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FILE NAME: Sprayed Asbestos (SPRA) DATE: 1972 DOC#: SPRA033 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Conference Presentation - Safety and Health in Shipbuilding and Ship Repairing [Introduction of Asbestos Substitutes in a Swedish Shipyard] FETY AND HEALTH IN SHIPBUILDING AND SHIP REPAIRING .cupational Safety and Health Series, Il O, Geneva, 1972. INTRODUCTION 0? AS3SST0S SUBSTITUTES III A SWEDISH SHIPYARD II. Sur.dstedt* Abstract Brief account of successive measures taken since 1958 in a .'.'.ect'eh shipyard, v.hich nave resulted in the complete elimination of -- as an. insulation material, except in the case of fire proofing board, substitutes for v.hich v.ere under test at the time cf writing. The reasons for substitution in various applications and for the policy snitch from partial to total elimination made in 1369 (new evidence of extent of hazard, reluctance of workers to v.crk with asbestos) are outlined and the characteristics of substitute caterials selected axe indicated. It is concluded that, all in all, substitution should involve no economic burden. * # Vihen we had the first serious discussions in Gothenburg in 1933 about the her.ltn hazards m work with asbestos, the participants .representatives of the labour inspectorate and the shipyards, physicians, safety tecr.nici act, m e . ) fully r.-alioed that asbestos m o u l d be replaced as far as possible by a lass dangerous maternal, m e studies made in x95o b. mg.it r.c acm- pt ah i n subelituf-e material to light. However, the discussions at the meeting and our seamen Per a substitute resulted in increased interest in finding such a material. In 1953 the following materials containing asbestos v.vre in use: 1. 3osrd, lags and pipe sections of magnesite for insulation of steam, boiler, exhaust receiver and ether large pipes. O 23 0 CCoPi2101<AL IPSPICIJS 2 . Magnesia mortar - to plaster the aforecentioned insulation. These magnesia products contained between 12-13 per cent asbestos. 5. Cloth, yarn end cardboard containing 97 per cent asbestos. 4 . loose asbestos fibres for filling of insulating mattresses, containing 97 per cent asbestos. 5. Asbestos packings of different kinds. 6 . Sprayed asbestos for insulation against fire, so-and and concern tion, containing 97 per cent asbestos. 7. Board of different makes for accommodation purposes, contair.ir. 10-14 per cent asoestos. The companies producing rock wool and glass wool for insulatic purposes realised that there night be a demand for these in the shipyards. Quite soon they succeeded in producing products that could be accepted by the yards and the maritime authorities. After a few years of tests we found in 1SS5 that v;e cculd replace the asbestos insulation of steam boilers and exnaust pipes with 'wired mats of mineral wool or glass fibre. Moreover, v.e could replace the loose asbestos fibre in the insulation mattresses with the same material. This switch reduced the use of asbestos at the shipyard so much that medical experts considered at that time that none of our workers was likely to contract lung aabestosis within a normal lift time. The remaining work with asbestos material was done sporadica during tutort periods, and was therefore net considered as dangerous In 1969, however, we had to change our minds. Two suspicious cases of asbestoses occurred in which neither of the affected persons had worked either with asbestos itself cr rn an environment with an ''asbestos hazard1'. '.'.orcover, at a meeting crgaihsed by the Institute for Besearch on Occupational hiscases we learnt that asbestos was r.vcrected of causing other pat.iolcgiccl symptoms in sedition to classical a i . c h u m . Alincurh .rteng medical expects there is substantial ooul t about the connection between csbectcs and the nr.-.iy net sc pntuelrg: c a l b u g v r. tne lungs, the sc. s t.i c i on. was sufficient to motivalc a. study aimed at completely eliminating asbestos m work t sb;ipycrds. its we .tad succeeded so well in finding substitutes for f-fU-uts, we now wanted to. concentrate on p m u u ' this, T f c r t to rta iegical cone music;:- A i n e i reason for aval.rat asbestos was that the SiGcurcicuc about tnc- hasards involved had caused such a r . x i e t y an. ory; e r r - w o r k e r s t h a t v.c- c o u l d e x p e c t c i f f i c u l t y i n f i n d i n g w o r k e r s v\i "to liiiugr u m o c m . w o r k . some T h e s p i c y ~b'.g oases in tne C- ^ C-- Tlrs. o f c . ' o r ~ : r f o r