Document 2jD56vp2q3Vx8wwaY37VKwDpL

MINING AND METALS DIVISION To (Homo) Division locotion Mr. W. C. Thurber UCC Metals Division 38th Floor 270 Park Avenue New York, NY 10017 Messrs. R. E. Byrne, Jr. y J. L. Myers File/ p. o. box 579, Niagara falls, new york 14302 b*. April 8, 1975 Originating D.pt. "CalidMa" AsbeStOS Arawaring lotto, dot* Subi#cf Backup Information - Marks Bill Discussion The information package we discussed is attached. It is intended to answer the questions raised by Drs. Selikoff and Wright and to give you a comprehensive picture of the facts as we have them. Our available sanding and grinding data have also been added. When you have had a chance to review this, let us discuss what parts of it we may want to transmit to Senator Marks in writing. As the medical experts become involved,-it is important to keep in mind that all of our tests are based on OSHA fiber counts. All particles which meet the L/D >3 and L >5y criteria which, in the judgment of an experienced counter, could possibly be asbestos were counted as such. There is good evidence but not proof that many but not necessarily all of the particles reported as asbestos are glass chips or other extraneous "fibrous" particles. We can argue that in many cases the counts reported are too high but our supporting evidence at this time is a little weak to argue that they are generally zero. As you also know, we did not pursue the EM work and look for fibers shorter than 5y and resin particles with fibers sticking out. Our case is going to have to stand or fall on the OSHA procedure. Turning to specifics, each of the four tables submitted previously has been expanded to include area and background sample results. Some data on the spraying of gel coats containing no asbestos have also been added. Unfor tunately, the area type samples were generally obtained to provide exposure levels outside the "active" area to facilitate TWA estimates or to check against extraneous fibers being counted as asbestos. They usually shed little light on the duration of dust in the area. My own opinion is that we could possibly select some that are helpful but the total group adds little and detracts from clarity. Supplemental details for each set of tests are provided. Unfortunately, once past the wall and ceiling texture data, each test sequence was enough different to require separate treatment. This information is presented in approximately the following format: 1. Application details - commercial or simulated, and type of use. 2. Spraying details - gun type and how operated plus comments on occupational and environmental exposure. A08626 Mr. W. C. Thurber -2- April 8, 1975 3. Finishing details - How the particular article is finished, i.e., sanded, ground or not abraded. Our data from field and laboratory tests is introduced as part of Table III on polyesters. We may want to put this together as a separate presentation. 4. Long-term exposure. The last item, long-term exposure, is easy to discuss but hard to define quantitatively. The approach taken is that the sanding and grinding data remove a substantial depth of material in a very short time. If the total fibers found is averaged over several years, the level should be indistinguish able from background. Overall, the discussion addresses all of the points you raised except the question of droplet size and persistence. With so many different liquids and spray types, I do not know how to get a handle on this quickly but will keep looking. We are awaiting word from A1 Harvey on their sanding data. They should be of some help on the wear question.. The information from the AIA/NA on the Yale case is also enclosed. This looks very much like the situation in California that was reported in great detail at the Industrial Hygiene conference in Miami last year. Asbestos is mixed with enough water to make a thick paste and it is sprayed onto a ceiling. The water evaporates, leaving a mat of essentially pure asbestos without any binder. The California people had great difficulty finding any fiber counts above background while Yale reports 18 fibers/cc. If you take an unbound asbestos mat and rub it hard enough, there is no reason to dis believe that a count this high could be obtained. The obvious point is that this is the extreme case of unbound asbestos and is just not relevant to the situation we are considering. I will let you know right away if any new information turns up. HBR:cjb Attachments H. 8. Rhodes A0802 ? I. Water-Based Systems with Water-Soluble Binders Binders: Type: Starch, polyvinyl alcohol, soya protel or equivalent. Content: Typically 6-8X by weight of the dry formulation before mixing with water, 2-4% as sprayed. Main Uses: Interior wall and ceiling texture sprays. (Where texture is applied to walls it must be covered with at least one coat of a latex or oil-based paint.) Asbestos Content: Up to 3X by weight of the total formulation as sprayed. Supporting Data: Table I. U M H iw iK ilm UU ta m ii iiM -a iw I . i v rJ *y1 V, k Vrt |U ^i ^ 0' w*'! > 1 E* ^"\i n^ <* W\ | * viN * ;4*:i ft * t 'xi i** let i- I * N, * Ll i "* ^ v -+*> s srf -441 A<aI._f . s Hs ^i . - -r: st j i > * ^ * f MlS '5 p!ii * ^ vi i ;5 u^* i si*s ** or?,!** ***.<<* |S? 4; $ / Vk I ( N. ^ 5 $ i^ $4 *[> v > \ 4 *% S^ fi t n %' -S< J iskis 1 Jf o ^5 *V %^ *%* ki I* * i: iii IV I *.: \i. i* Cr - iiI * ** 1^ Ms 53 3 in = I? 3 5l:*J r j .kijI iinll jr tt 3S i|rl *11 m ill if 11 I J 1 ss sa z~ rs r|i i * 3 i!! nf* u i; ii ill ill ii! If i i% s s a I I I* *I 5 J 1 I A08629 SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION Water-Based System with Water-Soluble Binders 1. The data are all from commercial finishing operations at four condomi nium locations in Florida. 