Emissions concerns during renovation in the healthcare setting: Asbestos abatement of floor tile and mastic in medical facilities

Racine, William P.

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2010.02.027

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 20 publications

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“…Hundreds of short-term (considered in this study to be generally less than 60 min) and time-weightedaverage (8 h TWA) personal and area airborne asbestos concentrations measured during handling and use of asbestos-containing floor tiles at commercial and industrial sites [2,12,20,30,[33][34][35], in schools [1,8,9,11,[13][14][15][16]19,[36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44], in residential settings [34,35,45], and in a simulated exposure environment [10,18,[46][47][48] have been reported in over 30 published and unpublished studies. In general, most of the studies reported measurable asbestos levels with a large degree of heterogeneity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A meta-analysis of airborne asbestos fiber concentrations from work with or around asbestos-containing floor tile

Pérez¹,

Nelson

Cheng³

et al. 2018

International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health

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In this meta-analysis, exposures to airborne asbestos during work with or around floor tiles were characterized according to several variables: study, sample type, activity, and task. Personal breathing zone, bystander, and area sample exposure concentrations were differentiated and compared against current occupational exposure limits to asbestos. In total, 22 studies, including 804 personal, 57 bystander, and 295 area samples, were included in the analysis. The arithmetic mean airborne fiber concentrations were 0.05, 0.02, and 0.01 f/cm 3 for personal, bystander, and area samples, respectively. Arithmetic mean time-weighted-average fiber concentrations over an 8-h working day were 0.02 and 0.01 f/cm 3 for personal and bystander samples, respectively. Phase contrast microscopy (PCM) personal airborne fiber concentrations were highest for maintenance activities, followed by removal and installation. Tasks that involved buffing or burnishing, scoring or snapping, and scraping or lifting had the highest personal PCM concentrations, while stripping floor tile and removing it with chemical solvent had the lowest concentrations. Exposures associated with handling asbestos floor tiles, under working conditions normally encountered, do not generally produce airborne concentrations at levels that exceed the current OSHA PEL nor do they appear to approach the threshold cumulative asbestos dose concentrations that have been previously associated with an increased risk of asbestos-related disease.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A meta-analysis of airborne asbestos fiber concentrations from work with or around asbestos-containing floor tile

Pérez¹,

Nelson

Cheng³

et al. 2018

International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Serpentine and Amphibole Asbestos [A Subset of Elongated Mineral Particles (EMPs)]

“Tony” Havics,

Bernstein

2024

Patty's Toxicology

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The term asbestos refers to two very different minerals, serpentine and amphibole, occurring in fibrous form with very different mineralogical properties. Unfortunately, the term “asbestos” has been used loosely when, in fact, it has always been appropriate to discuss them separately. This chapter focuses on the key essential differences which result in very different toxicological and epidemiological responses to the fibers from these two minerals. In particular, it is discussed how a fiber's potency dictates the health risk, how the fiber's mineralogy affects biopersistence in the lung, and how fiber length determines how the lung responds to this characteristic. The differential toxicology is presented, as well as the epidemiology of these fibrous minerals. The regulations in the United Stated are also discussed. It is now convenient to use the term asbestos to describe a subset of elongated mineral particles (EMPs). Although the term has been discussed with potential differing definitions depending on the authors' purpose from 1979 to 2023, a popular working definition for EMPs is any mineral particle with a minimum aspect ratio of 3:1. This chapter will focus on the asbestos subset.

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Measurements of airborne asbestos fibres during refurbishing

Ervik

Hammer

Skaugset

et al. 2023

Annals of Work Exposures and Health

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Although the use of asbestos fibres in building materials has been prohibited in Norway since 1985, asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) are still found in many buildings. Lack of knowledge and awareness of these materials may lead to exposure during refurbishing. The aim of this study was to investigate the airborne fibre concentration and classify fibres found during the abatement of various ACMs. The release of fibres during short-term work tasks, such as drilling and sawing, was also investigated. Parallel air samples were collected during asbestos abetment of different building materials and analysed with scanning electron microscope (SEM) and phase-contrast microscope (PCM), respectively. Material samples were analysed with SEM. A real-time fibre monitor was used to measure asbestos during short-term work. The highest fibre concentrations were measured for samples collected during the removal of asbestos insulating boards (1.5–4.5 fibres/cm3 [f/cm3]), and the numbers were relatively similar for SEM and PCM. A large difference in asbestos concentrations was found between SEM and PCM when analysing floor materials, which were probably caused by a high number of gypsum fibres that the PCM operator counted. Thin fibres (<0.2 µm in width) were included in the SEM count and constituted up to 50% of the total fibre concentration for the asbestos cement materials. The presence of other inorganic and organic fibres on these samples probably led to similar results between SEM and PCM. Short-term work led to peak concentrations above 30 f/cm3.

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Emissions concerns during renovation in the healthcare setting: Asbestos abatement of floor tile and mastic in medical facilities

Cited by 3 publications

References 20 publications

A meta-analysis of airborne asbestos fiber concentrations from work with or around asbestos-containing floor tile

A meta-analysis of airborne asbestos fiber concentrations from work with or around asbestos-containing floor tile

Serpentine and Amphibole Asbestos [A Subset of Elongated Mineral Particles (EMPs)]

Measurements of airborne asbestos fibres during refurbishing

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