World Bank Group
May 2009
Good
Practice Note: Asbestos: Occupational and Community Health Issues
1. SUMMARY
The purpose of this
Good Practice Note is to increase the awareness of the health risks related to
Occupational asbestos
exposure, provide a list of resources on international good practices
Available to minimize
these risks, and present an overview of some of the available product
alternatives on the
market. The need to address asbestos-containing materials (ACM) as a hazard
Is no longer under
debate but a widely accepted fact.
Practices regarding
asbestos that are normally considered acceptable by the World Bank Group
(WBG) in projects
supported through its lending or other instruments are addressed in the
WBG’s General
Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) Guidelines.1 This
Good Practice Note
provides background
and context for the guidance in the WBG EHS Guidelines.
Good practice is to
minimize the health risks associated with ACM by avoiding their use in new
construction and
renovation, and, if installed asbestos-containing materials are encountered, by
Using internationally
recognized standards and best practices (such as those presented in
Appendix 3) to
mitigate their impact. In all cases, the Bank expects borrowers and other
clients
Of World Bank funding
to use alternative materials wherever feasible.
ACM should be avoided
in new construction, including construction for disaster relief. In
reconstruction,
demolition, and removal of damaged infrastructure, asbestos hazards should be
identified and a risk
management plan adopted that includes disposal techniques and end-of-life
Sites.
2. ASBESTOS
AND HEALTH RISKS
2.1.
What is Asbestos, and why are we concerned with its Use?
Asbestos is a group
of naturally occurring fibrous silicate minerals. It was once used widely in
The production of
many industrial and household products because of its useful properties,
Including fire
retardation, electrical and thermal insulation, chemical and thermal stability,
and
high tensile
strength. Today, however, asbestos is recognized as a cause of various diseases
and
Cancers and is
considered a health hazard if inhaled.2 The
ILO estimates that over the last several
decades 100,000
deaths globally have been due to asbestos exposure,3 and
the WHO states that
each year 90,000
people globally die because of occupational asbestos exposure.4
1 http://www.ifc.org/ifcext/enviro.nsf/AttachmentsByTitle/gui_EHSGuidelines2007_GeneralEHS/$FILE/Final+-
+General+EHS+Guidelines.pdf
(pp. 71, 91, 94) .
2 http://www.who.int/occupational_health/publications/draft.WHO.policy.paper.on.asbestos.related.diseases.pdf.
See also Stayner L.,
et al., “Exposure-Response Analysis of Risk of Respiratory Disease Associated
with
Occupational Exposure
to Chrysotile Asbestos.” Occupational Environmental Medicine. 54:
646-652 (1997).
3 http://www.ilo.org/wow/Articles/lang--en/WCMS_081341
4 http://www.who.int/occupational_health/publications/asbestosrelateddiseases.pdf
2
Over 90% of asbestos5 fiber
produced today is chrysotile, which is used in asbestos-cement (AC)
Construction
materials: A-C flat and corrugated sheet, A-C pipe, and A-C water storage
tanks.
Other products still
being manufactured with asbestos content include vehicle brake and clutch
pads, roofing, and
gaskets. Though today asbestos is hardly used in construction materials other
Than
asbestos-containing products, it is still found in older buildings in the form
of friable
Surfacing materials,
thermal system insulation, non-friable flooring materials, and other
applications. The
maintenance and removal of these materials warrant special attention.
Because the health
risks associated with exposure to asbestos are now widely recognized, global
Health and worker
organizations, research institutes, and some governments have enacted bans
On the commercial use
of asbestos (see Box 1), and they urge the enforcement of national
Standards to protect
the health of workers, their families, and communities exposed to asbestos
Through an
International Convention.6
BOX 1. BANS ON
THE USE OF ASBESTOS AND ASBESTOS
PRODUCTS
A global ban on
commercial use of asbestos has been urged by the Building and Wood Workers
Federation (IFBWW),
the International Metalworker’s Federation, the International Trade Union
Confederation, the
government of France, and the distinguished scientific group Collegium
Ramazzini. All member
states of the European Union and over 40 countries worldwide (see
Appendix 1) have
banned all forms of asbestos, including chrysotile.7 In
June 2006, the General
Conference of the ILO
adopted a resolution to “promote the elimination of all forms of asbestos
And
asbestos-containing materials.”
