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FILE NAME Insulation Contractors & Distributors ICD DATE 1970 DOC ICD020 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION Insulation Hygiene Progress Reports from the Insulation Industry Hygiene Research Program _nvironmental Sciences Laboratory SINALE MSM SCHOOL MEDICINE of The City University of New York INSULATION HYGIENE PROGRESS FROM THE INSULATION INDUSTRY REPORTS HYGIENE RESEARCH PROGRAM Irving J Selikoff M.D. Program Director Vol 2 No. 2 Summer 1970 This asbestos worker is space of a ship's engine ails applying insulation in the unventilated and room Note containing material on confined his over- NYC Leads US - SA ets Rules For Spray In a historic action the EnvironProtection Administration Department of Air Resources City have promulgated interim orders governing the spray ing on City construction sites of any insulation material containing as- bestos First Such Action The orders went into effect April 13. They detail the steps that must be taken by spray contractors during _ Application These steps will minimize exposure to spray applicators to other construction workers on a job site and also to the general puiation living or working nearby This action by New York City is the first surh in the United States It brought to fruition a cooperative effort by Mount Sinai School of Medicine's Insulation Industry Hygiene Research Program New York City's Department of Air Resources and various industry groups which began last summer As part of this cooperative effort a joint program of asbestos sampling and analysis was initiated by Mount Sinai and the Department of Air Resources last July At the sume time the Sprayed Mineral Fiber Manufac- turers Association and the New York City Plasterers Association met to establish industry safety practices and control procedures for spray application See Fall 1969 issue of Insulation Hygiene Progress Reports In addition consultation on various aspects of the problem of spray insulation took place between IIHRP staff and building owners architects general contractors and especially Continued on next page Shipyards Tour Shows Hazards to Workers Air samples taken from ship compartments in eight shipyards of the Gulf Coast are now being examined for asbestos fiber content in the New York laboratories of the Insula- tion Industry Hygiene Research Pro- gram Two scientist investigators Dr. Harry Heimann und Mr. William B. Reitze secured the samples during a recent week tour They visited yards at Houston Galveston Beaumont New Orleans Pascagoula Mo. bile Jacksonville and Tampa They carefully inspected aircraft carriers carriers destroyers Navy supply ships ships container ships and tankers Arrangements for the tour were made through the cooperation of the United States Department of Labor and the International Office of the International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Asbestos Workers Other Workers Endangered The handling of asbestos insulation products presents a health haz ard not only to the insulation work- ars but also because of the confined areas to the allied shipbuilding trade workers Dr. Heimann and Mr. Reitze found that the three most serious hazards appear to be 1. the extreme dustinces during re- moval of old insulation 2. an almost total lack of ventila- tion in confined spaces 3. the spread of dust from work areas into other regions of the Methods to remove old insulation with a minimum of dust production are receiving top priority considera tion by Mount Sinai's engineers The design of a typical ship includes many small compartments Continued on last page Shipyards Tour Shows Hazards | confined gpipes gpipes with containing material in so sauds sauds to the danger of breathing the dust a space as ConfinedConfined Spaces Add Yet Another Danger Continued from 1st page with little natural ventilation When the ship is in operation the air in these compartments is changed by means of a forced ventilation system But during construction or rebuilding it remains stagnant Fine dust and fibers put into the air by fitting and handling calcium silicate block dr amosite blankets remain sus- pended for hours Special Techniques Needed Dust generated by hand sawing or fitting asbestos block can easily fall two or three decks through gratings The fibers thus deposited throughout an engine room may contaminate a ship for months Here the use of drop cloths or boxes to contain the dust can improve conditions measurably Some of the methods being devel oped by the Insulation Industry Hys giene Research Program for controlling asbestos dust at based building construction sites can be used aboard ships It is evident how ever that further special dust control techniques will have to be developed for the protection of all craftsmen in shipbuilding trades Hence the priurity now being given to these problems by the IIHRP Industry The The Insulation