Document 6bR5Z9xG93jmBEYa4rjVgedR4

Asbestos Captures Notice Abroad; Leaders Disagree on Dangers Whether to strip or encapsulate is often a political question in Great Britain reat Britain, North America and .. .or chemical treatment plants. I think GScandinavia appear to be at the we have started on it (now) just because forefront of asbestos research and we have joined the EC." regulations, but scientists in those IRELAND FURTHER AHEAD. Ire countries do not always agree on the land has been a European Community dangers of the material and the meth member longer chan Spain has and, as a ods for its abatement. Other European result, has been developing its environ countries, however, have few--or only mental regulations for a longer period of newly emerging--asbestos laws. time. For example, an EC directive at During a recent international asbes the beginning of this decade prompted tos abatement conference in London Ireland to begin removing asbestos and sponsored by Georgia Tfech Research In protect abatement workers. In addition, stitute, attendees outlined asbestos pol the country requires EC-mandated dis icies in their respective countries. From posal sites. their comments, it appears that the "We have recently (developed) some United States has the most stringent legalized waste dumps--landfill sites-- regulations--and the greatest litigation concerns. European experts sometimes think the United States goes overboard in its strict rules. European abatement Swwdwn Is mors advanced contractors also consider some Ameri in its approach. can methods impractical. SPAIN'S GUIDELINES. Spain has few asbestos regulations, if any. TWo or but they're only a very recent occur three years ago, the Spanish govern rence," said Martin O'Grady, National ment developed skeleton guidelines for Safety Advisor for Tfelecom Eireann in worker health and safety, in which as Dublin, Ireland's national telephone bestos was included. company. Until recently, local politi Fernando Jimenez, a conference at cians balked at the prospect of locating tendee whose waste treatment facility landfills in areas where their constitu is headquartered in the Spanish capital ents lived. of Madrid, said that most industries in "They all agreed it was a good idea, his country still try to ignore the dan but it should be in someone else's back gers of asbestos. yard," O'Grady said. "Recently, that "There are no regulations forcing sort of Catch-22 situation was (resolved) them to remove asbestos," he said. because of an EC directive which There also are no general rules for obliged local authorities to open (waste bidding the use of asbestos in the coun sites). They bypassed the elected politi try, he said, although not many indus cians. . .and went ahead and opened (the tries are continuing to use sites)." asbestos-containing materials, except "Prior to that, we had to export all for a few asbestos cement products. our waste to England, at quite a large Building owners do not appear to be as premium, and it was disposed in waste concerned or frightened of litigation as dumps there," he said. "Or else it was they are in the United States. just dumped by the side of the road, The European Community (EC) sets which defeated the whole purpose. The up some basic worker safety and health local populace probably got a larger and environmental rules for its mem dose than if they had agreed to landfill bers, and Spain, as one of the newer sites," members, is finding itself trying to TWO OFFICIAL CONTRACTORS. catch up. Ireland has only two asbestos abate "Spain has not been concerned about ment contractors who are officially rec the environment," Jimenez said. "Once ognized by the Irish Department of La we joined the EC, we started working bor. Irish-recommended work methods on lour regulations}. There are no facili on abatement projects generally are ties for hazardous waste in Spain. We borrowed from the British Health and don't have many controlled landfills Safety Executive's approved guide lines. y Shari Hagen Poore, MA, European Correspondent, Hannover, West Germany. "Generally, if there's a responsible stripping operation, it's done according to these (British guidelines)," O'Grady APRIL 1987 said. "But there are a lot of what we and I the British call "cowboy contractors' and what you call `rip-and-wkip' (con tractors). They're a common phenoraenon, I think." Ireland banned crocidolite (blue as bestos) imports several years ago, but some manufacturers still use chrysotile (white) asbestos in some materials, such as asbestos cement products. While the United States applies its regulations to ail types of asbestos equally, most European countries dis tinguish between asbestos types. They consider chrysotile less dangerous than crocidolite and amosite, and write their regulations accordingly. Ireland's Institute of Industrial Re- i search and Standards is responsible for duties such as asbestos monitoring and analysis and aggressive sampling after a cleanup operation. The Institute also gives the final stamp of approval after an abatement project renders a building or work area safe. The Institute