• Landrigan
PJ, Soffritti M. “Collegium Ramazzini Call for an International Ban on
Asbestos.” Am. J. Ind. Med.
47: 471-474 (2005).
• The
International Ban Asbestos Secretariat keeps track of national asbestos bans.
http://www.ibas.btinternet.co.uk/Frames/f_lka_alpha_asb_ban_280704.htm
• General
Conference of the International Labor Organization, “Resolution Concerning
Asbestos,” Provisional
Record,
International Labor Conference, Ninety-fifth Session, Geneva, 2006, Item 299,
pp. 20/47-48.
• World
Health Organization:
http://www.who.int/occupational_health/publications/asbestosrelateddiseases.pdf
2.2.
Health Concerns Linked to Asbestos-Containing Products
Health hazards from
breathing asbestos dust include asbestosis, a lung scarring disease, and
Various forms of
cancer (including lung cancer and mesothelioma of the pleura and peritoneum).8
These diseases
usually arise decades after the onset of asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma, a
signal
Tumour for asbestos
exposure, occurs among workers’ family members from dust on the workers’
5 Asbestos
defined in Castleman, B. Asbestos: Medical and Legal Aspects 5th Ed.
New York: Aspen, 2005, 894 pp.
6 ILO
Asbestos Convention No. 162, (see http:www.ilo.org/ilolex or
http://www.itcilo.it/actrav/osh_es/m%F3dulos/legis/c162.htm)
7 http://www.who.int/occupational_health/publications/asbestosrelateddiseases.pdf.
Directive 2003/18/EC of the
European Council and
Parliament amending Council Directive 83/477/EEC, and Directive 99/77/EEC
8 http://www.euro.who.int/document/aiq/6_2_asbestos.pdf
3
Clothes and among
neighbours of asbestos air pollution point sources.9 some
experimental animal
Studies show that
high inhalation exposures to all forms of asbestos for only hours can cause
Cancer.10 Very
high levels of airborne asbestos have been recorded where power tools are used
to
Cut A-C products and
grind brake shoes. For chrysotile asbestos, the most common variety, there
Is no threshold
(non-zero) of exposure that has been shown to be free from carcinogenic risks?
Construction
materials are of particular concern, because of the large number of workers in
Construction trades,
the difficulty of instituting control measures, and the continuing threat posed
By in-place materials
that eventually require alterations, repair, and disposal.11 Renovations
and
Repairs in buildings
containing A-C materials can also endanger building occupants. In addition
To the problems from
products made with commercial asbestos, asbestos also occurs as a
Contaminant in some
deposits of stone, talc, vermiculite, iron ore, and other minerals. This can
Create health hazards
for workers and residents at the site of excavation and in some cases in the
Manufacture and use
of consumer products the materials are used to make. While asbestos is a
Known carcinogen when
inhaled, it is not known to be carcinogenic when ingested, as through
Drinking water, 12 although
pipe standards have been issued for A-C pipes conducting
“Aggressive” water.13
From the industrial
hygiene viewpoint, asbestos creates a chain of exposure from the time it is
Mined until it
returns to the earth at a landfill or unauthorized disposal site. At each link
in the
Chain, occupational
and community exposures coexist. Workers in the mines are exposed to the
fibers while
extracting the ore; their families breathe fibers brought home on work clothes;
Workers in the mills
and factories process the fiber and manufacture products with it; and their
Families are also
secondarily exposed. Communities around the mines, mills, and factories are
Contaminated with
their wastes; children play on tailings piles and in contaminated schoolyards;
Transportation of
fiber and products contaminates roads and rights-of-way.14 Tradesmen
who
Install, repair, and
remove ACM are exposed in the course of their work, as are bystanders, in the
Absence of proper
controls. Disposal of asbestos wastes from any step in this sequence not only
Exposes the workers
handling the wastes but also local residents when fibers become airborne
Because of
insufficient covering and erosion control. Finally, in the absence of measures
to
Remove ACM from the
waste stream and dispose of them properly, the cycle is often repeated
When discarded
material is scavenged and reused.15
9 “Asbestos.”
World Health Organization IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic
Risks to Humans/
Overall
Evaluations of Carcinogenicity: An Updating of IARC Monographs 1 to 42,
Suppl. 7. Lyon: International
Agency for Research
on Cancer, 1987, pp. 106-116.
10 Wagner
JC, Berry G, Skidmore JW, Timbrell V. “The Effects of the Inhalation of
Asbestos in Rats.” Br. J.
