Asbestos is a natural fibrous mineral. The most common types of asbestos are chrysotile (white), amosite (brown / off-white). Asbestos fibers can be very small - up to 700 times smaller than a human hair. Because of fire-resistant, resistant to many chemicals and is an excellent insulator, asbestos was added to a variety of building materials and other products.
Typically, asbestos is mixed with other materials to actually form the products. Tile floors, for example, may contain only a fraction of asbestos. Depending on the product, quantity of asbestos-containing materials (ACM) may vary from 1% to 100%.
Where is Asbestos Found?
Asbestos can be found in different products and different places. Generally, one of the following ingredients * installed before 1981 are assumed to contain asbestos:
Sprayed on the fire and check insulation in buildings
Insulation for pipes and boilers
Wall and ceiling insulation
Ceiling tiles
Floor Tiles
Fillers, sealants and cements (such as in chemical carrying cement pipes)
Roofing tiles
Siding shingles on old residential buildings
The walls and ceiling texture in older buildings and houses
Joint compound in older buildings and homes
Plaster
Brake linings and clutch pads
* This list is not complete
Buildings built before 1981 will have the most reports of asbestos in the mechanical room. A copy of the report is available in a binder at individual stores and department of the university.Each article contains a list of known building components known to contain asbestos and asbestos-based testing outside the laboratory. Next to building a summary list of products that must be thought to contain asbestos, unless otherwise stated.
When asbestos danger
When saving and quiet, asbestos-containing materials pose no health risk for people who work or live in buildings. Asbestos-containing material is generally not considered hazardous if it is not releasing dust or fibers into the air where they can be inhaled or swallowed. Many fibers become trapped in the mucous membranes of the nose and throat where they can be removed, but some may pass deep into the lungs, or, if ingested, the digestive tract.
Asbestos is dangerous when he is loose. The "fragile" means that the asbestos easily collapsed by hand, releasing fibers into the air. Sprayed on asbestos insulation is very loose. Asbestos floor tile is not.
Asbestos-containing ceiling tiles, floor tiles, laboratory cabinet top is damaged, shingles, doors, siding shingles, etc. will not release asbestos fibers unless they are disturbed or damaged in some way.
Asbestos pipe and boiler insulation does not pose a safety hazard if the protective canvas covering is cut or damaged in such a way that the asbestos in the air the facts.
Exposure to asbestos on the health
There are three main diseases associated with exposure to asbestos - asbestosis cancer, lung and mesothelioma.
AsbestosisAsbestosis is a serious, chronic, non-cancerous respiratory disease. Inhalation of asbestos fibers aggravate lung tissues, causing them to scar. Symptoms of asbestosis include shortness of breath and dry crackling in the lungs during inspiration.
Lung CancerLung cancer causes the largest number of deaths related to asbestos exposure. The most common symptoms of lung cancer are coughing and changes in breathing. Other symptoms include shortness of breath, persistent chest pain, hoarseness, and anemia.
MesotheliomaMesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that usually occurs in the thin membrane lining the lung, breast, stomach, and (rarely) heart. Almost all cases of mesothelioma associated with asbestos exposure.
Your risk factorsTwo things seem to determine the likelihood of one asbestos-related diseases:
• The number and duration of exposure - the more you are exposed to asbestos and fiber length, which is part of your body, chances are, you must develop asbestos-related problems. Most people infected with this disease is constantly being far above the permissible exposure limits.
• Do you smoke or not - Being exposed to high levels of asbestos may increase the risk of lung cancer five times. Smoking can increase the risk of lung cancer 10 times. If you are exposed to asbestos and you smoke, you are 50 to 90 are more likely to develop lung cancer than non-smokers are not exposed to asbestos times.
McCosh Health Center offers many programs to quit smoking. If you are interested in this program, please contact Sara Ingraffia in employees 'health' at x8-5035.
Avoid contact with asbestos
Under no circumstances shall the University employees are expected to work in areas with dangerous levels of asbestos. To avoid exposure to asbestos, you should be aware of where it can be found. If you do not know if something contains asbestos or not, assuming that it has not been verified otherwise.
In many cases we can not distinguish between asbestos and asbestos-free forms of the same product (eg, pipe insulation, fire protection, etc.), only to see it. In most cases, we must take a sample of material and have it tested to confirm whether or not asbestos. Environmental health and safety is to assist in determining whether the material contains asbestos, as well as to assess the danger.
Princeton employees are prohibited to deliberately disturb asbestos-containing materials. Any removal or disturbance of asbestos must be made to the contractor certified for asbestos.
Ever:
Drill
Hammer
Cut
See
Break
Damage
Movement
Interfere
any asbestos-containing materials or suspected materials.
Bypass Asbestos
Sometimes staff may need to do work in areas where materials containing asbestos is present, but are not intended to be disturbed. If there is concern that the fibers can be released accidentally, workers may ask where the respirator. In this case, the gap must be notified so that its impact can be monitored during and / or after the project.
Floor TilesSome building our floor tiles containing asbestos. Regular washing, waxing, sanding and polishing of the tiles will not release dangerous levels of asbestos. In order to prevent the release of asbestos from the tiles, the following rules apply:
Do not sand the floor tiles
When stripping floors, use a low abrasion pads at speeds below 300 rpm and wet methods of use
Burnishing or dry buffing may be done only when the floor is complete enough so that the pad can not contact the asbestos-containing materials.
Damaged and broken asbestos tile floors must also be removed asbestos workers.
Damaged Asbestos materials
It is important to report any damaged asbestos-containing material to a mechanical trade manager (x8-3967) or EHS (x8-5294) at once. Debris from the broken asbestos must be cleaned licensed workers against asbestos.
Do not try to clean or repair the problem yourself! Disturb the material as possible. Take measures to prevent others from disturbing the spill until the Asbestos crews arrived.
Knowing where asbestos may be located, and then take steps not to disturb, you protect yourself and others from exposure to hazardous substances.
For more information
Contact Environmental Health and Safety at x8-5294. There are many federal and state asbestos regulations, all with the goal to minimize exposure to asbestos. EHS has a copy of the standard and the new Administration of Work Safety and Health (OSHA) standard package.
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