is "gen erally respected by everyone there as being objective, and it's handy because it's accepted by the unions," 0'Grady said. WEST GERMANY. Several Ameri can military personnel stationed in West Germany who attended the conference indicated that they found few--if any--Germany rules regard ing asbestos. American military bases in Europe face a unique situation: they must follow American environ mental and safety rules where their per sonnel are concerned, but often they must at the same time obey the environ mental and safety laws of their host countries. Because specific asbestos regula tions are few and far between in Germany--and because modern abate ment equipment and personal protect ive gear is difficult to find there, the American military has met several ob stacles. "Off the tops of our heads, we do not think of the Germans as being very ac tive at all in the asbestos abatement area," said Dave Mayer, senior research scientist for Georgia Tfech's Environ mental, Health, and Safety Division. ADVANCEMENT IN SWEDEN. Swe den, on the other hand, is considerably more advanced in its approach to the asbestos problem and in its abatement technology. Asbestos is not approached from an environmental perspective 55 UCC 009023 4 0 * 3 6/1 there as much as from a worker safety perspective. Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia have relatively strong workers' movements in comparison to the United States, and the political strength of the unions historically has promoted improved health and safety conditions for workers. Asbestos regulations have changed several times over the past 10 to 15 years in Sweden. The most recent rules include: As of April 1, 1986, all asbestos abatement projects must be registered with the authorities before work com mences. As of Oct. 1, 1986, all workers em ployed in asbestos abatement must re ceive special training. In addition, all building workers who might encounter a-'bestos, such as construction or mainenance workers--even though they are not abatement workers--should receive i half-day's worth of training in basic facts about asbestos, where it can be found and what its hazards are. Before the end of 1986, all owners of buildings with mechanical ventila tion systems were to have surveyed their buildings for asbestos and filed their results with municipal authorities. This is similar to the U.S. Environmen tal Protection Agency rule that the presence of asbestos--especially in schools--should be registered. How ever, the Swedish rule does not require that parents of children attending schools in which asbestos has been lo cated be notified of its presence. On Jan. 23,1986, the National Swed ish Board of Occupational Safety and Health issued Ordinance AFS 1986:2 concerning asbestos. Provisions under It Is easy to obtain an asbestos removal license in the U.K.* the ordinance include: The use of asbestos and asbestos- containing materials (ACM) is banned, except by special permission of the Na tional Board of Occupational Safety and Health. Brake linings and other frictional ACM may be used if no acceptable products of less harmful material are available, Encapsulated ACM must be la beled as such. Proper abatement work precau tions, waste disposal and air sampliag techniques are defined. Medical surveillance of workers, protective clothing and other personal protective equipment also are defined. Sweden, similar to the United States, underwent a massive building effort during the 1950s and 1960s when asbestos use was at its peak. Because of Sweden's cold climate, buildings con tain a large amount of asbestos insula tion. Most of it can be found in ventila tion ducts, with the potential for release of asbestos fibers through ventilation systems, particularly in hospitals, schools and office buildings, but infre quently in residential areas. Some experts estimate that there may be as much as 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of pure asbestos in Sweden per Swedish citizen, said Jan Brochner, technical director for ABVAC Asbestos Removal in Spanga, Sweden. "This means that there is a very large (asbestos abatement) market," he said. "It also means that all the asbes tos can hardly be removed." Brochner said that Swedish asbestos abatement methods differ in several ways from those in the United States. Exposure from asbestos fiber fallout Is recognized internationally as a serious health hazard. Before 1973, asbestoscontaining thermal insulating compositions were sprayed routinely onto steel columns, beams and decks in thousands of buildings to protect those components from (ire. As these compositions age and become friable (loose or crumbly), they will delaminate and fall onto ceiling panels. When these panels are raised or removed, asbestos dust will release Into the office atmosphere. Kontrol Kube is an engineered maintenance tool specifically designed to control ceiling access exposure. Kontrol Kube should be part of your maintenance program. Effectively Used By: Maintenance Personnel Consultants Hygienists Contractors Features: Rugged adjustable frame Totally contained enclosure Mobile