Cancer
29: 252-269 (1974).
11 International
Programs on Chemical Safety, “Conclusions and Recommendations for Protection of
Human Health,”
Chrysotile
Asbestos, Environmental Health Criteria 203. Geneva: World Health
Organization, 1998, p. 144.
12 http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2000/a68673_guidelines_3.pdf
13 http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2000/a68673_tech_aspects_4.pdf
14 Jones,
Robert “Living in the Shadow of the Asbestos Hills (The Need for Risk Based
Cleanup Strategies for
Environmental
Asbestos Contamination in South Africa).” Environmental Exposure, Crisis
Preparedness and Risk
Communication, Global
Asbestos Congress, Tokyo, Japan, November 19 - 21, 2004.
http://park3.wakwak.com/~gac2004/en/index_abstract_e.html.
See also Oberta, AF “Case Study: An Asbestos
Cement Plant in
Israel -- Contamination, Clean-up and Dismantling.” Hellenic Asbestos
Conference, Athens,
Greece, October 29 -
31, 2002. http://www.ibas.btinternet.co.uk/Frames/f_lka_hellen_asb_conf_rep.htm
15 Boer,
A.M., L.A. Daal, J.L.A. de Groot, J.G. Cuperus “The Combination of the
Mechanical Separator and the
Extraction Cleaner
Can Process the Complete Asbestos-containing Waste-stream and Make it Suitable
for Reuse.”
4
2.3.
Increasing Use of Asbestos Fiber
There is evidence
that, after a decline in the 1990s, the use of asbestos fiber is increasing
globally. A recent study16 shows
that a 59% increase in metric tons was consumed in 12
Countries from 2000
to 2004.
3. INTERNATIONAL
CONVENTION AND STANDARDS
FOR WORKING WITH ASBESTOS
3.1.
International Convention
The International
Labor Organization (ILO) established an Asbestos Convention (C162) in 1986
To promote national
laws and regulations for the “prevention and control of, and protection of
Workers against,
health hazards due to occupational exposure to asbestos.”17 The
convention
Outlines aspects of
best practice: Scope and Definitions, General Principles, Protective and
Preventive Measures,
Surveillance of the Working Environment, and Workers’ Health. As of
March 4, 2008, 31
countries had ratified the Convention;18 17
of them have banned asbestos.
Some of the ILO asbestos
convention requirements:
• work
clothing to be provided by employers;
• double
changing rooms and wash facilities to prevent dust from going home on street
Clothes;
• Training
of workers about the health hazards to themselves and their families;
• Periodic
medical examinations of workers,
• Periodic
air monitoring of the work environment, with records retained for 30 years;
• Development
of a work plan prior to demolition work, to protect workers and provide for
Proper waste
disposal; and
• Protection
from “retaliatory and disciplinary measures” for workers who remove
Themselves from work
that they are justified in believing presents a serious danger to
Health.
Standard
considerations for working with and procuring ACM are common to most projects.
An
Overview of some
basic ones is provided in Appendix 5.
3.2.
International Standards and National Regulations
Standards and
regulations for work involving ACM have been published by nongovernmental
Organizations and
government agencies. Appendix 3 lists of some resources, including
International
organizations (e.g., WHO, ISO, ASTM) and national governments (e.g., UK, US,
Canada, South
Africa). The resources range from manuals to individual standards and cover a
Variety of work
guidelines, including surveys, identification, inspection, maintenance,
Renovation, repair,
removal, and disposal. Some of the key issues discussed in these standards
And regulations are
as follows:
European Conference
on Asbestos Risks and Management, Rome, Italy, December 4 -6, 2006.
http://venus.unive.it/fall/menu/Boer.pdf
16 R.
Virta, US Geological Survey, 2007.
17 www.ilo.org/ilolex
18 http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/english/convdisp1.htm
5
The scale of occupational
hazards. The health risk is not simply a function of the properties
of the ACM, but also
reflects the type of work being done and the controls used. Although AC
Products, for
example, may seem to intrinsically present less of a risk than fire-proofing,
air monitoring has
shown that cutting dry A-C sheet with a power saw can release far greater
amounts of airborne
fibers than scraping wet, saturated fireproofing off a beam. The
relationship between
the nature of A-C products, the work being done and the controls used
to control the
release of fibers and debris is important (as discussed in ASTM E2394 and
HSG189/219).
