Document NEJEyYJ8Yadxee00Z4MwjGOXR

FILE NAME Brakes BRK DATE 1986 DOC BRK100 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION Gov Info Booklet - Preventing Asbestos Disease Among Auto Mechanics PREVENTING ASBESTOS DISEASE AMONG AUTO MECHANICS I. MECHANICS EXPOSURE TO ASBESTOS Friction materials such as brake linings and clutch facings often contain asbestos Millions of asbestos fibers can be released during brake and clutch servicing 1-8 Grinding and bevelling friction products can cause even higher exposures 1,8 asbestos fibers are small enough to be invisible and tLihkeey cgaenrmrsemain and accumulate in the lungs When you see a dust cloud during brake work you are seeing clumps containing thousands of fibers Most of the smaller fibers will not show up with the methods commonly used for measuring asbestos levels in the air such as the method used to determine compliance with the OSHA asbestos standard since most asbestos fibers in brake dust are too small to be measured by these methods 1-3,5-8 Asbestos released into the air lingers around a garage long after a brake job is done and can be breathed in by everyone inside a garage including customers While lowering exposure lowers risk there is no known level of exposure to asbestos below which health effects do not occur 9-12 The EPA has proposed phasing out the use of asbestos products In situations where asbestos exposures cannot be eliminated entirely they should be reduced to the lowest possible level 9,13 Asbestos can be carried on work clothing contaminating the family car and home This can cause asbestos disease among members An ordinary house vacuum cleaner cannot fcoalmlielcyt these asbestos fibers since its filter is not fine enough to trap them In fact an ordinary house vacuum cleaner and scatter them into the is likely to stir these fibers up and air Asbestos swallowed particularly get grease mechanis can also get on a mechanic's hands and be when eating or smoking a cigarette This is a difficult problem for mechanics since they often on their hands and asbestos fibers can stick to the grease II HEALTH EFFECTS OF ASBESTOS EXPOSURE Until the use of asbestos products is phased out the best way of limiting health damage to workers exposed to asbestos is to use proper controls It is not possible to predict whether an individual person exposed to asbestos will later develop asbestos disease But studies of disease patterns among large groups of workers exposed to asbestos make general observations possible The following can be the consequences of inadequate prevention Asbestosis Asbestos exposure can cause scar tissue to form in the lungs This is a very gradual process that usually takes many years before its effects are noticed This scarring is called asbestosis It causes gradually increasing shortness of breath A person with this disease must breathe harder and deeper to get his or her = breath because the scar tissue makes it harder for oxygen to get into the blood stream This scarring IS caused by repeated exposures to asbestos and IS permanent Nearly one half of mechanics who work for many years without proper control measures can develop this scarring 7,14 Cancer 1. Mesothelioma Mesothelioma is a type of fatal cancer of the lining of the chest or abdominal cavity it can be caused by very low exposures to 15-20 asbestos This cancer has occurred among brake mechanics their wives 20 and their children 21 2. Lung Cancer Lung cancer IS currently responsible for the largest number of deaths from exposure to asbestos 22 Even short occupational exposures have been shown to increase the risk of lung cancer 22-24 Each added exposure increases the risk of cancer Like asbestos smoking can independently cause lung cancer increasing the risk by about 10 times When smokers are exposed to asbestos the risks do more than add together they actually multiply For example asbestos insulators who smoke have a lung cancer risk over fifty times higher than nonsmokers without asbestos exposure However stopping smoking greatly reduces this risk even if a person has smoked for many years Smokers who have been exposed to asbestos should be especially encouraged to stop smoking The extent of risk of lung cancer among mechanics is not now known but given the known lung cancer risk among other groups exposed to asbestos caution is necessary 3. Other Cancers Other cancers which appear to be caused by asbestos asbestos include cancer of the voice box 25,26 and of the stomach and large intestine 27 especially page 