wheel base Pressure differential porthole Zippered entrance and ceiling nsaUGX TECMOUMEt, INC. 630 Putnam Avenue P.O. Box 432 Cambridge. MA 02139 0432 6177876-8020 Call toll free for closest distributor 1.800.FIBERLX 56 Circle 47 on card. OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH 4 SAFETY J436 J UCC 009024 For example, encapsulation is not a popular control method for several rea sons: Some experts consider it as only "hiding the problem" Experts also are skeptical about the durability of most sealants. Applying encapsulants often re quires the same protective measures as removing asbestos, such as sealing off the work area and wearing protective clothing. The economic difference be tween encapsulation and removal, say the Swedes, is so small that asbestos may just as well be removed. Swedish abatement contractors rarely use wet removal techniques, be cause most of the asbestos in Sweden is not friable, Brochner said. In addition, they prefer to use reuseable protective clothing and disposable filters. "We turn the U.S. approach upside down," Brochner said. "We tend to use reusable clothing but do not wish to clean or handle reuseable filters." UNITED KINGDOM: THE LEADER. "The United Kingdom started asbestos detection and control activities before we did in the {United) States," said Wil liam Spain, training and publications di rector for Georgia Tfech's EHS division, "In most areas, they've maintained leadership," he said. "Some other coun tries in Western Europe have made sig nificant progress in asbestos detection and control; I think Sweden is a good example. But generally in Europe, I think we look to the U.K. as being the leaders." One of the fundamental differences between U.K. and U.S. policies is in their perception of the asbestos risk. The United States tends to approach all types of asbestos with equal caution. However, British scientists have long maintained that there is a difference in risk from one asbestos form to another. Some well-known British medical experts--among them Dr. J.C. Wagner of the Medical Research Council at Llandough Hospital in Penarth, Wales--say they are not convinced that chrysotile asbestos can lead to mesothe lioma. European Community asbestos exposure standards differentiate be tween crocidolite, amosite and chryso- DIFFERENT FIBERS? The U.S. Na tional Academy of Sciences, on the other hand, concluded that "while there may be some differences in potential carcinogenicity, there is no reason for regulatory purposes to consider any of the different fibers separately," Spain said. Great Britain's Health and Safety Commission (HSC), composed of trade union and employer representatives and headed by a chairman appointed by the Secretary of State for Employment (the equivalent of the U.S. Department of Labor), dictates worker safety and health policies. The regulatory body that enacts policies is called the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The HSE has a number of inspector ates, including the factory inspectorate, which oversees compliance with asbes tos regulations. The HSC, meanwhile, has set up a number of industry advisory groups, one of which is called the Construction Industry Advisory Committee (CONIAC), REQUIRED REPORTING. Another special working party, the CON IAC As bestos Working Party, reports to CONIAC on all matters concerning asbestos removal. The European Committee has di rected that by Jan. 1, 1987, all member countries were to have regulations in ef fect for controlling asbestos exposure at : ; . ! Consider just one: carpal tunnel syndrome Repetive-motion injuries to the wrist will cost employers millions of dollars this year. ProRexTM wrist supports: An effective tool developed specifically to address this costly and debilitating injury. Why wait for a painful reason to use ProRex TM wrist supports when we can show you one that's cost effective? APRIL 1987 Com* see us at the AOHC, Booth #200 Circle 48 on card. A0437 0 UCC 009025 57 Breathe easy about asbesitos exposure. Asbestos-related deaths and disabilities are the biggest single issue in litigation today. Worse, compliance with current minimum standards is no guarantee that someone won't come after you tomorrow. Especially now. Because now there's a measurably superior way to deal with the hazard of airborne asbestos particles. A breakthrough in asbestos encap sulation technology, called CerTane,'" has been developed by CerTechTM By every meaningful yardstick, from fire retardant rating to ease of application and clean-up, CerTane significantly out-performs any other asbestos encapsulant you can buy. In other words, CerTane does more than simply meet or exceed existing industry stand ards. It sets tough, new standards that could eventually become law. So now you have a choice. Stick with yester day's technology and risk unnecessary exposure. Or specify CerTane and breathe easy. Call today for the name of your nearest CerTane representative. ^ 7404 Washington Avenue South. Eden Prairie. Minnesota 55344 1-800-433-1892 In Minnesota, call collect (612) 941-5093. Circle 49 on card. CerTane is a trademark of Certified