Document ZeqvMJGyL7212xeKY0RDeMOJ

tnvironmm1 feewnca* L*bor*tory Of Th CftY Unjv*rity pf Now Voft INSULATION HYGIENE PROGRESS REPORTS FROM THE INSULATION INDUSTRY HYGIENE RESEARCH PROGRAM nrinf i. tHHofl, IU),, hcprem Dmctor Vol. 5 No. 3 Fall 1973 Approved Respirators Highly Effective Tests conducted by the Insulation Industry Hygiene Research Program on the three disposable respirators rec ommended for use by insulation work ers have demonstrated that all three are highly effective in filtering asbestos fibers. . Duncan Holiday of the Insulation Industry Hygiene Research Program listens 10 comments of William The tests were conducted by generat Carlisle of Local 43 on the suitability of disposable overalls. ing a dust cloud of asbestos cement containing over 50% chrysotile fiber in Asbestos Workers Like an aerosol chamber at the Haskell Laboratory of the E. 1. Dupont de Disposable Overalls Nemours Company in Wilmington. Delaware. The asbestos concentration in the chamber exceeded by several hundred Field trials by members of Local 42, search Program. times those typically encountered in in Wilmington, Delaware, of the Interna The results of the trial indicated that sulation work. Air from this chamber tional Association of Heat and Frost over BO'* of the workers interviewed was drawn through sections of the filter Insulators and Asbestos Workers have preferred the use of the Tyvek overalls, material cut from the following res shown that well made disposable over supplied by the employer, to the use of pirators: alls are the most acceptable and suitable any other type of work clothes that re 3 M Company Model 8710 means of preventing asbestos contami quired laundering at home. Welsh Mfg. Co. Model 7165 nation of work clothes. One problem encountered in these American Optical Co. Model The trials were made onJune5.1973 tests, and one that confronts the use of -1*1050 of garments made of E. I. Dupont de any overgarment, is that overalls can be In all cases the filter materials proved Nemours and Company's Tyvek ma too hot to wear during summer months to be at least 99.9% efficient. terial. Tyvek is an extremely durable or during work on or near hot lines. In Both optical microscopic and elec synthetic material that can easily be the Wilmington trials the temperature tron microscopic analysis were per sewn into garments of any desired reached 94' with an accompanying style. high humidity. Under these conditions formed on a sample of the air which passed through the filters. These Through arrangements made by most of the men found the overalls too analyses checked the effectiveness of Rodney Santa Barbara, Business hot. However, these conditions were the fillers for even the smallest of asbes Agent of Local 42. wear tests were extreme and during most of the year tos fibers. conducted and worker interviews ob temperatures would be more suitable These tests conducted by the IIHRP tained at a nearby power plant construc for the use of the overalls. tion site. The overalls of the Tyvek Disposable overalls have been dis are important, as the Bureau of Mines uses only silica and coal dust in their material were supplied through the cussed in prior issues of Insulation approval tests. It has always been as cooperation of Mr. H. Glenn While of Hygiene Progress Reports and they sumed that the collection efficiency for Dupont's Texiilr FibersDepartmem.- -have-been-widely-used-in-some-indus^- -_asbestos.fibers_would_be_as_greaLasJor__ The tests were conducted by Duncan tries. However, there were drawbacks silica. We now know that it indeed is. Holaday and Dr. William J. Nicholson in those which were available. They While we know the filters to be of the Insulation Industry Hygiene Re (Continued on fourth page) (Continued on second pageI 8005 1369 HFM -013151 PRODUCED BY FORD SCF-ALLF-04630 Insulation Hygiene Progress Reports 8005 1370 Vol. S, No. 3 Fall 1973 from the Insulation Industry Hygiene Research Program Editor; W. J, Nicholson, Ph.D., Pub lished at the. Environmental Sciences Laboratory (Irving J. Selikoff, M.D., Director), Mount Sinai School of Medicine of the City University of New York, N.Y. 10029 Advisory Council of I1HRP Irving J. Selikoff, M.D. Program Director and Chairman E. Coylcr Hammond, Sc.D., Vice Presi dent, American Cancer Sociely. New York, N.Y. Andrew Haas. General President, Interna tional Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Asbestos Workers, Washington. D.C. Fred L. Pundsack, Ph.D. Vice President, Research and Development. JohnsManville Corporation, Denver. Colo. Mn. Anne Mackler of the Environmental Sciences Laboratory of Mount Sinai School of Medicine collecting senled dust from the stairway near which asbestos contaminated work clothes were hung in this home. Above her shoulder is located an air sampling unit. Household Contamination is a Serious Problem Control of insulation dusts on the job rect association with asbestos products. PURPOSES