315 Latency Period It usually takes 15 to 30 years or more for cancer or asbestos lung scarring to show up after victim call this exposure Scientists fine the latency period Until then the victim often fine security feels This gives a false sense of For example if one touches a hot stove one gets burned right away With asbestos the damage isn't obvious until many years later This false sense of security can easily lead a worker and supervisor to follow work practices which can cause harmful exposures since they are not aware that disease may develop later III MEDICAL TESTS disease Medical tests has developed only discover asbestos In some cases where the condition after it may be cancers curable especially with asbestos of the large intestine and voice box early detection can be very important Asbestosis Asbestosis or lung scarring from asbestos is permanent and be treated It is diagnosed by chest rays breathing tests lung or pulmonary function tests and listening to the cal edcannotcalled lungs together with a history of exposure to asbestos Very early asbestosis may be missed by these techniques Early asbestosis is doctor evaluated difficult to see on a chest ray and is best who has experience and specialized training by a with asbestosis This type of specialist is called a B reader of rays Lung Cancer Very often lung cancer from asbestos has already spread the phlegm time it can be seen on a chest ray or by tests of the phlegm phlegm This is why more frequent tests for lung cancer do not help the average person who develops this cancer to live longer Lung cancer is thus a condition needing prevention more than early detection and cure Intestinal Cancer Cancer of the large intestine can often be detected early by yearly exams of the rectum and sigmoid area with a hemoccult test for blood in the stool can result in cure Early detection and treatment of this condition Voice Box Cancer Voice box cancer can often be discovered at a curable stage by a medical exam It may show up as hoarseness that does not go away in a few weeks IV EXTENT OF EXPOSURE DURING BRAKE AND CLUTCH MAINTENANCE Using a compressed air hose to clean drum brakes can release up to 16 million asbestos fibers in the cubic meter of air around a mechanic's face * Even hitting a brake drum with a hammer can release over a million asbestos fibers 4 Much less dust from asbestos disc brake pads will settle on disc brakes but some dust can get on a mechanic's hands and into the garage air during maintenance The asbestos fibers released from brake and clutch work can be scattered throughout a garage where they can present a hazard for months or years Because of this many garages are now turning to newer methods for brake cleaning However some of these newer methods may actually contribute to the problem For example millions of asbestos fibers can be released from drum brakes with these methods Wiping with a dry rag or brush 1-3 Wiping with a wet rag or brush 2,3 scattering of much of the asbestos and shaken asbestos is spread around the garage The water doesn't prevent when the rag dries or IS Liquid squirt bottles or solvent sprays 3 The water or solvent under pressure scatters much of the asbestos and when it dries the asbestos IS still all over the Brake cleaning equipment using these surrounding work surfaces methods with a brush or squirt gun IS likely to have the measurements from one manufacturer showed that over a million fibers _ same problems In fact using a liquid spray system can be released near a mechanic's face 28 Using a specially designed pressure spray These are the asbestos fibers larger fibers measured by common methods for counting The very small ones are far more numerous but can be only be seen with the electron microscope and properly collecting and disposing of contaminated liquid may prevent some asbestos from spreading around the garage Some recirculating wet method equipment uses a solvent to collect brake dust into a tray If the solvent evaporates from the tray normal air currents easily lift the asbestos fibers back into the air Using a garden hose may prevent some brake becoming airborne but this can easily contaminate floor or other work areas by scattering the asbestos dust from the garage Using a standard shop vacuum cleaner A shop vacuum cleaner can spread asbestos about a garage as much as does a compressed air hose 6 using a shop vacuum cleaner raised asbestos concentrations in adjacent bays to levels greater than those found using a compressed air hose A