbestosis or lung cancer.
One study found that asbestos workers who smoke are about 90 times more likely to develop lung cancer than people who neither smoke nor have been exposed to asbestos.

Permissible Exposure Limits

OSHA has established permissible exposure limits, or PELs, for asbestos in the workplace.

For an 8-hour workday, the average exposure concentration must be below 0.1 asbestos fibers per cubic centimeter of air.
Over a 30-minute period, the average exposure must be below 1 asbestos fiber per cubic centimeter of air, known as the “excursion limit.”
Respiratory protection is required when working in areas with concentrations of asbestos fibers that are higher than the OSHA limits.

Asbestos Health Hazards- Any Questions

At this point, be sure you understand about:

Asbestos health hazards, and
Potential occupational exposure.

Asbestos-Containing Materials (ACMs)

There are three types of materials that you should be concerned about related to asbestos: asbestos-containing material, or ACM; asbestos-containing building material, or ACBM; and presumed asbestos-containing material, or PACM. In many cases, all three types apply to the same material. ACM is:

Any material that contains greater than 1 percent asbestos.
As we discussed earlier, friable, which means that the material can be crumbled, pulverized, or reduced to powder by hand pressure when dry. Friable asbestos materials are the biggest health hazard because they can easily release asbestos fibers and create an inhalation hazard. Examples of friable asbestos materials are:

– Pipe and duct insulation,

– Insulating boards such as those used for interior building walls, and

– Insulating textiles in such products as ceiling tiles and furnace walls.

ACMs (cont.)

Nonfriable materials such materials are not likely to release asbestos fibers because the fibers have been bound in a tight matrix. Only sanding or cutting this type of material could release asbestos fibers.

Some examples of nonfriable materials are:

Floor tiles, and
Caulking material.

For example, asbestos floor tile is nonfriable; asbestos ceiling tile is friable. However, although an item may be classified as nonfriable, it may become friable if broken or cracked in removal.

Asbestos-Containing Building Material (ACBM)

Asbestos-containing building materials, or “ACBM,” is defined as:

Thermal system insulation ACM
Surfacing ACM, and
Miscellaneous ACM that is found in or on interior structural members or other parts of a building.

ACBM is basically the same as PACM and includes other building materials.

Presumed Asbestos-Containing Material (PACM)

Presumed asbestos-containing material, or PACM, is thermal insulation and surfacing material found in buildings constructed before 1981. If a material is PACM it is regulated as if it is ACM, and should be treated by workers as if it is ACM. Such materials include:

Thermal System Insulation (or TSI) that is applied to pipes, fittings, boilers, breeching, tanks, ducts, or other structural components to prevent heat loss or gain.
Material applied for acoustical, decorative, or fireproofing value that is sprayed, troweled on, or otherwise applied to surfaces. This includes wall or ceiling plasters, joint or patching compounds, and textured paints.
Asphalt and vinyl flooring installed before 1981 is another type of PACM that must be treated as if it is ACM.

Where is ACM and PACM?

According to federal asbestos rules, the building and facility owners have to identify the presence, location, and quantity of ACM and PACM.

Typically, ACM or PACM is found in or on:

Mechanical rooms as sprayed-on insulation,
Steel reinforcing beams,
Brake pads,
Most 9″ floor tiles in buildings built before 1981,
Sprayed-on fireproofing and insulation,
Putties, caulks, and cements (such as in chemical-carrying cement pipes), and
Mastic material (pipes, HVAC, sink).

Where is ACM and PACM? (cont.)

ACM or PACM can also be found in or on:

Roofing shingles and coating,
Siding shingles on old residential buildings,
Fire curtains,
Lab bench top surfaces,
Fire doors, and
Gaskets.

Damaged or Deteriorated ACM and PACM

As we discussed earlier, asbestos is not a health hazard as long as the ACM is intact and not friable. For example, asbestos pipe and boiler insulation does not present a hazard unless the protective canvas covering is cut or damaged in such a way that the asbestos underneath is actually exposed to the air.

Damage and deterioration of ACM and PACM or disturbance of friable material will likely result in a fiber release.

– Water damage, continual vibration, aging, and physical impact such as drilling, grinding, buffing, cutting, sawing, or striking can break the materials down and make a fiber release more likely.

Damaged or Deteriorated ACM and PACM (cont.)

Evidence of damaged or deteriorated ACM or PACM is:

Debris around or under insulation or surfacing material,
Ripped or cracked coatings or coverings around insulation or surfacing material, and
Delamination, peeling, or blistering of such material.

Delaminated ACM and PACM

Delaminated ACM means that the bond of asbestos to the non-asbestos substrate (adhesion) is inadequate or, for any other reason, lacks fiber cohesion or adhesion qualities.
Such damage or deterioration may be illustrated by the separation of ACM into layers or separation of ACM from the substrate.
Delamination is often seen as flaking, blistering, or crumbling of the ACM surface.
And, water damage and significant or repeated water stains are common causes of delamination.

