Document RJ4wOXjwMqGajwjwO7keX7KbV

FILE NAME: Asbestos Cement Pipe and Sheet (ACPS) DATE: 1 DOC#: ACPS0 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION:hZZZW Barry I. Castleman ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANT/ Box 230A Valley Road, Knoxville, Maryland 21758 /301-834-7787 FABRICATION OF ASBESTOS CEMENT PRODUCTS OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO ASBESTOS Report prepared for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Toxic Substances Fabrication of Aslfeetos-Ceaent hoducta -- lltposure 1. A. C.Oae, Aabeatoeie Reaearoh Council, lll.l/1972 S.ud.ng and dt-illing - in an enclosure 31-.S9 t/oo -without dust extraction "inoollbut1ble board.a" (hand eawing) 1).4 t/cc with extraction ao~e than 200 t/ce w/o ex.t;raction aore than 100 f/cc t.Je-.s(pofv/ce!c" aatd.ng) t/ca with extraotio~ ~other repta counts~ 1)-45 t/oc hand sawing w/o 6)-186 t/co pow:r- sawing w/o drilllng -- 0.7-0.9 f/ec w/extPaotion 1.0 5,4 t/oo w/o extraction 2. R. Foratet- (Ge1'1tlan:,), ,lb, pp 49-S2 pre1er,ts formula tor lill4.iting total dust {ag/cm.) based Of) asbestos content ,. says that 8 of 700 "tt~atos joiners" "with a aa.x1mum ot 10 yeais exposure" have. been tr.ula!eM"ed out of duaty work on aedieal orders. M. ~per AlA eonternce proceedings/1976 (1-M) Discusses pl"Opessive reductions ot n.,,os\lN with modifications ot h1ghveloe1ty,low,-volume exhaust ventiution. Wo~st ease .tigurs not given in text, and TPOsper could not find th.i11 one whMI I oa.lled tor the ~otoe nd lbdx be p:-eeentl, cutting Cor~n tubulu J)flnel, the tirstcut control fiber count RS 33 t/co. They got !t down to 19 t/ce with better 41nclosure and higher va.ouUlft. Th, applying Yaeuum to opitnitigs in the pan,=tl s.s well as to the eav blade. they got down to O.? t/cc. , Cutting nexboard!t (the stu.tt used in ill-fated utah construction) with haph.a&ard use of dust collector, they J1Seasured operator exposure at 8.7.10 t/cc. 1f1th plywood defiector sheet m;de:r the J.C panels, suttened to prevent bowing, they got 2,8 r/cc. Trosper felt that they could clo ~ven bittter, but the only other co1tts tor. th1:s co11tinuous operation were 2.6 &nd ,., r/cc w1th best efforts at control applied. th At ttnd, he pfts i'igUl"es for cutting fiat sheet A-C1 about 2.50 t/cc before, down to 0.8 t/cc with the duet control device. it Thia repcn-t points up the ditte:rent degrees of control availa.ble with machine saving ot ~C pl'"oducts of dilfnt ahapea. J'lat sheet. seems to contx-ol, and here the need is greatest as it 1a ua"U&l.l,y done indoors. Corrugated AC products woUld l)!"eeent much gi-,aator difticultiea 1n a real-lite construction situation. Notes The controlled situations are moat iaportant as a matter ot J)l"eTention, since they are reasonably reproducible. O'ncontl"olled aw1na ot any asbestos pr-oduct is aa auch a danger as the enclosure pel"llits, irrespective of the rate of dust generation.  1./C PJ.pe hed1lffra Aaaa. epouored reports . .19?? &p.Ntor expoftffe ven ...nrtld dving fabrication opentions using a variety of cutting tool fiber counts over period.a uual.q l than 1.5 B1.n11tee veN up to 0,.5 f/cc tor- NnP pipe, O.) 2,0 t/oc tor preee1.1Jte pi}'e (wM.ab also takes lon,.er to out th:Mugh). SolNwhat lover valUtl~ weH obtained tos- the operator helper' ftl!OSUJ" 21! NIIIOteoontNlled Whffle!" pipe outter yilded the lowest aluee. lb exception to the aboft range of readings was the exponr meaeved dving ue of' the abraa1ve diao saw, vhioh vae only' ued wt. 1'he 1nt1gators believed thit th aclliat oontact evtace during cutting not 'being vetted, Sff ( and that uae of lliat-wtting would. yield impt"OY-.nt. levevff, a practical attel', these values haTe to be nigarded as miniaal tor 111 of the &bPasift dlao ,aw in cutting A...C piper operato~ helper ..t:!I'O1?t6!;&377.10t9/c)o) 49,60 {)1-62) llHn value of eeparate t!'i,ils, range ill irentheaea Qltarts expoau!'es were generall_y low, cerlain:13' tar leas alarming than the ae04!latos expoSUPes. !bough plastic bags and rigid shrouds we:re used to lillit opentor expoaU!"9a during \1se of etimne tcols, none of the devioee ued ellected tall any ot the dnet weated by aaoh1n1ng tb1s pipe. 8o:lH ot the ph.otop-apba ahov the work &Ha bl&.i"lketed with he&Y.Y patches of dust f:roa the 4-C pipee. This 11:t a111t. won-iaome in light of the :fact t!lat 152~ ot th asbestos used 1r1 the USA (1ao 1 000+ tons/year) is used in thia product. Use or the ahn.eiYe disc waa acknowledged. to cawie pttak ~ure and poa- eibly tille-aYG!'agMi exposves in violation ot the xiting Olk.