2. Typically the rooms are sprayed in convenient groups of 20-30. Ceilings are sprayed first, followed by walls. It takes 5-10 minutes per application per room. 3. The spray operator walks from room to room. He is accompanied by one or two men who handle the hoses and who scrape off any wet overspray. 4. Spraying is done with a wand about 4' long. Liquid spray is pumped from a tank outside the building. Compressed air is used to atomize and spray the liquid. The gun tip is relatively large so although there is some overspray in the immediate vicinity of the operator, this is not a "misty" operation like certain types of high pressure paint spraying. 5. This kind of spraying is usually contracted on a fixed fee basis so the operator moves rapidly and spends as much time in the actual spraying step as possible. This tends to total 4-6 hours per day since considerable time is spent on movement to the field location, set-up, and moving from building to building. The operator exposures shown thus represent ceiling values that would be reduced somewhat as time-weighted averages. 6. Spraying occurs for a limited time at each location. There is thus no problem that concentration will build up with time. 7. In these operations the window openings are usually masked. Occasion ally the fast-moving operator will hit a.window area and spray will be momentarily visible outside. ' The limited data available from locations A, B and D, show no difference between interior and exterior background counts. They also suggest that the level in the room drops rapidly towards the same background level. 8. The ceiling contains shredded styrofoam or vermiculite texturing material and is in finished form as soon as it has dried. It is not subjected to abrasion during finishing or in subsequent use. It may, at some future date be sprayed with paint for decorative purposes. 9. The wall texture is not sanded and since it has a water-soluble binder, must be finished with a water resistant coating. This should largely prohibit asbestos release by wear. 10. Conceivably, at some future date, a home-owner would try to remove the wall texture by sanding. This would be a monumental job and would probably ruin the paper coating on the wall board. We have never heard of this being done since it would be easier and cheaper to replace the wall board.- A0863C 4* 4*!: ^11 ' s* 0 ft o 3 <a <$ ^ <$ v \. ?^ If * V. v* * ^s**1* c i 'll * ti*<nt- - t4 < ^ * > x XV. ^ I <$' c fiM in a iiv i atM tM ltlit I l l l l lliW l A08631 SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION Water-Based System with Latex Binders 1. The products tested at Location A are normally used for wall and ceiling coatings in mobile homes. 2. This test (Location A) simulated the commercial operation with several 4' x 8' panels leaned against a building and coated with a commercial, pot-type, air-supported spray gun. 3. Spraying for this application is done for short, occassional periods so there is no problem with extended time buildup. The operator exposures found represent ceiling values which would give substantially lower TWA values. 4. These are finished coatings as applied and are not sanded or ground in the finishing operation. 5. The product tested at Location B was a roof coating used on top of urethane foam insulation. Samples were collected during a commercial application. 6. Spraying for this application is donecontinuously over about 6 hours of an 8 hour shift. The coating is pumped through a hose to an airless gun with a large tip. The operator walks backwards swinging the gun back and forth to coat an area about 4 feet wide. There is little or no misty overspray. 7. Operator samples were collected over a 90 minute period and are con sidered to be a reasonable representation of exposure condition. 8. The coating is finished as applied and is subject only to future weathering. 9. In both of these uses the maximum reading obtained was 0.2 fiber/cc and in one place this occurred the material being sprayed contained no asbestos. This type of product cannot be considered an occupational or environmental hazard. *08632 III. Resin-Based Systems Binders: Type: Polyester resins, alkyd resins, epoxy resin alone or in combination with coal tar or equivalent resin. Content: Range from-6% in zinc-rich primer to^49X for heavily filled alkyd to 99+ for polyester laminating resins. Main Uses: Fiber glass reinforced boats, pipes, shower stalls, and similar articles. Maintenance coatings for steel and concrete. Intumescent and zinc-rich paint. Exterior alkyd paints. Asbestos Range: Up to 12X by weight of the total formulation as sprayed. Supporting Data: Table III. A08633 *^ ^ <$ I ^c I Q O i tX f is * d d2 B c vf* CO CO CO O <r i l 3S 1 a3 I 1a {A Ei * V QN^ <5 * N* % < i h V ** SJ 1 a. ; 5t r w$ > I i S' $ f . S> S E E v5 |3 Ills IS M > I tt 'C w i* ^\ ia rt f ^: i: i- \< ^4 i.= 4 3 <5* * r ? > K 5J * 1V ?V C5 ii* x i/Wii si; 1 <i I I ^<0 4 4* ? *: * *i > .is it = a2 W Is 11 m *f. !i. hi lit Ui I \ 1 -\ ii r- ?Ils srII.rI; ill III iiJ! iii ill n l 1ss9 * iii i, i ! Si I *S ii * 5 X (xOS6^ SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION Resin-Based Systems I. POLYESTER RESINS A. General Purpose Laminating 1. The data are all from commercial polyester boat manufacturing locations in Florida. 2. Two types of spraying operation are represented: a. Laminating operations where resin and usually chopped glass are sprayed simultaneously. In the more typical operations, spraying lasts 2-4 minutes followed by 10-20 minutes of roll out. In some large shops, the spray man moves from part to part spraying largely continuously. b. Gel coating of molds with an airless gun. Spraying is continuous until the mold coating is completed. No glass is used. This is a very misty operation. With smaller parts, it is done in a ventilated booth. Large boats are sprayed on the floor. 