shop vacuum cleaner filter is not fine enough to collect asbestos fibers All of these brake cleaning methods can release enough asbestos into a garage 6,29 so that an average of over one million of the larger fibers could be breathed each day by workers in that garage These brake cleaning methods can also cause customers to be exposed since asbestos from brake work can be spread 75 feet away from the mechanic 1 When grinding is done to renew used brake block linings concentrations of up to seven million asbestos fibers per cubic meter can be released Bevelling new linings can release concentrations of up to 72 million fibers and light grinding of new linings of up to 4.8 million fibers 7 V. CONTROLLING EXPOSURES NIOSH OSHA and EPA recommend that where asbestos exposures cannot be eliminated they must be controlled to the lowest level possible 9,13 Effective containment prevents problems associated with housekeeping and with stirring up settled dust 13 The best approach is to contain brake dust and prevent its release into a garage Brake Cleaning Enclosure equipment for brake cleaning is available which slips easily over the brake assembly and forms a tight seal against the backing plate A compressed air system can then be used inside this type of enclosure system for good brake cleaning without exposing the brake mechanic or others Clear plastic walls or windows allow easy visibility of the work being done Brake dust is sucked into a vacuum cleaner equipped with a special filter called a HEPA or efficiency particulate air filter Only this type of filter can capture the small invisible asbestos fibers permeable glove attachments on some equipment allow a mechanic to do work inside the enclosure without getting asbestos on the hands If glove attachments are available only as an option this option should be selected How to Use Enclosure Equipment for Cleaning Drum Brakes Steps for using this type of equipment on drum brakes are simple Check that the hose IS securely fastened to the HEPA vacuum container and to the brake enclosure Also check that the vacuum container seals and clips are in proper functioning order according to the manufacturer's instructions 2. Remove the wheel 3. Turn on the asbestos vacuum cleaner Place the enclosure over the drum making sure it forms a tight seal behind the backing plate 5. Place hands into the attached rubber gloves Remove the brake drum Some equipment allows use of a hammer or other tools inside the enclosure for drums that are hard to remove Blow dust off the drum and brake assembly using the air gun attachment inside the enclosure Blow dust off all Inside surfaces of the enclosure towards the vacuum exit using the air gun attachment inside the enclosure 9. Remove the enclosure and turn off the vacuum cleaner If grease accumulates on the inside surfaces of the enclosure clean according to the manufacturer's instructions with a soft cloth and with the vacuum running Dispose of the cloth according to OSHA regulations 30 This cloth should not be handled with bare hands Disc Brakes For disc brakes vacuum the pads rotor and caliper directly with a crevice attachment and avoid handling them before vacuuming Fran attest + Filter Change and Waste Disposal Asbestos vacuum cleaners have several filters Changing filters and disposing of asbestos waste can release dangerous concentrations of asbestos unless done properly Some equipment allows for filter or collection bag change while the vacuum motor into is running This draws loose brake dust the vacuum collector and away from the mechanic reducing the risk of exposure Some equipment has a renewable main filter that can be cleaned repeatedly without opening the vacuum cleaner Ideally all vacuum equipment should be designed to prevent opening the vacuum chamber when the vacuum motor is turned off since opening the chamber can cause release of collected asbestos into the air Always follow the manufacturer's instructions for filter or collection bag change Request a demonstration and practice session from the manufacturer to go through all steps for until equipment use and filter or collection bag completely familiar person who is to use this equipment is these procedures Place the filter or collection into a 6 mil heavy plastic bag and double change bag tie Place each with directly the bag leakproof directly into a gallon drum or similar tight container designated for asbestos waste according to OSHA regulations 30 and mark it as follows CAUTION Contains Asbestos Fibers Avoid