Asbestos

1
Asbestos

• Awareness

2
What is Asbestos

• Asbestos is the name applied to six naturally
  occurring minerals that are mined from the earth.
• Amosite
• Chrysotile
• Tremolite
• Actinolite
• Anthrophyllite
• Crocidolite

3
What is Asbestos

• Three are used more commonly
• Chrysotile - white asbestos
• asbestos cloth and cement products
• Amosite - brown asbestos
• heat insulation and pipe lagging
• Crocidolite - blue asbestos
• very high temperature and acid resistant purposes

4
Asbestos Products

• Non Friable
• the asbestos fibres are bonded by another
  material
• Friable
• non bonded asbestos fabric or material
• is in powder form
• can be reduced to powder by hand pressure

5
Asbestos Products

• Asbestos was generally processed as
• Fibrous
• sprayed
• preformed
• Textile
• woven
• wound
• Mixed with a binder

6
Asbestos Materials

• Friable products
• sprayed fire retardant
• thermal lagging
• fire blankets
• welding blankets
• backing to sheet vinyl floor covering
• flexible connection

7
Asbestos Materials

• Non Friable
• cement products
• flat sheet
• corrugated sheet
• pipes
• compressed sheet
• vinyl floor tiles
• switch board
• brake and clutch lining

8
When is Asbestos a hazard

• When asbestos fibres become airborne
• friable
• - disturbance of loose or non bonded asbestos
• non friable
• - when the cement or resin breaks down

9
When is Asbestos a hazard

• Respirable Fibre
• less than 3 microns in diameter
• longer than 5 microns
• with a length to diameter ratio greater than 31

10
Health effects

• The body cannot breakdown asbestos fibres.
• Three primary diseases associated with asbestos
  exposure
• Mesothelioma
• Lung Cancer
• Asbestosis

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Asbestos and your health

• The potential for harm depends on
• fibre size and type
• length of exposure
• concentration of Respirable fibres
• individual susceptibility
• influence of other factors

12
Identification of Asbestos

• Materials containing asbestos are not readily
  identified.
• Laboratory analysis
• - X-ray diffraction
• - Polarising light microscopy in conjunction with
  dispersion staining
• - Electron microscope

13
Limit asbestos exposure

• Installed asbestos
• be aware of any installed asbestos
• asbestos register
• Do not disturb asbestos
• no drilling, cutting, sawing, sanding
• no activities that creates dust

14
Limit asbestos exposure

• Housekeeping
• ensure that damage material is repaired
• replace broken or damaged ceiling tiles
• Policy and Procedure
• for accessing ceiling space
• areas where friable asbestos is present
• - air monitoring, after hours work

15
Management of Asbestos

• DECS
• Asbestos Management Procedure
• www.decs.sa.gov.au/ohsw
• - Resources/Policies and Procedures
• Regulations and Codes of Practice
• www.workcover.com.au/
• www.safework.sa.gov.au/
• - Resources/Publications/Legislation Codes of
  Practice

16
Airborne asbestos fibres

• Membrane filter method
• Sample is collected by
• - drawing a measured quantity of air through a
  membrane filter by means of a pump
• - filter is transformed to a transparent,
  optically homogenous specimen
• - the fibres are then sized and counted using a
  microscope and eyed graticule
• - the results are expressed as fibres per
  millilitre of air, calculated from the number of
  fibres and the measured volume of air sampled.

17
Asbestos Shots..

• Pictures and comments of the next 9 slides by
  David Ellis, DEMS, asbestos consultant.

18
Shows 2 plugs with Warning labels stuck over
them.
Same plugs with one label and PVC cap removed to
expose asbestos plug.
19
A single plug with the cap missing white
asbestos. Plug has fallen down making it more
visible. Lower right shows plastic former still
in place from construction. (These formers were
supposed to have been removed during
construction).
20
Two labeled caps with white asbestos visible in
the underside of the slab just right of a paper
label.
Plugs that have been tampered with and resealed.
Note a third type of warning label.
21
Another example of white asbestos contamination
in the underside of the concrete slab below the
yellow sticker.
Under side of slab contamination. This example
shows 2 separate spots of white asbestos
contamination. Each is above the white
sticker. Note the white patch left of EC1059
sticker IS NOT asbestos.
22
This is a view looking down on top of a slab.
The damaged carpet has been peeled back to show
the inside of the PVC sleeve with white asbestos
visible around the top of the hole. Cables had
been pushed up through this hole to feed a floor
fastened power or telephone socket.
23
This is unusual contamination on the under side
of a slab, approximately 50mm across. A worker
has thrown wet white asbestos up during
construction and it has remained stuck to the
slab.
24
Shows loose grey/brown asbestos (Amosite) on top
of ceiling tiles under a large water pipe.
25
Shows a similar wall penetration with NON
ASBESTOS fire proof packing. It is very
difficult to distinguish between asbestos and
asbestos free fibrous material. All plumbing
waste floor penetrations so far have been packed
with asbestos free fibrous insulation.
26
Shows white asbestos rich mastic sealant on an
air conditioning duct flange after the joint had
been opened. This is a well bonded form of white
asbestos that cannot easily be compromised
without high temperatures, some solvents or years
of exposure to sunlight.
27