OF THE site is necessary to protect, not only Nevertheless, because of the rarity INSULATION- insulation workers, but also members of such tumors in children, this particu INDUSTRY HYGIENE RESEARCH PROGRAM of their families. Special concern for the family mem bers of insulators has recently de lar case does give one pause. It was a similar single isolated case of lung cancer described in the medical litera 1. To develop improved methods veloped because of the finding of a lung ture in 1935 that first pointed to the risk for minimizing exposure of insu tumor in the nine year old daughter of a of such disease in asbestos workers. lation workers to dusts and fumes encountered in their work. 2, To disseminate knowledge of New Jersey Union member. The tumor was localized and successfully re moved by surgery. Air Samples Collected Samples of the air and specimens of these improved methods of dust control wherever they may be applied advantageously and to offer cooperation, advice and assistance toward their universal adoption. . Asbestos Found in Lung Electron microscopic analysis at the Environmental Sciences Laboratory of Mount Sinai School of Medicine of the tissue removed from the lung showed significant amounts of chrysotile asbes settled dust from the room of the child and elsewhere in the home were col lected by Mrs. Anne Mackler and Dr. Arthur Rohl of the Environmental Sci ences Laboratory. The analysis of these samples showed significant amounts of asbestos to be present in the tos and diatomaceous eanh to be pres child's bedroom and in the basement (Continued from first page) ent. much in excess of what is typically play area near where the husband's found in a child of nine. Both chrysotile work clothes were hung and where highly efficient in the respirators tested, and diatomaceous earth are common these clothes were laundered. the face seals that can be obtained are components of insulation material. In a more extensive sampling pro much less effective. These respirators The existence of the tumor and the gram of a variety of asbestos workers' passed an approval schedule that re finding of insulation material in the homes, including those of mill work quired only 90** of the dust to be ex lung in this isolated case does not dem ers, asbestos has universally been cluded by the face seat. Your choice of onstrate that these fibers and panicles found to be present, usually in concen-a-respirator-should-thus-be-based on-the-- -necessarily--caused--the--tumor;----tralions-much-higher-than-those-of-lhe- fit that can be achieved on vour face and Chrysotile asbestos, albeit in lower above case. Chrysotile air concentra comfort during use. You don't have to amounts, is found in the lungs of many tions may range from 100 times to over worry about fibers penetrating the individuals, children, as well as 1000 rimes those found-in general city filter. adults,who have had no direct or indi air. HFM -013152 PRODUCED BY FORD High Dust Levels Found in Homes While these home concentrations are high, the dust levels are still much less than those in occupational circum stances. However, since the exposure of people at home can be for longer periods of time, elevated levels may be important. Children at Risk Children may be especially at risk from low level asbestos contamination. The fibers that enter their lungs at an early age can remain in their tissues to do damage throughout their lifetime. Moreover, the possibility cannot be ruled out that tissues of children, espe cially infants, may be more sensitive than those of adults. Two reports in the medical literature have also indicated the existence of a health hazard to the family members of asbestos workers. In a 1965 study ofall cases of mesothelioma found in the pathology files of the London Hospital, Dr. Muriel Newhouse found that 12% (nine of 76) of the cases were in mem bers of famHies of individuals who worked with asbestos. The usual history of these family mesothelioma cases was that of a wife who washed her husband's work clothes. Similar results were found in the United States by Drs. J. Lieben and H. Pistawka who described three fam ily cases of mesothelioma in Pennsyl vania. one of which was in a three year old child of an engineer who worked in an insulation plant. Chrysolite asbestos fibers found in the home air of an asbestos worker. The fibers are magnified 7000 times here. in each of the above studies cases were also found in individuals who simply lived in the neighborhood of asbestos manufacturing facilities. Because mesothelioma is such a rare disease in the general population the documentation of these cases has taken on special significance. In the absence of any direct or indirect asbestos ex posure, mesothelioma may be the cause of death in one in 10,000 deaths. In insulation workers and asbestos factory workers nearly one death in 15 is from mesothelioma. ' These data, the rarity of meso