Controlling exposure to
airborne fibers. Because asbestos fibers are primarily an
inhalation hazard,
the basic purpose of the regulations and standards is to control the
concentration of
asbestos fibers in the air inhaled by workers or others. Concentration limits
have been set by
regulations in numerous countries for workers whose duties involve contact
with ACM; however,
they do not purport to totally eliminate the risk of asbestos disease, but
only to reduce it.
Exposure limits for individuals other than workers, including occupants of
buildings and
facilities and the community, are lower than those for workers in deference to
the very young and
old as well as the physically compromised.
Measuring exposure to
airborne fibers. Compliance with exposure limits is demonstrated
by air sampling in
workers’ breathing zone or in the space occupied by the affected
individuals, with
analysis of the sample by optical or electron microscopy, as explained in
Appendix 3. Abatement
protocols determine whether a building can be reoccupied after
asbestos abatement.
Proper disposal. Proper
disposal of ACM is important not only to protect the community
and environment but
also to prevent scavenging and reuse of removed material. ACM should
be transported in
leak-tight containers to a secure landfill operated in a manner that precludes
air and water
contamination that could result from ruptured containers. Similar requirements
apply to remediation
of sites such as mines, mills, and factories where asbestos fiber was
processed and
products manufactured. (See EPA NESHAP regulations, Appendix 3.)
Tran’s boundary movement of
waste. Waste asbestos (dust and fibers) is considered a
Hazardous waste under
the Basel Convention on the Control of Trans boundary Movements of
Hazardous Wastes and
their Disposal. The Basel Convention imposes use of a prior informed
consent procedure for
movement of such wastes across international borders. Shipments
made without consent
are illegal. Parties have to ensure that hazardous waste is disposed of
in an environmentally
sound manner. Strong controls have to be applied from the moment
the material is
generated, to its storage, transport, treatment, reuse, recycling, recovery,
and
final disposal.20
Identifying asbestos
products. A-C products include flat panels, corrugated panels used for
roofing, water
storage tanks, and pressure, water, and sewer pipes. In some countries asbestos
19 See
Appendix 3.
20 See Basel
Convention Secretariat http://www.basel.int/
6
may still be used in
making wallboard, heat-resistant gloves and clothes for industrial use,
and brake and clutch
friction elements and gaskets used in vehicles.21 Thermal
insulation
containing asbestos
and sprayed asbestos for insulation and acoustic damping were widely
used through the
1970s and should be looked for in any project involving boilers and
insulated pipes.
Insulation dating from before 1980 should be presumed to contain asbestos
unless analyzed and
found not to. The microscopic methodology for analyzing bulk samples
for the presence of
asbestos is widely available in industrialized countries and is not
expensive; it is less
available in developing countries. In a developing country samples may
have to be mailed out
for testing; alternatively, training may be available for a laboratory in
the country.
Training. It
is impossible to overemphasize the importance of training for working with
ACM in any
capacity—whether it involves inspections, maintenance, removal, or laboratory
analysis. The
duration of the training and the course content depend on the type of work the
individual will be
doing. Quality control and proficiency testing for laboratories and
individual analysts
are also important.
4. ALTERNATIVES
TO ASBESTOS-CONTAINING MATERIALS
4.1.
Growing Marketplace
Safer substitutes for
asbestos products of all kinds are increasingly available (see Appendix 4).
These include
fiber-cement products using combinations of local vegetable fibers and
synthetic
fibers, as well as
other products that serve the same purposes.22 The
WHO is actively involved
in evaluating
alternatives.23
4.2.
Cost and Performance Issues
Fiber-cement roof
panels using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) or polypropylene combined with
cellulose now cost
10-15% more to manufacture than A-C sheets. Polypropylene-cellulose cement
roofing, a new
product, is made at a cost of about 12 percent more than A-C roofing and
has superior impact
resistance. The non-asbestos fiber-cement panels are lighter, less brittle, and
have improved nail
ability over A-C. The increase in the overall cost of building construction
that such products
represent is to some degree offset by the obviation of special hygiene
measures in
installation/maintenance/renovation, the lack of a continuing hazard to
building
workers and
occupants, and reduced costs of waste removal and disposal. Micro concrete
tiles
are cheaper than A-C
to produce, and can be made in a basic workshop near the building site
with locally
available small contractors and materials, lowering transport costs. Compared
with
A-C pipes, iron pipes
can be transported and installed with less difficulty and breakage, take
greater compression
loading, and last longer.
