Document 2DbZ1pKMJrR6E8dp86kZErQr

WRGQ01461 may: ngmeermg MeQRAW-HILL'S CONSTRUCTION WEEKLY , s-Record 71S>(?ZM3|*-. PLAINTIFF'S J| i: ' WRG-526 Sprayed-aibestos fireproofing work halted Sprayed-aibestos fireproofing oper ations on steel-framed buildings halted last week in New York City. The stop page residled from regulations written after medical research showed that as bestos fibers can cause cancer of the pulmonary and gastro-intestinal tracts if ingested (ENR 4/2 p. 11). New York City's Department of Air Resources prepared the regulations and put them into effect three weeks ago. Last week, inspectors issued summonses alleging that the fireproofing subcon tractors on three building projects were in violation of the regulations. The as bestos-spray contractor on a fourth building voluntarily halted work. City officials report that the four buildings are the only jobs in the city where fire proofing operations have been under way. Continued violations could result in departmental hearings leading to the sealing of asbestos-spraying machinery by the city. The four projects are one of the two 110-story towers of the World Trade Center, the 54-story Standard Oil (N.J.) building near Rockefeller Center, a 40-story building at 2 New York Plaza in the financial district, and a 37story structure in midtown Manhattan. Ironically, the World Trade Center project was the first and only building in the city where the spray contractor had taken precautions to prevent scat tering of dried asbestos. The owner, the Port of New York Authority, cooper ated with the city months ago as a re sult of the medical studies conducted by a team of physicians. The building's exterior on the floors where asbestos was being sprayed was tightly enclosed by tarpaulins and the asbestos-spray work area was sealed off from other interior sections. The job, however, lacked the vacuum cleaning operation as required by the regu lations, according to a Port Authority official. Empire Pyro Spray Inc., New York City, asbestos-spray subcontractor on the New York Plaza building, was sum moned to a hearing by Robert N. Rick ies, commissioner of the Department of Air Resources. Although the company has stopped work, the hearing was called after the company failed to guar antee it would comply fully with the regulations in the future, according to department officials. This move could lead to the first court test of the regu lation. Engineering News-Record itmi'r ^^sr-nZi754 New York City establishes regulations on asbestos-use a**"-- in ru to c m rsi New York City last week clamped down on sprayed asbestos used to fire proof steel frame buildings because of the material's link to lung cancer (ENR 4/2 p. 11). New regulations, drafted by the city's Department of Air Resources in the En vironmental Protection Adminis tration, are said to be the first of their type in the U.S. Officials acted after medical research showed that asbestos dust could cause lung cancer. The regulations are tem porary pending public hearings, after which they become a city statute. The regulations require that the area of building being sprayed with asbestos be tightly enclosed, that waste material of asbestos content be cleaned up and placed in sealed containers and then that the area be cleaned by a vacuum cleaner. Asbestos sprayed in air ducts must be coated with a sealant to pre clude exposure to circulating air. The fireproofing material, which contains rock wool, a cementitious binder and up to 25% asbestos fiber, is forced out of a hose dry but is mixed with water pumped through a second hose.