thelioma in the general population and the strong association with asbestos ex posure, have allowed scientists to attri bute these family and neighborhood cases to a low, but unknown, level of asbestos exposure. While the information is absent on the air concentrations at which asbestos disease may occur, it is clear that min eral fiber do no good in human lungs. Every precaution should be taken to prevent their inhalation. Chrysotile asbestos fibers (C) and a fragment of diatomaecous earth (DE) found in the tissue of an insulation worker's daughter who had a lung tumor removed. Diatomiceous earth found in the Kttled dusl of the home of in insulitor. The photograph is magnified 7000 times. At the present time the asbestos insu lation worker receives little help in his anempts to prevent asbestos contami nation from being carried home. The results of the survey of insulation workers on the health practices in the industry show that approximately 40% of the men work on job sites with no facilities for clothes change available. Between June 7, 1972 and December 6, 1972 only 25% of more than 5,000 Union members routinely had such facilities. (See Table.) Procedures Available Procedures for preventing the unde sired movement of materials from the job site to the home are well-known and have been in use for many decades in some industries. In gold and uranium refineries, for example, very effective decontamination procedures are used to prevent dust from being carried home on workers' clothes. In some shipyards and asbestos pro duction plants in Great Britain a double locker system is used. All street cloth ing (including shoes) is deposited in one locker in a clean room and all work clothes kept in a locker in a separate room. Access to the clean room and a workman's street clothes is only through a shower facility. Periodically all contaminated work clothing is re moved from the dirty room and laun dered in special facilities. These provisions are indeed effec tive but are not suitable on most con struction sites or other transient opera tions. While less ideal measures must be~used~the"most"importanr'itcm~in-- preventing spread of contamination is to confine the dust to the job site. //it (Continued on fourth page) 8005 1371 PRODUCED BY FORD HFM -013153 Moreover, in contrast to wool orconon garments, it was found that asbestos fibers will not readily adhere to Tyvek garments. One disposable overall has been tested and found suitable under appro priate temperature conditions. Others, pethaps equally suitable, may also exist. While not the perfect answer to the problem of bringing asbestos and other insulation dusts home on work clothes, disposable overalls are the most practical solution 8t this time. What now must be accomplished is to make their availability widespread. Jack Stevenion participating in the field trials of disposable overalls held in Wilmington, Delaware on June S. (Continued from first page) tort easily, if they were inexpensive, or if durable, they were costly. This problem no longer exists. A variety of manufacturers make dispos able overalls of Tyvek and typical costs are about SI.50 per garment. Moreover, there was little problem with the material tearing in the gar ments tested. Thus durable, disposable overalls can be obtained at a cost of less than 2% of that of the employer's wage costs. If uniformly made available by contractors in an area, such costs can simply be included in any contract es timate. Laboratory tests also indicated the suitability of Tyvek overalls for insula tion work. Tests were conducted by 1IHRP and Dupont personnel at Dupont's Haskell Laboratory for In dustrial Hygiene and Toxicology to measure the penetration of asbestos fibers through Tyvek and other materia) and to determine the adhesion of fibers to the material. The results of these laboratory tests showed the Tyvek material to be rela tively resistant to the penetration of as bestos fibers from insulation material. As the temperature mounted to 94* during the field trisJs of the disposable overalls some soon became indeed disposable. (Continued from third page) doesn't even reach the change area, it isn't going any farther. The best available way to accom plish this is for workmen to wear coveralls which can be removed on the job and disposed of with other construc tion waste. This practice, together wjih the availability of change rooms and strict attention to their clean up. will go far towards eliminating household con tamination. Glenn White and Consume* Eddy of E. 1. Dupont dc Nemours and Compsny ptnicipsttng in the laboratory lest of the overall muerial. Ambestos Worker Questionnaire Replies Facilities and supplies toi clothes change were available: All the time (100%)...................... 1291 Usually (56-75% orthe lime)........ 940 Occasionally (1-49% ot thetime) ..672 Never (0%).................................. 1964 8005 1372 PRODUCED BY FORD f HFM -013154