has found Hygiene answers to a ogram mber of problems in the asbestos Cacted and block d proper use es are some caktum silicate pipe cover plastic mixing bags of dust collection de of the solutions All atain the dust at its source and all nificantly reduce worker exposure asbestos rtable Exhaust Systems Some insulation work however esents problems not easily solved containment at the source Ship ard work both application and covering ir out and steam lines in nfined tunnels are two such types k i there is poor ventilation in ch work areas removal of dustis difficult ade and temperatures may se to much above 100 F. To these complementary twin problems two solutions are now being studiedby IIHRP engineers use of post- able exhaust systems and self- contuned are supply respirators Cool Air to the Face In the confined space of a tunnel the use of an exhaust system at a nearby manhole can reduce both the dust level and the working temperature In many cases easily obtainable and inexpensive exhaust systems of less than 5000 cubic feet per minute would suffice capacity neers andindustrial be pleased to assist IIHRP engi any contractor or union having specific problems asso- ciated with tunnel work Aboard ship somic use is made of portable volume exhaust systems control designed principally to fumes from welding operations These sys- tems however are ineffective in changing the large volume of air in most ship compartments In some spaces having large volumes of air exhaust systems of sulfi cient capacityto maintain clean air are either too costly or impractical to use In these cases the solution may lie in contained batteryoperated air supply respirators These respiratofrasr more com- fortable to wear than standard ones -not only provide almost absolute respiratory protection from dust but provide a cool stream of air to the worker's face Batteries and motors have already been developed of suffi ciently light weight as not to be objectionable Several later modeb are under study by the IHRP and full details and descriptions will be forth coming in a future issue of Insula- tion Hygiene Progress Reports i PES Text of the New Spray Rules Four examples of trade practices the new rules ban top to hottom Spraying without any containment al All inadequate tarping asbestos containing debris uncleared up and material that has been allowed spray to fall down on to construction equipment 1. Before the start of spraying operations all floor areas shall he swept broom clean Before the application of containing material commences the floor of the area shall be cleared of all objects material and equipment other than that employed in the application of the asbestoscontaining insulation or all objects materials etc. shall be covered with plastic or coated tarpaulins in a manner that precludes the subsequent dispersal of ashestos particulates 2. The entire floor or the part of the floor to be in- sulated shall be cnclosed with plastic or plastic tarpaulins in a manner which shall preclude the escape of containi shnafgts msattaeirriwaelllfsroemtc.thsehaelnlclboe- sure All interior open areas such as elevator the of containing enclosed in a manner which shall prevent escape material from the working area Stack effect of the shafts stairwells etc. enclosures An enclosure will be con- shall be considered in providing proper from the sidered satisfactory only if visible insulating material cannot escape enclosure 33.. WWe et t co on nttaaiinniinngg material which has fallen the floor shall be immediately swept up and placed in a container having to walls bottom and a tight cover strong enough to resist tearing or breaking under normal handling conditions and clearly marked as containing asbestos The contents of the aforementioned containers shall not be transferred wtoasatneother container but the container shall be placed directly upon a vehicle for disposal at an approved site 4. All floors will be vacuumed shortly after drying The vacuum cleaner shall contain a strong service disposable inner bag of durable material which shall be removed from the vacuum cleaner and tightly sealed The bag shall then be placed in a container of the type described and in paragraph 3 which shall thereafter be placed on a vehicle for removal disposal at an approved site 5. The materials used to form the enclosure shall be thoroughly vacuumed upon completion of the application of the insulation in the area The entire floor area all ledges and surfaces including tarpaulins which waste insulation material may have fallen shall then be vacuumed upon or revacuumed before removal of the enclosures 6. Enclosures shall not be dismantled until the area has been thoroughly vacuumed after completion of spraying and cleanup 7. All areas used for opening bags containing as bestos insulating material and charging of hoppers shall be enclosed in such a manner that containing insulating material shall not be