3. For laminating operations, two types of sample have been collected, one where the sample was taken while only the gun was operating and one where a complete spraying and roll-out sample was collected on the same filter. Location A was a very large shop where the operator moved from location to location spraying almost continuously. At Location B, the first sample (L-13) was taken over a complete cycle in a fixed position while N-28 and N-30 covered just the spraying. These data suggest that fibers are collected on the filter only during the spraying. The spraying level of 0.4 fibers is in good agreement with the 0.6 found for Location A. At Location C, another largely continuous spraying operation without chop was tested. The levels are all very low and the change from 0 to 0.1 fiber/cc is not considered to represent a buildup with time. Taken together, these data suggest that a fiber level around 0.5 fiber/cc with most of the fibers probably glass exists during the operation of the chopper and the level drops rapidly to 0.1 fiber/cc or less when the chopper is shut off. While this picture is in accord with common sense, there are just not enough data to push it where we may have to defend it as valid scientific proof. In this connection, note that N-28 and N-30 show only 1 fiber in 100 fields. 4. The gel coating operation usually involved essentially continuous spraying until the mold was coated to the desired thickness. With one exception (Location A), all of the personal and area counts taken during the gel coating operation were zero. This is generally A0863 Supplemental Information Resin-Based Systems -2- lower than the levels for the laminating resins and could be due to the lack of asbestos in the resin and/or to the fact that a chopper was not in operation on the gun. With the analytical techniques used, there is no way to distinguish with certainty between the two. For simplicity and to avoid the need to add the foregoing discussion, the gel coat data were not included in the original table submitted. They still seem to be more of a complication than a help. Since they do not contain asbestos anyway, it is valid to omit them from a short summary. 5. The laminating operation is usually carried out in a large building with numerous doors and some fan ventilation. There is little overspray and visible emissions to the outside air do not occur or are, at most, infrequent. 6. The gel coating operation used to coat large molds can cause the whole end of the shop to fade out in a haze. Based on styrene TLV's, it is almost certainly a hazard in itself. Visible emissions to the outside air do occur. For smaller parts, an enclosed hood is frequently used. This often discharges a mist to the atmosphere. 7. The molded fiber glass parts are generally ground or sanded at some time during finishing. Data taken during this type of operation for five conmercial operations including boat manufac ture are shown in Table V. The highest number found in 15 tests was 0.4 fiber/cc >5u. This type of operation may be done indoors but for largeobjects is frequently carried out in the open. It is an extremely dusty operation but the asbestos is a very minor contributor. 8. A laboratory study with asbestos levels up to 183> by weight has also been carried out. A sample plaque about 1/2" thick was clamped to a bench in the center of an S'xS'xS.S' closed room. A substantial portion of the plaque was ground away. Personal and area samples were taken during and after grinding. Results are shown in Table VI. Under these extreme conditions, the highest fiber count obtained was 1.2 fibers/cc. These data also show that the dust tends to be heavy and settles rapidly. 9. These data in Tables V and VI illustrate the level of asbestos fiber counts that are obtained with fiber that is wetted with a strong, thermoset resin binder when substantial quantities are abraded away in time periods that are all less than one hour. None of the applications covered so far and to be covered in Table III are subjected to serious abrasion during their normal lifetime.* If the fiber levels observed are averaged not over a few minutes but over a five or ten year period, they become vanishingly small. A08637 Supplemental Information Res in-Based Systems -3- B. Chemical Resistant Resins 1. The commercial application for Location D is the coating of a mandrel upon which fiber glass pipe is spiral wound. The finished product is generally used in oil field applications. 2. The mandrels (approx. 28' long) are rotated in a jig while an automatic spray head travels along it at a fixed rate. 3. This operation is indoors and hooded underneath. It normally takes place for approximately one hour per shift so the levels represent ceiling concentrations. The samples cover a typical operation for one shift so there is no buildup question. 4. Fiber release during finishing for this location is shown in Table V, 1929-82-3 and is low. 5. The commercial application for Location E is the deposition of a coating on the portion of a large vessel that falls below the water line. It is carried out in drydock with a number of portable spray units. 6. The operator sprays a section of the vessel approximately 5' x 10'. He then waits while the material is rolled out. Spraying is done with a wand about 6' long. 7. The samples shown were collected only during the actual spraying operation and thus reprent ceiling concentrations. A total elapsed time of about 2-1/2 hours was covered and there was no change in concentration with time. 8. There was noticeable overspray during this operation but it appeared to be largely floating glass flakes plus resin droplets that settled rapidly. 