i r r r u l a . mcr. a:.. e rr;_ r e r o c ; ; : e r.d t p i . m w u o f s h i p s i s a v e r y o r s : y C Z C I` e l 1Oli r o i r r a _y c r. y -^a c e rr.: ASBESTOS SUBSTITUTES 29 During the last year we have no* used asbestos spray in our r.ev, building. now we ir.sul&te the Baxter with rod-: wool wire mats ivitn a surface coating of plastic ceaer.t or sheet-metal. Instead cf -asbestos spraying we use rock wool board Ko. 957 which, is fastened with welded pins and washers. As a surface coating, plastic cement, cement plaster, glass textile or the like can be used. Turbines, steam drums anc! other similar engine components that wore formerly insulated by asbestos spraying arc now insulated with asbestos-free calcium silicate (ii ,-.thorn Extra) which is. plastered with plastic cement to obtain a hard surface. Asbestos cloth is replaced by glass textile. 7.'e use kolr.lycke Tex Ko. 9642 or glass textile no. 6245 from "Svenska Sidenvaveriet". Tests carried out by Gotaverken's laboratory have proved that these glass fibre textiles will withstand higher temperatures than asbestos cloth. Ordinary asbestos cloths contain between 15-13 per cent cotton and a small percentage of textile glue, and consequently do not endure temperatures stove 403 C. Asbestos cardboard has been rejected completely, and we have not tried to find a substitute for as the cuality of the mineral wool and glass fibre hitherto uoeo in conjunction with it is now sc good that the asbestos card board must be considered as unnecessary. Pipe lines with temperatures up to 340 C are insulated with rock wool pipe sections or lags and are covered with glass textile. Pipe lines with temperatures between 34C-3130 C are insulated with asbestos-free calcium silicate and are covered with glass textile or plastic cement. Tube flanges and valves on pipe lines are insulated with mattresses filled ith rock wool and are externally covered with rlass fibre texli.t. Packings for tube flanges and for various engine parts are .till made of rubber j o m t e c asbestos or plaited asbestos. however, instructions have been giver, that "Three Bond" packing pulp or an equivalent material must be used wherever possible. All this has r.cv; been put into practice and the last ship with asbestos in the c .~:n-a room and pump room -was delivered ir. July .1971. Cr.ly the board ret tint (laromte, Uatmlite, Tr.terr.it ar.d Turner), which ur-e ::r 0 m equipment cf ohips. where inert- is a demand for firc-p.r0; f m e .. It has tc-cr. more difficult to find a substitute that meets tr.e rc-cu:rem-v.o ;cr cor o - r :tain, r.g ability, possibility of glueing cr. different ken:.- r- r_r:ac< coatm.-e, absorption of humidity, etc. sc arc r.cv ' - c v . a oca:", m i : of plaster and rock wool, called ri-lre S t o r k , wao-a 00 a ; ; b y the Board cf Shipping and the eiassifi'-n'-ion as.non coin.'.'. --r.e c1 s;.d": rtage cf this board, however, do that it _r :u-o..cr heavy tc i.ancle. ir. Cetcccr 1/ 1 .... tc oeliveu the last snip with .iSbcstcs insulation not a_.-. :oc,, trqu^pa_-nb cr. more. as : ar.ufacturi: ~ 30 cccupat ic:;ax .vr.M c^;;x The substitutes of which I have giver, an account are the materials that we use today. The comparies that manufacture reck v.ocl, glass fibre, glass textile, p i a s n e s and tapes of different kinds arc irtcrectca ar, obtaining their ..rare of the_markT and they introduce and disnu:::. novelties nearly "Very v.eok. recently, one' of the companies presented a s e l i - a d h e :ve glass textile vhich is available in any colour. 7/ith this r,adenial, the slew and extensive work of sewing the glass textile cr. tin; pipe lines and painting is eliminated. In a year or two v.s shall perhaps have other substitute which are better, less expensive and tioic laoour-- saving. io c m up, this ir.ves jigatior. shows that in many cases one can easily abandon the use of acbostcs. 2 b"- reason .-.hy asbestos has been used to so great an' extent is probnoly because of its technical qualities, and also because its use has often beer, a matter cf pure routine, no attempt having been made to find a substitute. As to the cost of the substitutes, it is early yet to answer this question. In some cases it nay bo cheaper and in others more expensive. However, taking into consideration the extra protective measures in the fora of ventilation, personal protective equipment, careful housekeeping, etc., required in regular work with asbestos, it can be safely said that substitution 'will impose no ecor.oaic burdens.