21 In
2004, Russia, China, India, Kazakhstan, Thailand, and Ukraine together
accounted for about three-quarters of
world asbestos
consumption. Other major consumers of asbestos are Iran, Brazil, Vietnam, and
Indonesia.
22 7.
The U.K. Health and Safety Executive commissioned a report that concluded that
the main replacement fibrous
materials for
asbestos in fiber-cement products and brakes are less hazardous than chrysotile
asbestos. See Harrison
PTC, et al. “Comparative
Hazards of Chrysotile Asbestos and Its Substitutes: A European Perspective.” Envir.
Health
Persp. 107: 607-611 (1999).
http://www.ehponline.org/members/1999/107p607-611harrison/harrisonfull.
html
23 http://www.who.int/ipcs/assessment/asbestos/en/
7
5. WORLD BANK GROUP APPROACH
TO ASBESTOS HEALTH RISK
The WBG EHS
Guidelines are technical reference documents with general and industry-specific
examples of Good
International Industry Practice.24 When one or more members of
the WBG are
involved in a
project, the EHS Guidelines are applied as required by their respective
policies and
standards.
The WBG’s EHS
Guidelines25 specify that the use of ACM should be avoided in new buildings
and construction or
as a new material in remodelling or renovation activities. Existing facilities
with ACM should
develop an asbestos management plan that clearly identifies the locations
where the ACM is
present, its condition (e.g., whether it is in friable form or has the
potential to
release fibers),
procedures for monitoring its condition, procedures to access the locations
where
ACM is present to
avoid damage, and training of staff that can potentially come into contact
with the material to
avoid damage and prevent exposure. The plan should be made available to
all persons involved
in operations and maintenance activities. Repair or removal and disposal of
existing ACM in
buildings should be performed only by specially trained personnel26 following
host country
requirements or, if the country does not have its own requirements,
internationally
recognized
procedures.27 Decommissioning sites may also pose a risk of exposure to asbestos
that should be
prevented by using specially trained personnel to identify and carefully remove
asbestos insulation
and structural building elements before dismantling or demolition.28
24 Defined
as the exercise of professional skill, diligence, prudence, and foresight that
would be reasonably expected
from skilled and
experienced professionals engaged in the same type of undertaking under the
same or similar
circumstances
globally. The circumstances that skilled and experienced professionals may find
when evaluating the
range of pollution
prevention and control techniques available to a project may include, but are
not limited to,
varying levels of
environmental degradation and environmental assimilative capacity as well as
varying levels of
financial and technical
feasibility.
25 http://www.ifc.org/ifcext/enviro.nsf/AttachmentsByTitle/gui_EHSGuidelines2007_GeneralEHS/$FILE/Final+-
+General+EHS+Guidelines.pdf
(pp. 71, 91, 94)
26 Training
of specialized personnel and the maintenance and removal methods applied should
be equivalent to those
required under
applicable regulations in the United States and Europe (examples of North
American training
standards are
available at: http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/asbestos/training.html)
27 Examples
include the ASTM International E1368 - Standard Practice for Visual Inspection
of Asbestos
Abatement Projects;
E2356 - Standard Practice for Comprehensive Building Asbestos Surveys; and
E2394 -
Standard Practice for
Maintenance, Renovation and Repair of Installed Asbestos Cement Products.
28 http://www.ifc.org/ifcext/enviro.nsf/AttachmentsByTitle/gui_EHSGuidelines2007_GeneralEHS/$FILE/Final+-
+General+EHS+Guidelines.pdf
(pp. 71, 91, 94)
8
APPENDIX
1.
COUNTRIES THAT HAVE BANNED THE USE OF ASBESTOS
1. Argentina
2. Australia
3. Austria
4. Belgium
5. Bulgaria
6. Chile
7. Cyprus
8. Czech Republic
9. Denmark
10. Egypt
11. Estonia
12. Finland
13. France
14. Gabon
15. Germany
16. Greece
17. Honduras
18. Hungary
19. Iceland
20. Ireland
21. Italy
22. Japan
23. Jordan
24. Kuwait
25. Latvia
26. Lithuania
27. Luxembourg
28. Malta
29. Netherlands
30. Norway
31. Poland
32. Portugal
33. Republic of Korea
34. Romania
35. Saudi Arabia
36. Seychelles
37. Slovakia
38. Slovenia
39. South Africa
40. Spain
41. Sweden
42. Switzerland
43. United Kingdom
44. Uruguay
9
APPENDIX 2. WORLD BANK GROUP ASBESTOS REFERENCES
Policy
guidance References
ACM should be avoided
in new buildings or
as new material in
remodelling or renovation
• Existing
buildings: ACM Survey and
management plan
needed
• Disposal
of ACM shall be carried out by
specially trained
individuals only
following host
country requirements, or in
their absence,
internationally recognized
procedures
Guidance:
General
Environment
Health and Safety
Guidelines
April 2007, p 34
and
71.