9. Lifetime of the coating varies but it is claimed to be many years. The reasoning stated in part I-A - 9 applies to gradual loss. II. EPOXY RESINS A. Filled Epoxy 1. Location F is the commercial application of epoxy maintenance coatings to a 200' ocean-going vessel. 2. The operator moves under the ship and around the sides on scaffold ing. Spraying is continuous until the entire ship, or a substantial portion thereof, is covered. A man can complete the job in 30-60 minutes. Movement is rapid over a wide area so no buildup with time would be expected. 3. The asbestos containing epoxy was sprayed with an airless gun with a relatively large tip so overspray was limited. The other coat ing, containing no asbestos, was applied with an air supported gun and was quite misty. A 08638 . Supplemental Information Resin-Based Systems -4- 4. The fiber contents measured represent ceiling values and would be considerably lower on a TWA basis. 5. The asbestos containing primer is covered by other paint which will protect it from wear. B. Epoxy-Coal Tar 1. Location S was the commercial application of a maintenance coating to a large drydock under construction. 2. The operator moved an airless gun back and forth across the surface of the dock while he was moved via a suspended platform or walked along scaffolding. There was considerable visible fine mist overspray. 3. Spraying of this type is limited to the area that can be cleaned by sandblasting the previous day so seldom lasts more than 1-2 hours. Values measured thus represent ceiling concentrations. 4. This is a finished maintenance coating so is subject only to gradual weathering. 5. Location H was the commercial application of the same product as Location G as an interior coating on 3" to 12" diameter pipe. 6. Spraying was done with a typical air supported gun on a wand about 4' long. The operator moved this slowly inside the pipe. 7. The sample was collected only during the spraying operation so it represents a ceiling concentration. This operation is quite rapid relative to the other parts of the manufacturing process and is only done intermittently for periods of an hour or two. III. ALKYD-RESIN PAINT 1. This material is used as a finish coat on the exterior of buildings. The test was run under cormercial conditions but was not at a construction site. 2. Spraying was done with an airless gun with the operator walking slowly along the side of the building. 3. The time spent spraying on commercial jobs will vary widely. The value found may be taken on a conservative basis as a TWA. 4. This coating is not sanded but is subject to weathering over a period of years. Added Note: The marine coatings described in this section could be subjected to removal by sandblasting for maintenance purposes. This would take place under industrial conditions and there is no reason to expect that asbestos fiber counts would differ materially from those shown in Tables V and VI. A np rq d IV. Asphaltic and Coal-Tar Based Systems Binders: Type: Cutback and emulsified asphalt and coal-tar materials or equivalent. Content: Typically**'45X. Main Uses: Automotive undercoating and sound deadener, roof coatings, foundation coatings. Asbestos Content: Up t0'152. Supporting Data: Table IV. A 08 64 C s *1; r- i - * * ^-*;0 `r h V. t \{ <*' a$ s 0 i i I it. i i j i i hi ;iiini-l h it 5 in 'ill M H U iflt M l ha m* it I 5i 1? !'s, i t 13 ; i -I#- | i 5 ill u* . 1 ; 3 3 1 1 2 A 08 64 1 SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION Asphaltic and Coal-Tar Based Systems 1. Location A is a commercial application of an automobile sound deadener. 2. The deadener is sprayed with an airless gun to the underside of an automo bile. It is done in a confined area about the size of a large garage. Normally, it is essentially a continuous operation but at the time of our test only two cars were sprayed. 3. Sample M-31 is unique in that it is the only sample in the whole sequence of tests where a substantial number of fibers that were clearly asbestos were found. It is suspected that at the high, 15%, asbestos level used, we ran across a lump of unwetted asbestos. The other sample was low but we were unable to extend the test long enough to determine how often an unwetted dump might occur. In any case, the level was still only 1.5 fibers/cc for a short time. 4. This coating is complete as applied and is not sanded. 5. Long-term exposure and weathering is the only way the undercoating would release asbestos and the' quantity of coating removed would be expected to be smal1. 6. Locations B and C are tests run by Flintkote. They were carried out by spraying the two products downward into a drum with two types of gun. 7. In the application of roof coating, the spraying can be carried out for varying parts of shifts so the measured values can be taken as a conserva tive measure of TWA. The tests at each location were run in sequence on the same spot so there is no evidence of concentration buildup with time. 8. These coatings are finished as applied and are not sanded. They are normally subjected only to weathering. t A08642 / / / ' TABU V A1M08XC ASECSTOS HSt COthTS - mromc mo swoi>:r. or Rcsi-t-cnscn systems comm hug asncsios Sample fipslanatlcn Cemerclal Application I. THERHCSET RESH fFolrester) - Holding furniture parts -- . Date 3/15/72 1929-40-4 12/6/72 1929-82-3 1929-82-4 1929-82-5 1-13 1-8 Fabrication of roloforced fiber flm pipe. m 9 9 2/27/73 8/13/74 1-26 Fabrication of FRP tanks and pipe. 6-8 1-39 1929-84-4 1929-84-5 Production of artificial bricks. 8/13/74 3/8/73 , letln Asbestos Appro*. JjTP* Wt. * Operation Sample Time (Win.) Airborne Astestps Fiber Concentration (Flbers/ee >4.1 Polyester Polyester 1 Polyester Polyester 86-244 0.05 0.0$ 0.3 >6-144 2-3 >6-244 2-3 2-3 1.4 1.4 >6-244 1.5 1.5 1.5 8G-244 2.0 2.0 Operator hand sanding wall parts. Operator running power sander with Integral hood. Operator sanding and grinding (aided parts, wood hood 1 ventilating system on grinder. 