Technologies Corp. Patent pending. k 04-37 1 UCC 009026 ASBESTOS work, said Graham Henderson, Her I Majesty's inspector of factories for theHSE. Based on that EC directive, Great Britain has developed two codes of practice dictating regulations for con trol of asbestos exposure at work. Great Britain's asbestos exposure limits are fixed, but are not absolute, Henderson said. In other words, if a contractor can feasibly reach a lower fiber exposure limit than required by law. for example, the HSE will require Mm to do so. John Simpson, chief executive of the Asbestos Removal Contractors' Association headquartered in Lon don, said that although the United Kingdom has led the world in control of asbestos hazards, the state of the abatement industry is "not very well." OVER-CONTROLLED. "Asbestos removal contracting is beset by more regulations and controls than any other in the construction industry," he said. "We are in severe danger of being over-controlled. The best performers in the industry, who invested heavily, are now seriously debating the return on their investment." A. St. John Holt, managing direc tor of E. St. John Holt and Associ ates, accident prevention and indus trial safety consultants in Southampton, England, named sev eral asbestos control problems in the United Kingdom, some of which the United States shares, and some of which are approached differently in America: "Cowboy contractors'' often Great Britain's exposure limits are not absolute. make estimates at 50 percent less than reputable contractors; they get the contracts, and no one restricts them unless they do something blantantly wrong. Reputable contractors have dif ficulty obtaining reliable, inexpensive information. There are no standardized re moval methods. Building owners, contractors and other people who must deal with asbestos often do not know who the enforcement authorities are. * There is a lack of adequate fit testing for respirators for asbestos workers. Whether to strip or encapsulate is often a political question. Ripping out asbestos is "good for business, but not necessarily good for people's health." By the same token, encapsu lation also often is termed a "building activity";not a removal method, and is therefore not monitored as closely or regulated as stringently. Spain of Georgia Tech said that a major difference between European and American asbestos removal meth ods is the subject of dry vs. wet re moval. WET REMOVAL NIXED. "In Brit ain, they started out with wet removal techniques and for reasons which are not clear to me, they went through a period of dry removal techniques," he said. "Now, they have expressed that they are expecting co move back to wet removal techniques. In Sweden, they've not yet tried wet removal; they're still using dry removal tech niques. We have reasonably good doc- continued on page 7; Consider just one: back injuries. Join the many facilities that have experienced significant reductions in the frequency of back injuries while using the CompVest back support as an integral tool in their back safety program. Why wait for a painfiul reason when we can snow you one that's cost effectiiuvoey' Now over 15,000 in use. APRIl `987 Come see ua at the AOHC, Booth #200 Circle 50 on card. 0437 5 UCC 009027 59 Threey&arShelflife f i Only OrfitTM thermoplas tic splinting material has all six of these advantages. In fact, no other thermoplastic material has even one of Orfit's major advantages. Orfit comes in five types and four different sizes so you can always choose a sheet (perforated or nonperforated) precisely right For each application. And only Orfit has a three-year shelf life and is available with varying elastic ity. Orfit Soft is extremely stretchable and highly moldable. Orfit Stiff, although slightly less stretchable and moldable, still offers the advantages of Orfit Soft. Total Recall. No Solvents Needed. And more. Unlike conven tional thermoplastics, Orfit returns to its orig inal shape after being reheated in water. With no shrinkage. So only ORFIT ADVANCED THERMOPLASTICS Orfit lets you undo wrhat you've done, and do it again. Perfectly. And when heated for molding, Orfit becomes trans parent. So skin areas needing protection from pressure are easy to locate and identify. There is also little chance of heat-induced patient discom fort, because Orfit has a low working temperature. Orfit is self-adhesive. It bonds to itself or a hinge without the need for messy, toxic solvents. For Bum Therapy, Too. Orfit is also available with a non-sticky, bacterio static aluminum coating that permits early splinting in bum therapy. For full details on the complete Orfit line, contact your local Seton Products representative. To order direct, call Seton toll free, 1-800-523-3660. In Pennsylvania, call 215 646-6606. Orfit. There is no other splinting material like it. Seton Products Inc. A memo&r ol me Seton G-oup of companies Engianc Montgomery^le- PA 18936 1986 by Seton Products Inc, All rights reserved. Orhi is a trademark of Seton Products Inc. A member of the Seton Group of companies. England. ' ** o' 4 3 / > Circle 7 on card. UCC 009028