Some examples of
project requirements:
• risk
assessment to determine extent of
problem; surveys to
abate asbestos
exposure; management
plan; removal by
trained personnel;
prohibition of ACM;
procedures for
handling, removal,
transport and
disposal of asbestos.
• Ukraine
-Equal Access to
Quality Education
(Project
ID PO77738)
• KH-
Health Sector Support
(Project ID: P070542)
• ID-
Health Workforce and
Services (Project.
ID:
P073772)
• Changchun,
China -TBK
Shili Auto Parts Co.,
(IFC,
2005)
10
APPENDIX 3. LIST OF RESOURCES FOR ASBESTOS STANDARDS AND REGULATIONS
NOTE: this listing is
not meant to be all-inclusive, but is a sample of available information.
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARDS
WHO
Policy and Guidelines (www.who.org)
www.searo.who.int/LinkFiles/Publications_and_Documents_prevention_guidelines.pdf
(p. 70)
www.searo.who.int/en/Section23/Section1108/Section1835/Section1864_8658.htm
International
Organization for Standardization (ISO) (www.iso.org)
ISO 10312 (1995): Ambient
air -- Determination of asbestos fibres -- Direct transfer
transmission electron
microscopy method. [Method similar to ASTM D6281]
ISO 13794 (1999): Ambient
air – Determination of asbestos fibres – Indirect-transfer
transmission electron
microscopy method.
ISO/FDIS 16000-7: Indoor air
– Part 7: Sampling strategy for determination of airborne
asbestos fibre
concentrations.
ISO 8672: Air quality --
Determination of the number concentration of airborne inorganic
fibres by phase
contrast optical microscopy -- Membrane filter method (1993) [Method similar
to AIA RTM1]
Basel
Convention on the Control of Trans boundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and
their
Disposal
Basel Convention Secretariat
(www.basel.int)
International
Labour Organization (www.ilo.org)
Chemical Safety Card, ICSC
0014:
www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/safework/cis/products/icsc/dtasht/_icsc00/icsc0014.htm
European
Union
(europa.eu.int/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexapi!prod!CELEXnumdoc&lg=EN&numdoc=3
2003L0018&model=guichett)
Directive 2003/18/EC
amending Council Directive 83/477/EEC on the Protection of Workers
from the Risks
Related to Exposure to Asbestos at Work. (March 2003). Provides
regulations
including: worker
protection, training and medical surveillance; inspections for asbestos
containing
materials;
notification of asbestos work; air sampling; exposure limits of 0,1 fibres
per cm³ (8-hr TWA)
measured by Phase Contrast Microscopy.
NATIONAL
STANDARDS
ASTM
International (www.astm.org)
Manual on Asbestos Control:
Surveys, Removal and Management – Second Edition (March
2005). Author: Andrew
F. Oberta, MPH, CIH. Discusses in detail how E2356, E2394 and
E1368 are used to
support an asbestos management program.
E2356 Standard Practice for
Comprehensive Building Asbestos Surveys. July, 2004. Covers
baseline surveys for
management of ACM and includes assessment protocols to make and
prioritize removal
vs. maintenance decisions. ASTM E2356 provides information for long term
management of ACM in
a Baseline Survey and for preparation of the plans and
specifications for a
removal project. It contains detailed procedures and equipment (mostly
ordinary hardware
items) needed to take bulk samples of common types of suspect ACM.
Once materials have
been identified as asbestos-containing, an assessment is made as to which
can be left in place.
Quantitative assessment of the Current Condition and Potential for
11
Disturbance of all
friable and non-friable materials allows removal priorities to be tabulated
and graphically
displayed. Budgetary estimates for removal can be established on the basis of
the quantitative
assessments.