45 45 23 Operator pulls pipe along line. Saws off and with circular saw. 19 Sane operation as 1929* 82-3. 49 Operator removing end of 45 pipe with scarfing machina Operator sharing end of pipe with.bell 6 spigot machine. 16 Operator cutting off pipe end and light orindlng eo extartor Surface. 17 Operator grinding Inside Of 13' 1.0. x 26' tank. Continuation of same operation as 1-26. Operator grinding edges ' of miscellaneous small parts. 16 5 25 Operator cutting with sabre saw. Operator trlmtng with sabre saw. 44 39 0.002 0.002 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.04 _ 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.2 8-20 8-25 Production of fiber |Iass boats. 11/26/74 Polyester 16-244 0.5 0.5 Operator grinding inside of boat hull. Operator grinding. 11 4 0.0 0.0 A08643  c e o occ oc 4J *two c aot z: t- oOt E-- Os- 0>J 4- at tact t- 40-*1^ 4- T3 C Cp" 0) _I a. S u. Vo_J e o o o o o p- m CM o oo o o oo o VO oo oo c <o o o to l/IIOtt _>*-* oUl CO o u* a> ir> Jj3 K1 * u. ct Er- t- O J- 01 > c c c 4- at i- o it co v z: 0t _l (O_t o o CM CM CM CM O O* +O* lL/). r. 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VA. 1 ;e) 53,200 fS) 137.000 I i j ''CLI.'PEO BY ' NOV l 9 1974 i'SACONB SPRAY-QN ASBESTOS 53 Building Material Said Cancer'Risk By THOMAS HINE _.V Knight News-Wire -. the.Yale Art and Ardritectnre- Building,' Dcr.Robert NEW HAVEN* - Conn.-A* j^Sawyer found that within the building activities cause an. material used in.jtbe construe* tion of thousandsof buildings -.from 1958 to therearly 1970s i has been found to be a cancer risk by a team of researchers at Yale University. ^asbestos fall-out,often atvery .^hazardous levels,'which could jeopardize students and - .maintenance employes. . Sawyer says be is not con cerned with abestosis, or - As a result, they have or* "white lung," a disease that dered that me of the most in* frequently afflicts- those who fluential buildings of the wort in asbestos plants. Rath 1960s, the Yale Art and Archi tecture Building be complete ly stripped of a spray-on ma er, the danger is of mesuthelions, a malignant cancer of the lung and abdominal cavi terial containing asbestos fibers which had been used on tyThis generally strikes 20 or the building's-ceiling. This follows an earlier inst ance at the University of Cali more years after first expo sure to the asbestos, and no "safe~Tivei ot exposure to as fornia. where, although condi bestos has yet been deter tions were not measured at levels high enough to be clas mined. Some activities at the Yale sified under federal regula building, such as dusting li tions as hazardous, ceilings brary books, changing light were removed from 800 dor fixtures and slamming doors mitory rooms. Spray-on materials contain ing asbestos have not been used in most other major ci ties since 1971 because re search then showed that it presented a severe health haz ard during construction, espe cially to workmen. It bad been assumed until now, however, that there was no hazard to persons who worked or lived in the completed building. were found to have triggered concentrations of asbestos in the air in excess of amounts allowed by new federal regu lations that will take effect In January 1976. The building was one of the most copied buildings of the - 1960s. The work of architect Paul Rudolph and completed in 1963. aspects of the forceful reinforced concrete complex have appeared in many build Prior to 1971, the material was very popular as insula tion, fireproofing and sound proofing. In 1970, for example, it was used in more than half the buildings constructed in the United States. It had been assumed, how ever, that there is no hazard to users of the buildings in which the material was used. ings since. It has been widely disliked by its users. In 1969, large parts of it were destroyed by a fire that is generally agreed to have been arson. The ceilings In the portion burnt were re placed with a similar material which does not contain asbes tos. // 4MC2B NATIONAL SAFETY NEWS M0. 49.8C0 JAN 1975 'CLIPPED 3*' BACONS, Yale attacks asbestos problem--Yale University, New Haven, CT~has embarked on an asbestos removal program that could cost as much as or more than $800,000. The project is to remove sprayed asbestos from the ceilings of the Art and Architecture Building, using a super wetting agent, called "wet water." (Cost: 250 gallons at $18-25 per gallon or up to $5,000.) Victor Osborne, safety manager, says that disposal costs could reach $50,000, and that removal costs, including those for labor and temporary lightingr could reach $750,000. The program was launched after Osborne, using a personal body monitor, found the levels were well over federal allowances (18 fibers per cc, as compared to federal TLV's of five per cc now and two per cc by January 1976). This indication of danger was com pounded by the facts that eye irritation was so chronic and severe that the Art and Architecture Librarian had to be kept from the building, and that maintenance personnel were probably exposed to higher levels than those indicated on the monitor. Joining Mr. Osborne in Yale University's concern are: Robert N. Sawyer, M.D., Department of Preven tive and Occupational Medicine; Peter Tveskov, Asso ciate Manager, Physical Plant; Severio Fodero, Ad ministrative Associate, University Health Services. Mr. Osborne is not only concerned with removing this hazard, he is in charge of developing the techniques for its safe removal- and disposal. A08646 MOV 2 4 1974 NcW HAVEN REGISTER New Haven, Conn, j ?