• There are many uses of asbestos to be found
  within and around our environment, mostly
  commonly in the form of asbestos cement products.
  It can be found as
• flat or corrugated sheets used mainly for garages
  and sheds
• cold water storage tanks
• external rainwater pipes and guttering
• fascia boards
• as a lining cladding for fire protection
• for internal partition walls
• Asbestos cement is a hard, brittle, greyish
  material, however if there are any suspicions
  that a product is asbestos it should be treated
  as such.
• In DECS worksites, products known to contain
  asbestos should be marked with appropriate safety
  signage. Refer to the worksites Asbestos
  Register and to the DECS Asbestos Management
  Procedure (www.decs.sa.gov.au/ohsw)

28
While asbestos roofs are not common in DECS
worksites, they can be found in some older
worksites, and SA homes. There are at least
three types of asbestos shingles. Regular flat
shingle tiles are shown at top, common diamond
shaped tiles are shown at middle, and side-lap
tiles are shown below. It is difficult to find
asbestos replacement tiles that match the
original roof in colour shade. Note the three
replacement tiles on the diamond asbestos roof
(they appear whiter than the original tiles).
Asbestos is a brittle and fragile material. It
cannot be walked on as the tiles will crack and
these hairline cracks, which are hard to see,
will leak. Fragile roof considerations need to be
made as well. Signage is appropriate.
29
Asbestos sheets on a roof. These sheets are also
known as Deep 6. This type of roof is fragile
when walked upon, and appropriate signage is
required. Painting the roof can minimize hazards
associated with flaking fibres.
30
Some examples of Asbestos Signs
31
Twisted yarn with asbestos fibre. Extensively
used as caulking, sealing and heat insulating
materials on thermal installations and heat
conducting systems, eg kilns (above), slow
combustion fire doors, incubators, mantles and
laboratory ovens (left).
32
Asbestos fencing can still be found. This is
also known as Deep 6. Similar sheets were also
used in roofing. Note its friable nature when
broken or chipped. This can be a hazard when
removing the fence, or if it is rubbed against.
33
Deep 6 asbestos fencing with warning signs.
34
Another example of an asbestos deep 6 style of
fencing. Removal of such fences should be in
accordance with the DECS Asbestos Management
Procedure.
35
Carrels, common in the later half of the 70s
and in the 1980-s, can still be found in some
schools. They are often located in time out
rooms, resource centres, and language rooms. The
surfaces are often defaced, due to the secluded
nature of the space. Asbestos was often used as
a base, underneath the soft plastic/leather
surface.
36
Backing to sheet vinyl floor covering can be made
from asbestos, as pictured above. Vinyl floor
tiles can contain asbestos in the tile mix, which
deteriorates over time, and can release asbestos
fibers. Such flooring should be replaced, or
covered, if deemed a hazard.
37
Asbestos thermal lagging around pipe work
Asbestos cement flue pipes
Another example of asbestos products found in
worksites.
38
Asbestos thread can be found on gas mantles, used
in camping lights. Radioactive Thorium is also
present in the mantle material. (Thorium when
heated by LPG flame, emits radiation that is
weighted less heavily in the infrared and more
heavily in the visible spectrum, leading to an
enhanced output of useful light ). Wash hands
after handling.
39
Asbestos white substance in the ground in this
picture
40
Crushed asbestos and mud
Asbestos
41
Thanks to Graham Bettison, DAIS Images David
Ellis, DEMS Robert Connolly, DECS John Hisco,
DECS
Your comments are welcomed, please email John
Hisco