& standard. Though the indu,st17 pi-esuaably would diaaOUJlage auch pl"&etioea, there ia an UJ-f?t need to kn01rr the extent ot abrasive disc cutting ot A-C pipe,tbat 1s aetully going on in th count17. lqull.y worrisome is th aeknowledged n.t foPrigopou.a housekeeping in cont:rolllng h111Ard11 ftoo,i dust and sei,ap cuttings. 1.'he state-otthe-a:rt. in dust control 1 totally' unutistaoto!-y to all who rep!'d asbetoa to d~ J!l()se oa?".-,tno~~n1~ ,-tl!lkfJ at. levfJl~ below those pemitteal 11t th WOPkplace. cutting tnole should b ttquipped with duat--oaptm- the solution he~e ie n,ot jttst having t,on,,t,-netion laboPera eweap the duat up with broOIU at the -,rid "r 4'ACb d.llJY, I ha heard that the A--C pipe industi-y aoknO'-fledgea the things, 1. A-C pipe ehollld not~ used 1dth wat:r sup!Jli ot ar,gpessivenesa index leea than 10. t, Ab:raa1n d1sa 11aw eut.t.ing or A-C pipe la diecovag th \flat is the indutr7 actUfll.1 doing to v that an put into practice in the United St.a.tee? fw auggestions vo~uen Acute effects noted 1n after a Saonth construction job using lots ot lM (A-C) nexbo&l"d. Sulplea taken afte2- the da11age done 1 sweeping a.bi moving seaffoljinic ).S-6.2 f/cc drilling holea in boa!id - 0.57 r/co Obviousl,y, thflS!i) s--t11pl8s V&l"e taker! too ht& to have :s.ny value in dose responee teNs. Sweeping of a usual a&be$tos job gives ~alv.sa orders o:t manitude bl(thv (He thi review, other paPta ot Crose pape:r, and Mt. Binai :l'"epoPt on s~ckling ooapot:mds in !301ence, 197.5), leadir.g m.a to cone lude that the su1.apllig perl.od was not ths tirst tbl these floorll! were cleaned attar the job. iV CO!'~esponde:nea w1t.b one ot th. autho1& of t.his rapo:rt is USGflll. in appi-eeiating the e.x.t:mt ot -4Shs;<Jt:,s 9xposure that still goe1 on in the 0.8. in fabrlcat1on of .A-C sheet. '!.'1<:r workers 'Who diri th constr,iction, and who have d9velopiM'.f. 1UasUl'eabls pulmona.ry _ e.irtlow obstruc- tion, we:re una.wal"tt that saving up the panl:s indoo:i.s was datge?'ou1. They h&.d no :recolleotion of seeL"li warning labeling on the 1lexboa.rds, and a lat.el" ineJ:)tl!Ct1on sho1#8d that thour-,,h a we.riling wa:,r ot1 the boards, it wais usuaU,- illo~bll"l. Workers sa.id it was eometi. ao dusty that it wae c!ifficult to s~e ac~oss th~ building, during th job. 3ic Since .,_ . ,,_ - ~ of the asbestos used in the USA goss into A-C 3heet produ.cta, and the$& product,; arGi comonly cu.t, indoor$, without worker y,r-oteetion or dust oaptu~, this r~presents a ve~y Sffioue public health con- ce!"n. A8 11,"ith AC pipe, it would be worthwhile to survey manuf"actU1'era to what they are doint to limit both the bealth haurd and liability esnoc1ajed with the use of their product~. l)iacttssion 1 '!here is subatantial public health haaard asaooiatad with fabrication of AC pipe and A...c slwBt p1.coducts. While there arlst tooa.ns to subs~rlti.ally i-,:cuce these haza.t<ds to i<,"O?"ket-s fli.bricatint,; these products, tho~e r:11asuri,e are not sundar-d practios and HfAY in fact be rar~ly practiced. Tho uea of. euttii,g toc-1& 8G_uippod witli d'Ufit collootion devicas, for field !'abzi.catio:n. o:f Ac p:orlucts, 18 r.'!Ost l1k$ly qu.1:te r>.'l:P1 ThwGfor~, sitljJ:; ;mare AP-C p:roouct fa.bl'"icattcn i~ done ccntinW,, to b& n sowcs o.:f' public expoaurs to asbestos air pollution and water !"\U'l-ott. Huch mope intonaation is needed frOJI the t1eld, and trow. th manufacturers responsible fen, the pres;tt1t regvattable state ot a.ft.airs. USE OF THESE PRODUCTS SHOULD BE DRASTICALLY CURTAILIID