( PM-107.564 S-1^4.7gi Yala To Remove. Dangerous Asbestos By CAROLYN 5USMAN asbestos-removal program. Us- Staff Reporter borne's monitor registered over A netting agent so powerful 18 fibers per cubic centimeter that only one pint is used in 300 of air. The current federal limit gallons of water will be tried (considered too high by ex istrongly linked with the flaking asbestos. Noted scientists and donors claim that there isn't any safe level yet known of exposure to the substance. Rudol*sh ib; Tuesday as a means of remov- perts) is five fibers per cubic ing tbe sprayed asbestos ceil* centimeter and that will be re ings in the Vale University Art duced to two fibers in January, and Architecture building. 1976. The agent, known as "wet "We put it (a monitor) onto a water," has already been used librarian and he got almost one in weaker solution (eight ounces fiber per cubic centimeter justj to two and one-half gallons doing normal (non-cleaning)j Malignancies linked to asbes tos may tak e 20 years to d evelop and continued exposure isn't re-; quired. Renowned asbestos re searcher Dr. Irving Selikoff of ML Sinai School of Medicine in New York says all unnecessary exposure should be avoided regular water) and worked work. The problem for mainte In fact, Selikoff told a Strat well. The more potent solution nance people is they get a heck ford audience last week of a is being tried to see if it is more of a lot more (exposure) than case where a worker had only effective. tbe average person," Osborne six.weeks exposure to the asbes Yale safety manager Victor explained. > tos, but developed cancer of the Osborne says at least 250 gal About two months ago, the lung because "that dust was lons of the less powerful solu building was closed from 2 to 7 exposing bis lungs for 20 tion would be needed to remove a.m,, the hours maintenance years." the asbestos at a cost of $18-120 and custodial work might be Efforts to remove the ceil a gallon. Osborne said that dis done. Osborne monitored the ings at the art ar.d architecture posal of the asbestos, which has, operations and made sure any building will probably be the been linked to cancer, could workers were fully protected first of such a large scale where cost over $50,000 and that from the falling and crumbling the substance will be removed removal of the substance from ceilings by special clothing. without contaminating anyone. the entire building, including, "It's not hazardous to occupy Removal techniques are being costs for temporary lighting the building." Osborne stress dcvelc'cd by Csbarne. and labor, could reach $750,000. ed. The basic problem is the low The asbestos wiil be sprayed Tbe extensive revamping of ceilings began flaking, partial- with the wet water and taken off the building has been ordered larly in the library, when books aJ it "gushv". Osborne s since the discovery of very high levels of asbestos panicles dur ing normal cleaning activities at the building. Osborne has been involved' with problems at the structure were grabbed off the top :a;j. ^'will be piacid in55-gal- shelves. when light fixtures .cn drums and taken to a site in were changed, or when custo- ---- w. . . ' ~~T dim, dusted. New York a* wh.,ch ,s lcensed Osborne said the ceilings h*n,lle and dispose of tbe were sealed with latex paint at materials. for over three years since com one point and that "worked out plaints about tbe crumbling fine" until concern began to ceilings at the building were grow about the asbestos me-< being filed regularly back in ;nace. That was compounded) 1971. by complaints of eye irritations i Tests conducted then found by people who worked in the) asbestos levels weren't hazard building. ! ous. but only the air was being Asbestos contains unusual measured. Tests later conduct chemical and physical proper ed by Osborne, wearing a per ties and is considered one of the sonal body monitor to measure prime industrial causes of can exposure directly on individu cer in the world. als, found levels well over About 70 per cent of the ceil federal allowances. ing area of tbe building, esti In the Art and Architecture mated at 70.000 square feeL is library, a prime target of the covered with the sprayed asbes tos compound. Robert Kaufmam, art and 'architecture librarian. Las been kept out of the building because A08 647 of chronic eye irritations Asbestos fallout Building faces 9200,000Job of /amoving asbestos callings f Almost 40,000 sq ft of sheetrock ceiling panels sprayed with asbestos must be removed from a multi-use building be cause of the health threat posed by fall ing asbestos particles and asbestos dust circulating in the ventilation system. More than 52,000 books must first be removed'before the panels can be taken out of the first floor library of Yale Uni versity's art and architecture building ! in New Haven, Conn. The job of clean ing and moving the books to a safer building and dismantling the ceiling panels in the library and the building's auditorium, studio and exhibit areas will cost at least $200,000. It has not been decided 'whether to install a new acoustical ceiling or to leave exposed the prestressed concrete floors. A new library ventilation system, probably using air ducts, will have to be installed to replace the 10-in. ple num system now above the sheetrock panels that are mounted on furring channels Incandescent lighting equip ment built into the ceiling will also have to be replaced. The asbestos flaking was first noticed several years ago. A commercial sealant was applied to the ceilings this year but is apparently ineffective. The Asbestos Information Association, a New York City-based organization of eight as- . bestos products manufacturers, recom mends sealing asbestos-sprayed ceiling, panels to prevent flaking and the resul tant asbestos dust The falling asbestos particles have been linked to chronic eye irritations in at least three library users, and the cus todial staff is now wearing protective face masks. Flaking of spray-applied as bestos and the resultant dust that circu- lates in air-ventilation systems may pose a cancer threat, according to the National Institute for. Occupational Safety and Health. The ribbed concrete building was de signed by architect Paul Rudolph, New Haven, in a pinwheel plan of over lapping and interpenetrating plat forms. The building has seven stories and 36 different levels with ceiling heights from 7.5 ft in the library to 28 ft in other areas. The same problem of flaking of spray-applied asbestos was experienced this year at the University of California at Los Angeles. Asbestos finish had to be scraped from ceilings in 800 rooms in two dormitories at a cost of $250,000. A\ < -n . 