In-Place Management

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends an in-place management program for ACMs.
Removing asbestos materials may create a hazard where none previously existed. If asbestos materials are undisturbed and in a nonfriable condition, it needs to be treated with caution but there is no immediate hazard.
Asbestos removal may be postponed except during demolition or renovation.

Asbestos-containing ceiling tiles, floor tiles, undamaged laboratory cabinet tops, shingles, fire doors, siding shingles, etc., will not release asbestos fibers unless they are disturbed or damaged in some way. If an asbestos ceiling tile is drilled or broken, for example, it may release fibers into the air. If it is left alone and not disturbed, it will not.

Labels

There MUST be warning labels on materials that contain ACM and/or PACM.
Nonfriable materials that will remain intact during use, handling, storage, disposal, processing, or transportation are not required to be labeled, but best practices dictate that all asbestos-containing materials should be labeled.
Pipe and boiler insulation that contains asbestos should be labeled with identifying stickers and placards.

Signs

Warning signs are posted at the entrance to mechanical rooms and areas. If followed, the warnings should ensure that ACM and/or PACM will not be disturbed.
Building areas that have ACM in them are required to have notices posted near the entrances, frequently near the fire alarm panel.

Avoid Abestos Exposure: Best Practices

Remember, do not attempt to remove, repair, or clean up ACM unless you are trained and authorized to do so. There are specific work practices that must be followed in order to ensure the safety of yourself and others.
If you have not been trained and authorized, report any damage to PACM to your supervisor.
Following all asbestos regulations will help protect workers, building occupants, and the environment from the hazards of asbestos fibers.

Avoid Abestos Exposure: Best Practices (cont.)

There are several safe work practices that all workers must follow to protect themselves and others from exposure to asbestos:

Assume that all unknown material is PACM. If you don’t know whether something is asbestos or not and it fits the PACM category, assume that it is ACM until it is verified otherwise.
Do no work that will make the material friable, such as sand, dry sweep, dry scrape, drill, saw, sandblast, or mechanically chip or pulverize existing flooring, backing, lining felt, or asphaltic “cut-back” adhesives; this could render the material friable.
Never try to take a sample of a material yourself unless you have been trained to do so.
If you need to do work that might involve ACM or PACM, such as replacing ceiling tiles, repairing insulated pipelines, drilling into floor tiles, or other repair activity, check with a supervisor to find out how the work can be done safely.
Before drilling into any floor tiles to perform maintenance work, it will be necessary to ensure they do not contain asbestos.
Don’t use pipes lined with asbestos as a platform to work on.
Don’t cut through pipe insulation.
Don’t bump into sprayed-on materials.
Don’t open up enclosures.

Housekeeping Practices

Never sand ACM or PACM floor tiles.
When stripping finishes, use wet methods and low-abrasion pads at speeds lower than 300 revolutions per minute. Your supervisor or other trained person will show you how to use wet methods for stripping.
When vacuuming near or on ACM or PACM make sure you are using high efficiency particulate air, or HEPA, filtered vacuuming equipment. Very carefully empty vacuum debris into leakproof bags or containers and then seal them shut.
Burnishing or dry buffing may be performed only on flooring which has sufficient finish so that the pad cannot contact the flooring material.

Housekeeping Practices (cont.)

Always use gloves when you handle PACM.
If you have to dispose of any nonfriable ACM or PACM, carefully place it in sealed, labeled, leakproof bags or other closed, labeled, leakproof containers.
Never clean up friable ACM or PACM unless you are specially trained for such work and are wearing the appropriate PPE for the job.
Never, ever clean ACM or PACM with compressed air—it will create airborne dust.

Housekeeping- Cleanup

If you are trained to clean up friable ACM and discover some sprayed-on asbestos insulation or surfacing ACM or PACM has been knocked off of a ceiling or wall:

Wear PPE appropriate for the job.
Use a wet method to collect the debris. Your supervisor or other trained employee will show you the appropriate wet method.
Never sweep it in a dry state.
Vacuum only with a HEPA filter.
And finally, promptly clean up and discard in leakproof containers.

Abestos Fiber Release

If you know or suspect that asbestos fibers have been released into the air or ACM or PACM has been disturbed, implement the following response procedures:

Immediately block off access to the area of the release and warn others in the area to leave.
If there are no electrical hazards, wet the ACM or PACM with a water spray mist.
Notify your supervisor and other facility management personnel.
Notify facility personnel to shut down the ventilation system for the area if possible.
Don’t attempt to dry-sweep, vacuum, walk through, clean up, or otherwise disturb ACM or PACM yourself unless you are trained for such work and are wearing the proper PPE.

Who to Contact

If at any time you feel that you have been exposed to disturbed, friable ACM, notify your supervisor and document the exposure. A qualified person will investigate the potential exposure to determine if additional medical and/or environmental monitoring is required.
Notify medical personnel if you believe you have been exposed to asbestos.

Working with Asbestos- Any Questions