E2394 Standard Practice for
Maintenance, Renovation and Repair of Installed Asbestos
Cement Products
(October 2004). Describes materials, hazardous operations, necessary
precautions and
infrastructure requirements with detailed procedures in appendices. Not
intended for
installation of asbestos-cement products in new construction or renovation.
E1368 Standard Practice for
Visual Inspection of Asbestos Abatement Projects (May 2005).
Provides an approach
to managing a removal project to enhance prospects of passing final
inspections and
clearance air sampling. Describes preparation, removal and inspection
procedures and
criteria.
E2308 Standard Guide on
Limited Asbestos Screens of Buildings (2005). Provides the
minimum amount of
information needed to facilitate a real estate transaction.
D6281 Standard Test Method
for Airborne Asbestos Concentration in Ambient and Indoor
Atmospheres as
Determined by Transmission Electron Microscopy Direct Transfer (TEM). A
method for
distinguishing asbestos from non-asbestos fibers on an air sample filter and
identifying and
quantifying smaller and thinner fibers than Phase Contrast Microscopy
D7201: Practice for Sampling
and Counting Airborne Fibers, Including Asbestos Fibers, in the
Workplace, by Phase
Contrast Microscopy (with an Option of Transmission Electron
Microscopy)
Combines methodology of
NIOSH 7400 and 7402
Australia
(www.ascc.gov.au/ascc/AboutUs/Publications/NationalStandards/ListofNationalCodesofPractice.
htm)
• Safe
Removal of Asbestos 2nd edition [NOHSC: 2002 (2005)]
• Code
of Practice for the Management and Control of Asbestos in the Workplace [NOHSC:
2018 (2005)]
U.
K. Health and Safety Executive (http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/index.htm)
Asbestos Regulations
(http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2006/20062739.htm)
Asbestos Essentials
(http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/essentials/index.htm). Includes sections
on manager Tasks and
methods and equipment.
Publications include:
Working with Asbestos in
Buildings INDG289 08/01 C600. An overview (16 pages) of
asbestos hazards and
precautions
MDHS100 Surveying, sampling
and assessment of asbestos containing materials (2001).
Contains many
illustrations and examples of asbestos-containing products as well as sampling
and analytical
methods. MDHS100 is comparable in thoroughness to ASTM in its discussion
of bulk sampling
techniques and equipment, organizing a survey and assessment of ACM
using a numerical
algorithm based on the product type, extent of damage, surface treatment
and type of asbestos
fiber. The document contains numerous photographs of typical ACM
found in buildings.
HSG189/2 Working with
asbestos cement (1999). Describes asbestos-cement products and
methods of repairing
and removing them, including fiber concentrations for controlled and
uncontrolled
operations.
The Control of Asbestos at
Work Regulations (2002). Requirements for the protection of
12
people being exposed
to asbestos, including the requirement for those with responsibility for
the maintenance
and/or repair of non-domestic premises, to identify and manage any risk from
asbestos within their
premises
National
Institute of Building Sciences (http://www.nibs.org/pubsasb.html)
Guidance Manual: Asbestos
O&M Work Practices, Second Edition (1996). Contains
procedures for
small-scale work on friable and non-friable ACM including asbestos-cement
products.
Asbestos Abatement and
Management in Buildings: Model Guide Specification. Third Edition
(1996). Contains
information on project design and surveillance as well as applicable US
regulations, plus
removal contractor requirements for abatement work in specification format.
Austrian
Standards Institute (http://www.on-norm.at/index_e.html)
ONORM M 9406,
Handling of products containing weakly bound asbestos, 01 08 2001. Contains
a protocol and
algorithm for assessing the condition and potential fiber release from friable
asbestos-containing
materials.
International
Chrysotile Association (www.chrysotile.com). [Please note this
organization
represents
asbestos industries and businesses]
Recommended Technical Method
No. 1 (RTM1), Reference Method for the determination of
Airborne Asbestos
Fibre Concentrations at workplaces by light microscopy (Membrane Filter
Method). Method using
Phase Contrast Microscopy for counting fibers on an air sampling
filter that does not
distinguish asbestos from other fibers
Recommended Technical Method
No. 2 (RTM2) Method for the determination of Airborne
Asbestos Fibres and
Other Inorganic Fibres by Scanning Electron Microscopy. Method that
identifies smaller
fibers than Phase Contrast Microscopy and can distinguish types of asbestos
fibers.