Breathing Dust Breathing Asbestos Dust Can Cause Lung Disease and Cancer Keep this drum for asbestos waste locked between filter or of collection bag changes Transport and disposal asbestos waste procedures should be done only by individuals familiar with for handling asbestos waste in accordance with EPA's asbestos disposal guidance 31 Clutch Repair Significant exposure can also occur during clutch repair assembly Since a mechanic's head is typically under the clutch during clutch repair asbestos often falls on a mechanic's face and clothing Enclosure equipment with a HEPA vacuum cleaner to prevent this exposure is under development Asbestos Brake Linings The use of asbestos friction materials is increasing Available information suggests that none of these substitute materials is as dangerous as asbestos Unless a mechanic is certain before brake work starts that a particular vehicle's brakes are not lined with asbestos it should be assumed for the sake of caution that there is asbestos in the brake dust In addition friction materials often contain adhesives toxic metals and other hazardous chemicals which can harm the body 2 Thus even for asbestos friction products an enclosure system can control exposures to materials which may be harmful What to Look for in Enclosure Equipment for Brake Cleaning Recommended features to look for in selecting enclosure equipment include 1. Features which prevent hand contact with asbestos including rubber or other permeable gloves to cover both hands Look for attached gloves with no spaces for leakage if attached gloves are not standard with the equipment they should be selected as an option 2. Enclosures large enough to fit around the biggest size brake drums likely to be encountered to prevent exposure during drum removal Reports 3. of air sampling with analysis by transmission electron microscopy that show no release of asbestos fibers when using this equipment during brake maintenance This helps ensure against design defects 4. sturdy seal behind the backing plate to prevent leakage during blow out 5.A pressure gauge or manometer indicating when or cleaning of renewable filter IS needed effective suction during use vacuum filter This helps change ensure 6. Safety of filter change or renewable filter cleaning Ideally future models of these devices will have a feature that prevents opening the filter housing while the vacuum motor is switched off Enclosure system manufacturer information is discussed in ~ references 32-35 ae Py Machining and Bevelling Whenever possible ground installation brake linings and clutch facings should be used If friction materials must be arced this should be done by turning at low speed rather than by grinding Linings should not be ground to fit brake systems for which they were not designed Where friction materials must be machined bevelled or turned adequate local exhaust ventilation equipment connected to a HEPA vacuum collector should be used to prevent mechanic exposure and shop contamination Such equipment should be designed and set up by a professional ventilation engineer using specifications such as those found in the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists ventilation manual 36 as a minimum design standard There must be a comprehensive asbestos control and monitoring program where machining bevelling or turning is done 30 Special Areas for Brake Work Eating drinking and smoking should not be done in an area where brake work is done Mechanics should wash their hands and face before eating and wash all exposed skin and change clothes before going home If possible work clothes should be laundered at special facilities equipped to wash clothing contaminated with asbestos Smokers should be urged to quit and if necessary be provided assistance in entering a smoking cessation program Accidental spillage of brake dust should be promptly vacuumed with a HEPA vacuum VI RESPIRATORS The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health NIOSH recommends the use of engineering controls and good work practices as the primary means of reducing exposures 9,13 Proper use of a respirator specially recommended for asbestos 37 when using the brake cleaning methods described in Part IV of this guidance can only protect a mechanic while the respirator is being worn Since any of the brake cleaning methods described in Part IV could contaminate a garage with brake dust mechanics and other employees would have to wear such a respirator all day to be protected In addition effective