8 CD 03 O O A08648 by Fred Strebeigh Clean Sweep: Getting Asbestos Out of the A&A A08649 For the second time in five years the students and facilities at the building will be scattered to different parts of the campus. A fire in June, 1969, burned out three floors of the nine-floor, 36-level building, closing it for a year of repair. Now most of the building will be closed again, in successive stages, while work ers wearing goggles and respirators re move 70,000 square feet of asbestos ceiling material. Asbestos is now known to be a cause of cancer and for some time has been known to cause a scarring of the lungs called asbestosis, which in its ex treme form is the "white lung" expe rienced by asbestos factory workers. A continuing study--using pioneering methods which should be widely applic able elsewhere--by Dr. Robert N. Saw yer, a physician in the University Health Services, has shown that workers and perhaps occasional users of the building are exposed to amounts of asbestos ex ceeding federal Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) limits. Removal of the asbestos--a fire and sound retardant which was sprayed into place in the late stages of the building's construction--will cost a minimum $250,000 and might reach $750,000, according to John F. Embersits, director of University Operations. Thus still another chapter has begun in fVie Vmildintr's history of costliness and 1963, was featured as a cover story and hailed as a major event by most Ameri can architectural magazines. Under A. Whitney Griswold, president of Yale, who had urged the University to "trust the creative spirit and impulse of the greatest architects of our generation," Yale had become a showpiece of modem architecture. Its jewels included Louis Kahn's Art Gallery, Eero Saarinen's In galls Rink, and Cordon Bunshaft's Beinecke Rare Book Library. The Art & Architecture Building, completed soon after Griswold's death, was the last building he had commis sioned. Paul Rudolph, one of the coun try's most original architects and then chairman of Yale's Department of Archi tecture, had created the $3 million build ing, it was said, to serve as a challenge and inspiration to students of architec ture and as a unifying structure for all art students at Yale. Almost immediately it became clear that the building was more challenge than inspiration. The fioor-to-ceiling windows didn't open, and some had to be washed by men in bosun's chairs lowered from the roof--bringing the cost of a win- 0S980V dow-washing to about 52,000, accord ing to Mr. Embersits. There was no large service elevator linking the building's many levels, and moving large or heavy objects was further impeded by con stricted stairways. And a print-making instructor, who had told Rudolph that his students needed an open and welllit space, found himself consigned to "a bloody dungeon* in the basement. Numerous improvements in lighting and alteration of interior spaces have been demanded in the building--which since 1963 has cost the University about $500,000 for changes and extraordinary maintenance, such as window washing, according to Mr. Embersits. In view of all the complaints over the years. Dr. Sawyer was not surprised that he received what he called "cease and desist" orders when he first went to the administration in February to report his suspicion that aspects of the building-- particularly the asbestos--might be en dangering workers there. "I was told," he said, "not to waste my time over there"--that a study had beendone by the State in 1971 and had shown negligible results. That study had used asbestos fiber counters placed in a room overnight to monitor fallout from the ceiling. "I had no axe to grind," Dr. Sawyer says. "I didn't go in looking for trouble. The trouble was coming to us here at the Health Service. We were getting a lot of complaints." One complaint came from a librarian in the art library, who had chronic con junctivitis--an irritation of the mucous membrane of the eye--and who told Sawyer of two similar cases on the staff. Dr. Sawyer also learned that the director of the library, Robert Kaufmann, was suffering from an eye injury he had re ceived away from work but which was failing to heal. Yale physicians examined his eye and found what they thought might be asbestos fibers. . But Dr. Sawyer's main contributions were to realize--a discovery apparently made for the first time--and to document that a maintenance worker bolting a light fixture into the ceiling, or a librarian handling asbestos-coated books, would inhale more fibers than the state's fiber monitor did while sitting in a quiet room. Under his direction, people equipped with protective respirators and "person nel monitors"--filtered pumps which sim ulate normal breathing rates--per formed dusting and cleaning chores and recorded asbestos fiber counts well in excess of the OSHA limits. When Dr. Sawyer presented these data to Yale administrators, their reaction was "Wowl Of course!" and he was on his way to his present status as Yale's as