permitted to escape from the immediate area in which such activity takes place 8. Signs shall be posted outside enclosures warning of the hazard of entering the enclosure without appropriate mask and persons pneumoconionic other apparel 9. All persons involved in the spraying of asbestos the site must be furnished with Bureau of Mines approved respirators for at dust and must be furnished with suitable coveralls which will be lefptroadtuctihneg site and thereby preclude the removal of asbestos from the site No person shall be permitted in an area in which asbestos spray- ing or handling has taken place until final vacuuming referred to in paragraph unless such person is furnished with and wears a Bureau numbered " herein dust and coveralls of Mines approved reshpierraetionr fFoacrilpitniees ushmalol cbeopnroiviodnediacnd procedures insti- of the type described tuted and supervised that preclude the removal and dispersal of asbestos containing material from the construction site on the clothing or other appur- icnances of persons leaving the area 10. Any plenum or other structures coated with containing insulation which is intended for use in the circulation of air in the building must be thoroughly cleaned of all debris and waste insulation All applied containing insulation within a plenum or duct musi be coated with a sealant which precludes exposure of the containing material to the circulating air Insulation Hygiene Progress Reports Vol 2 No. 2 Summer 1970 from the Insulation Industry Hygiene Research Program Editor W. J. Nicholson Ph.D. Published at the Environmental Sciences Laboratury Irving J. Selikoff M.D. Director Mount Sinai School of Medicine of the City University of New York New York N.Y. 10029 Advisory Council of IHRP Irving . Selikoff M.D. Director and Chairman Progiam E. Cuyler Hammond Sc.D. Vice President American Cancer Society New York N.Y. Albert Hutchinson Ceneral President International Association of Heat and Frost insulators and Asbestos Workers Washington D.C. B. Jobe Vice President , , anville Corporation New N.Y. JohnsYork Fred L. Pundsack Ph.D. Vice Presi- deni Research and Development Manville Corporation New York NY George W. Wright M.D. Director of Medical Research St. Luke's flospiral Cleveland 0 PURPOSES OF THE INSULATION INDUSTRY HYGIENE RESEARCH PROGRAM 1. To develop improved methods for minimizing ex- posure of insulation workers to dusts and fumes encountered in their work 2. To disseminate knowl- edge of these improved methods of dust control wherever they may be applied advantageously and o offer cooperation advice and assistance toward their universal adoption pedal a t 1. to r New York's Mayor Lindsay Commissioner of Air Resources Robert N. Rickles and Environmental Protection Administrator Jervine Kretchmer discuss the new spray orders at City Hall NYC Leads USA Sets RRuulleess For SpraySpray Spray Continued from 1st page the World Trade Center engineers and their general contractor Tishman Construction Company The interim orders will remain in force until adoption of final regulations following public hearings The hearings are to be held within six weeks according to Jerome Kretch mer newly appointed New York City Environmental Protection Adminis trator The new rules include require ments that a any spray area be completely enclosed by tarpaulins b the area he cleaned after application and c insulation in air circulation plenums or ducts containing asbestos be coated with a seal- ant to preclude prosion of containing prosion material into the air of the building See page 3 for complete regula- tions Some Contractors Made Effort Dr. Robert N Kickles New York City's new Commissioner of Air Resouices emphasized the need for specific procedures that are enforceable and noted that voluntary measures to reduce environmental exposures were not uniformly followed Some contractors he added made an effort to contain their spray operation See Spring 1970 issue of Progress Reports for story on World Trade Center Other made orators however he went on made only minimal efforts at containment We also found that cleanup of waste was a serious problem everywhere with workers of all trades being ex continually continually to to the debris debris debris of of " spray reproofing insulation Dr. Irving J. Seliko IIHRP Di. icctor endorsed the City regulations The technology for safe application of sprayed mineral fireproofing mate- rial exists he said However the utilization of appropriate contain- ment and cleanup techniques must be uniform throughout the industry if we are to succeed in solving the health problem of mineral fibers in urban air It is of importance ton to note The Environmental Protection Ad ministration's concern with coatings of air plenums in buildings already in construction since it wishes to in- sure that air in ventilating systems not be contaminated by foreign ma- terial PR Poe contain spray n to fall equipm