respirator use requires a complete respiratory protection program including worker training medical evaluations proper respirator selection and maintenance fit testing and periodic inspections Furthermore NIOSH and EPA recommend only certain supplied respirators for asbestos exposure 37 These respirators could be very cumbersome in a garage setting purifying respirators with HEPA cartridges may be appropriate for secondary protection during floor cleaning filter or collection bag changing and waste disposal Airpurifying respirators with HEPA cartridges should be used only as a precaution against the accidental disturbance of asbestos and not as a substitute for effective engineering controls It should be noted that while NIOSH and EPA do not recommend the use of purifying respirators with HEPA cartridges in asbestos environments various existing regulations currently allow their use ata Additional Information This guidance was prepared to support technical materials being developed by the Federal Brake Mechanic Education Program under EPA's Asbestos Action Program The following are additional sources of information on asbestos EPA Regional Asbestos Coordinators CT MA ME NH RI VT EPA Region I JFK Federal Building Boston Mass 02203 617 223-0585 NJ NY PR VI EPA Region II Woodbridge Avenue Edison N.J. 08837 201 321-6668 DE MD PA VA WV EPA Region III Curtis Building 6th and Walnut Streets Phila Penna 19106 215 597-9859 AL FL GA KY MS NC SC TN EPA Region IV 345 Courtland St. N.E. Atlanta Georgia 30365 404 881-3864 IL IN MI MN OH WI EPA Region V 230 S. Dearborn St. Chicago III 60604 312 886-6003 AR LA NM OK TX EPA Region VI Internfirst li Bldg 1201 Elm Street Dallas Texas 75270 214 767-2734 AZ CA HI NV CM American Samoa Guam EPA Region IX 215 Fremont Street San Francisco CA 94105 415 974-8588 AK ID OR WA EPA Region X 1200 6th Avenue Seattle Wash 98101 206 442-2870 IA KA MO NE EPA Region VII 726 Minnesota Ave. Kansas City Kansas 66101 913 236-2835 CO MT ND SD UT WY EPA Region VIII One Denver Place 999 18th St. Suite 1300 Denver Colorado 80202 303 293-1730 EPA TSCA Assistance Office Consumer Product Safety Commission 202 554-1404 For information on asbestos in consumer products or homes 800 638-2772 NIOSH National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 4676 Columbia Parkway Cincinnati Ohio 45226 513 533-8323 U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration OSHA Office of Information and Consumer Affairs Room 3637 200 Constitution Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20210 202 523-8151 11 10 os age, se, * YUN JAZZ iaka- 1 sre ae Mba ee References 1. Rohl A.N. Langer A.M. Wolff M.S. and Weisman I. Asbestos Exposure during Brake Lining Maintenance and Repair Environmental Research 110-128 1976 2. NIOSH Report 32.4 Industrial Hygiene Summary Report of Asbestos Exposure Assessment for Brake Mechanics November 22 1982 3. PEI Associates Asbestos Dust Control in Brake Maintenance EPA Office of Pesticides and Toxic Substances Contract No. 68-02-3976 September 30 1985 4. GCA Corporation Asbestos Product Test Results EPA Office of Pesticides and Toxic Substances Contract No. 68-02-3168 February 1980 5. Hatch D. Possible Alternatives to Asbestos as a Friction Material Annals of Occupational Hygiene 25-29 1970 6. Knight K.L. and Hickish D.E. Investigations and Alternative Forms of Control for Dust Generated during Cleaning of Brake Assemblies and Drums Annals of Occupational Hygiene 37-39 1970 7. Lorimer W.V. Rohl A.N. Miller A. Nicholson W.J. and Selikoff I.J. Asbestos Exposure of Brake Repair Workers in the United States Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine 207-218 1976 8. Rohl A.N. Langer A.M. Klimentidis R. Wolff M.S. and Selikoff I.J. Asbestos Content of Dust Encountered in Brake Maintenance and Repair Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine 32-37 1977 9. NIOSH Asbestos Work Group Workplace Exposure to Asbestos Review and Recommendations DHHS NIOSH Publication No. 81-103 November 1980 10. OSHA Occupational Exposure to Asbestos Emergency Temporary Standard Federal Register Vol 48 No. 215. November 4 1983 11. National Research Council Asbestiform Fibers Nonoccupational Health Risks National Academy Press 1984 12. Chronic Hazard Advisory Panel on Asbestos Report the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission July 1983 13. NIOSH Statement of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Public Hearing on Occupational Exposure to Asbestos June 21 1984 13 Beaded at set ier ie