Document KR3vNJp8MQk1j8GJQ8nORD1Mw

FILE NAME: Railroads (RR) DATE: 1981 Sept 18 DOC#: RR053 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: M em o w ith Data - Asbestos & M ineral Spirits Exposures in the Engine Build-up Shop at Waycross Barry Castleman's Railroad File CD-ROM Document # RR Type of Document DATE // published report from journal trade publication advertisement article proceedings from annual meeting published abstract from conference unpublished report unpublished presentation meeting agenda minutes report letter memo government report industry warning information book excerpt legal JacksonviIle, Florida, September 18, .981 R R - 122 MEB:jlj Dr. Charles A. Mead, M. D. Chief Medicai Officer SUBJECT: Asbestos and Mineral Spirits Exposures in the Engine Build-up Shop at Waycross INTRODUCTION: A request was made to evaluate air quality in the Engine Build-up Shop in Waycross, Georgia. A subsequent investigation of the contents of the gasketing materials revealed that nearly all the high temperature gaskets contain asbestos. Discussions with supervisors revealed that the gasket removal procedure' involved buffing the ole gasket off with an abrasive wheel, then removing the dust with compressed air. Since the presence of asbestos was known and could become airborne, air sampling was necessary to_quancify the exposure. The Governor Room was sampled to determine employee exposure to mineral spirits (FL-MD #8L). The solvent is used to clean parts throughout the shop. The Governor Room contained several small vats filled with the solvent, and most of the room air was recycled because it was air conditioned. These two conditions made this area the "worst case" area in the Engine Build up Shop and appropriate for air sampling. Sampling was done on August 10, 11, 1981 , at Waycross . Mr. 0. G. Wood, Mr. C. E. Hendrix, Mr. E. E. Wilcox, Mr. L. L. Blount, Mr. C. E. Blount, Mr. D. L. Futen, and Mr. W. R. Wainwright, provided assis tance and comments while making the survey. Materials and Methods The survey supplies consisted of smoke tubes, charcoal tubes, two air sampling pumps, and three piece filter cassette with'a 0.8 micrometer cellulose mem brane filter. The mineral spirits samples were collected on charcoal tubes with the pump-drawing air at 200 cc/minute. At the end of the sampling period, the tube ends were capped and prepared .for shipment. The asbestos samples were collected on mixed cellulose membrane filters. The flow rate was maintained at two liters per minute. Following the sampling period the samples were sealed and prepared for shipment. The collection and analysis was conducted according to NI0SH Method P & CAM 239. Bulk samples of the gasket material and solvent were sent to the lab. A suitable blank was prepared for each procedure and sent to the lab for analysis. Environmental Health Laboratory, a certified industrial hygiene, analyzed all Ltr to Dr. Charles A. Mead, M.D. ?. - September 10, 1901 SUBJECT: Asbestos and Mineral Spirits Shop at Waycross Exposures in the Engine build-up samples and reported the results. Results The sampling results are given in Tables 1 and 2. Table 1 Governor Room Sampling Results For Mineral Spiri ts (Fl-MD U hl ) Sample 1 Tyoe Area Air Concentrati c' 4 mg/M^ 2 Area Non-Detectable 3 Personal 23 mg/M^ 4 . Personal 37 mq/M^ Detection Limit = 0.012 mg ; 2 - Engine Build-up Shop Sampling Results For Asbestos Sample AA2542 AA2544 A2545 Tyne Personal Personal Personal Air Concentration 0.19 fibers/cc AA2546 Area 0.073 fibers/cc AA2547 Personal 0.0097 fibers/cc AA2549 Area 0.044 fibers/cc *Heavy Particulate Load Samples AA2542 and AA2545 had a high particulate load caused by the buffinq of a frame with a large area of rust that needed to be buffed clean. Samole AA2544 may have a reduced count due to the particulate material which may have Ltr to ur. Charles A. Mead, M.D. |',-j(]C; 0 - September 1C, 19iiI SUBJECT: Asbestos and Mineral Spirits Shop at Vlaycross Exposures in the Engine Build-up obscured some fibers. Pi scussion The asbestos concentration was well below the current OSHA limit of 2 fioers/cc of air. The buffing produced a heavy particulate load of iron oxide (rust) and synthetic rubber from the gasket material. This caused problems with the analysis that may produce a low count on some samples. However, the two personal samples and area samples indicated that the highest air concentration of asbestos was one tenth of the currently acceptable level. The foreman in this area stated that this operation was normally done two hours a day. Based on the limited exposure time and the low airborne concentration, it is unlikely that asbestos would be a health hazard as the operation is currently done. Mineral spirits vapor does not currently have an OSHA limit established. The current TLV (Threshold Limit Value) established by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial. Hygienists for Stoddard Solvent which is similar in content is 525 mg/M^. The air concentrations in the Governor Room were well below this concentration. Based on these sampling results, mineral spirits vapor should not be a threat to the health of employees working in the Governor Room at Waycross Shop. Recommendati ons No further control measures are recommended at this time. Mark. E. Badders Industrial Hygienist Medical Department References Documentation of the Threshold Limit Values Fourth Edition, American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienist, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1980 NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods Second Edition, BHEW (NIOSH) Publication No. 77-15/-A, 1977 OSHA Safety and Health Standards (29 CFR 1910), U. S. Department cf Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 1979