bestos czar. New he is called on to over see even routine maintenance, like changing light bulbs. While Dr. Sawyer is apparently the first to correctly analyze and document the extent to which different activities in a building affect the amount of as bestos that a person inhales, Yale is not the first and certainly not the last institu tion faced with the problem and a need to monitor it. Sprayed-on ceilings have been used in thousands of buildings, and Dr. Sawyer speculates that the degree of danger varies considerably according to such factors as ceiling height and changes in humidity level. The University of California at Los Angeles, for instance, faced a similar problem with asbestos ceilings in 800 dormitory rooms. Quiet room monitoring showed an asbestos level similar to that found during the 1971 monitoring at Yale. Nevertheless the asbestos was re moved. The university did not attempt to document the asbestos level during activities such as cleaning. "We're developing knowledge and ex pertise in an area that 1 believe is going to have tremendous importance," Dr. Sawyer says. "We've outstripped many so-called experts already in what we've done--our study has shown a quantum leap in understanding from the 1971 study." He expects that the greatest value of the work done at the Art & Architecture Building will be in reports on Yale's new monitoring and removal techniques, which will be published and made available all over the country. "I'd hate to be putting so much time into this if it were only a brush fire," he says. On Aug. 20 Dr. Sawyer submitted a 16-page interim report documenting pos sible health hazards in addition to as bestos in the building--undrinkable water, bird cadavers in the ventilation system, low railings and low ceilings. "Considering the height and accessi bility of unprotected hard objects, light fixtures, open electrical sockets, railings, ledges and open louvers," he wrote, "it is our serious opinion that physical dan ger exists for adults taller than 6'2" and children below the age of 10." The re port urged corrective measures, includ ing the removal of asbestos from the entire building. Most of the recom mendations have been accepted and work begun. The asbestos problems, however, cause the most difficulty and anxiety--particularly because. Dr. Saw yer says, the levels at which it is dan gerous are still being defined. One study, for example, by a physi cian at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York, published in September, reported a high incidence of apparently asbestos-related lung scarring and cancerous tumors known as mesotheliomas in the families of workers who many years ago had been employed in a New Jersey asbestos fac tory. It suggested that even very mod erate and short-term exposure can, after a waiting period of 10 to perhaps 40 years, result in serious illness. That study has prompted labor lead ers to call for a reduction to virtually zero in the OSHA-allowed maximum limit. It is now defined as five fibers per cubic centimeter of air and will be re duced to two fibers per cubic centimeter in 1976. Dr. Sawyer's study found that light dusting stined up a count of 5.3 fibers, while a worker who hit the ceil ing while cleaning was exposed--for a short time--to a count of 18.3 fibers. Work is now well under way (see photos) on the year-long project of scouring the building. The first element to go is the 52,000-volume library, which will be vacuum-cleaned, book-by-book. A08651 and removed to the Cross Campus Li brary. The equipment includes two $700 vacuum cleaners with absolute filters of a type developed for gathering moon dust from space capsules. Workers are wearing respirators for vacuuming, and when they begin to pull down ceiling panels Dr. Sawyer says they will use masks hooked to an air compressor. Dr. Sawyer has been relieved of all other health service responsibilities and to be on hand at all hours for cleaning has had a bed in the building's guest suite made up for him. He has taken over Paul Rudolph's old office--where there is no asbestos--for his equipment The new frustration over the building has again focused attention, perhaps un fairly, on its architect. The charge has been frequently repeated that, as one high Yale administrator put it, "the problem with the A & A is that Rudolph was his own client" Mr. Rudolph, who says he has "be come very emotional about that partic ular building," disagrees. "I certainly didn't think I had a free hand," he re called in an interview last week. There were building committees and buildingsand-grounds people. It seemed to me at the time that there were enough peo ple looking over my shoulder ;it Y;t!e. "And I certainly hail no idea at the time that there was a health problem involving asbestos. Maybe other people did, but I don't really think so. I cer tainly don't think if anyUtdy had ever said, Tou know (his is a pnh-nlinl health hazard/1 would ever have put it in. Even I." Alvin Eisenman, a member of the building committee for the A & A, be lieves that one reason why the ceilings were never questioned is that the com mittee was never told about them, but he adds that "this business of blaming Rudolph has gone too far. The main problem with the building probably was that there wasn't anyone really strong on the building committee." Because of the extreme frustration and anxiety, there has even been talk around the University of possible legal action. While the work of many people has once again been disrupted at the Art & Architecture Building, for others it is a question of degree. "Some students come into the library with handkerchiefs tied over nose and mouth," one librarian said, "while some come in to study and smoke three packs of cigarettes in a night and don't seem to worry about asbestos."