eaetaze tenonsremeb Nie a r eS ie states pe rahe at nate 14. Nicholson W.J. Investigation of Health Hazards in Brake Lining Repair and Maintenance Workers Occupationally Exposed to Asbestos NIOSH Contract No. 210-77-0119 February 1983 15. McDonald A.D. Harper A. El Attar O.A. and McDonald J.C. Epidemiology of Primary Malignant Mesothelial Tumors in Canada Cancer 914-919 1970 16. Greenburg M. and Lloyd Davies T.A. Mesothelioma Register 1967-68 British Journal Of Industrial Medicine 91-104 1974 17. Newhouse M.L. and Thompson H. Mesothelioma of the Pleura following Exposure to Asbestos British Journal of Industrial Medicine 261-269 1965 Table on p 269 case 58 18. NIOSH Asbestos Asbestos Exposure during Servicing of Motor Vehicle Brake and Clutch Assemblies Current Intelligence Bulletin 5. August 8 1975 19. Langer A.M. and McCaughey W.T.E. Mesothelioma in a Brake Repair Worker Lancet 1101-1103 November 13 1982 20. Ziem G. Three case reports of mesothelioma in brake mechanics In Castleman B. Asbestos Medical and Legal Aspects Harcourt Brace Jovanovich 1984. Four additional cases in mechanics and a case in a mechanic's wife in publication 21 Yorkshire Television Alice A Fight for Life July 14 1982 Mesothelioma in a year old son of brake mechanic described and filmed 22. EPA Asbestos Proposed Mining and Import Restrictions and Proposed Manufacturing Importation and Processing Prohibitions Federal Register Vol 51 No. 19 January 29 1986 23. Seidman H. Selikoff I.J. and Hammond E.C. Short Exposure to Asbestos and Long Term Observation Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 61-90 1979 24. EPA Support Document for Final Rule on Friable AsbestosContaining Materials in School Buildings Health Effects and Magnitude of Exposure January 1982 25 Stell P.M. and McGill T. Asbestos and Laryngeal Cancer Lancet 416-417 August 25 1973 26. Shettigara P.T. and Morgan R.W. Asbestos Smoking and Laryngeal Carcinoma Archives of Environmental Health 517-519 1975 27. Selikoff I.J. and Lee D.K. Asbestos and Disease Academic Press 1978 28. National Loss Control Service Corportation Report of Industrial Hygiene Study for Ammco Tools Inc. 1978 29. Data from reference 3 show TWA levels with these methods at about 200,000 fibers per cubic meter The average worker doing light to moderate work such as a mechanic breathes ten cubic meters of air during an eight work day thus inhaling about two million asbestos fibers daily Rohl's data reference ) shows that levels twelve feet away using a dry brush were the same as using a compressed air hose His data also show shop contamination of 100,000 fibers per cubic meter at distances of up to 75 feet from the site of compressed air use and other measurements indicating significant scatter 30. OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1001 31. EPA Asbestos Waste Management Guidance - Generation Transport Disposal 85-007 May 1985 32. Nilfisk Nilfisk Asbesto Systems Rohl A. Letter to Robert Magdelain April 11 1979 on air sampling during equipment use with transmission electron microscopic analysis reporting virtual elimination of asbestos levels Nilfisk instructions for use Nilfisk Simplifies the Safe Collection and Disposal of Toxic Hazardous and Nuisance Waste Materials Nilfisk of America Inc. 300 Technology Drive Malvern Pennsylvania 19355 215 647-6420 33. Clayton Associates Asbestos in Automotive Shops Rohl A. Letter to Jim Clayton October 12 1984 on air sampling during equipment use and filter change using transmission electron microscopic analysis reporting virtual elimination of asbestos levels Asbestos and You Clayton Associates Inc. P.O. Box 589 30 Southard Avenue Farmingdale New Jersey 07727 201 938-6700 34. Control Resource Systems CRSI 2000 and CRSI Labmaster Vacuums Brakemaster enclosure system description Control Resource - Systems Inc. 670 Mariner Drive Michigan City Indiana 46360 -e 219 872-5591 35. Hako Minuteman Hako Minuteman Asbestos Brake Drum Vacuum System Hako Minuteman Inc. 111 South Route 53 Addison Illinois 60101 312 627-6900 15 14 36. American Conference of Government Industrial Hygienists Industrial Ventilation A Manual of Recommended Practice 18th Edition ACGIH Page 5-128 1984 37. NIOSH Guide to Respiratory Protection for the Asbestos Abatement Industry 86-001 April 1986. This contains NIOSH's most extensive recommendations for a program of respiratory protection against asbestos % U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1987 - 716-002 - 1302/60616 fa ele Rte et crakeeaante lle DL. 16