U.S.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/asbestos)
Occupational Safety and
Health Guidelines for Asbestos (www.cdc.gov/niosh/pdfs/0041.pdf)
Recommendations for
Preventing Occupational Exposure
(www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/asbestos/#prevention)
Method 7400, Asbestos and
other fibers by PCM (1994).Phase Contrast Microscopy method
similar to AIA RTM1
that counts all fibers greater than 5μm long with a 3:1 aspect ratio
Method 7402 Asbestos by TEM
(1994). Method using Transmission Electron Microscopy that
identifies and counts
asbestos fibers greater than 5μm long and greater than 0.25μm in
diameter with a 3:1
aspect ratio
U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (www.epa.gov/asbestos)
Resources include managing
asbestos-containing materials in buildings, schools, and the
automotive industry.
Includes procedures for inspection, analysis of bulk samples, assessment
of friable ACBM,
response actions (removal, encapsulation, enclosure), Operations and
Maintenance and
clearance air sampling.
National Emission Standards
for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Subpart M - Asbestos. 40 CFR
Part 61. (1990).
Regulations include: definitions of friable and non-friable asbestos-containing
materials;
notification requirements for renovation and demolition of buildings and
facilities
containing ACM; work
practices to prevent visible emissions; disposal of ACM and waste
material in approved
landfills; and operation and closure of landfills.
20T-2003 Managing Asbestos
in Place: A Building Owner’s Guide to Operations and
Maintenance Programs
for Asbestos-Containing Materials “Green book” (1990)
13
Guidance document covering:
organizing an Operations and Maintenance (O&M) program
including training
O&M workers; recognizing types of O&M; work practices and precautions
for O&M work.
EPA-600/R-93/116 Method for
the Determination of Asbestos in Bulk Building Materials
(1993) Polarized
Light Microscopy, Gravimetry, X-ray diffraction and Transmission Electron
Microscopy methods of
identifying and quantifying asbestos fibers in bulk building materials.
The identification of
materials as containing asbestos is done by analysis of bulk samples,
usually with
Polarized Light Microscopy. The analytical procedures described and the
equipment to perform
the analyses is similar to that found in academic or commercial geology
laboratories, but
specialized training to identify and quantify asbestos fibers in bulk building
materials are needed
as well as quality control and proficiency testing programs.
Polarized Light Microscopy,
Gravimetry, X-ray diffraction and Transmission Electron
Microscopy methods of
identifying and quantifying asbestos fibers in bulk building materials
U.
S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Department of Labor)
(www.osha.gov/SLTC/asbestos)
/ (www.osha.gov/SLTC/asbestos/standards.html)
Occupational Exposure to
Asbestos (Construction Industry Standard) 29CFR1926.1101.
(1994). Regulations
for: Permissible Exposure Limits of 0.1 f/cc over a full shift (8 hr time
weighted
average) and short-term
exposure limit of 1.0 f/ml for 30 minutes; employee
exposure monitoring
for compliance with the PELs; work practices for friable and non-friable
ACM; respiratory
protection; worker decontamination and hygiene facilities; notification of
employees and other
employers of employees; medical surveillance; record-keeping and
training.
OSHA Method ID 160 Asbestos
in Air (1994). Phase Contrast Microscopy method similar to
NIOSH 7400
Ontario
Ministry of Labour (Canada)
(www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/DBLaws/Source/Regs/English/2005/R05278_e.htm)
Ontario regulation 278/05
Designated Substance — asbestos on construction projects and in
buildings and repair
operations (2005). Regulations covering: respiratory protection and work
procedures;
inspections for asbestos; management of friable and non-friable asbestos;
advance
written notice;
asbestos bulk sampling and analysis; glove bag requirements and procedures;
negative air
enclosures; and clearance air testing requirements (0.01 f/cc by Phase Contrast
Microscopy).
Work
Safe British Columbia (Canada)
(www2.worksafebc.com/publications/OHSRegulation/Part6.asp)
Part 6 Substance Specific
Requirements: Asbestos. Regulations covering: identification of
asbestos-containing
materials; substitution with non-asbestos materials; worker training;
exposure monitoring;
containment and ventilation of work areas; work practices;
decontamination;
respirators and protective clothing.
Republic
of South Africa, Department of Labour (www.acts.co.za/ohs/index.htm -
type
‘asbestos’ in search
box)
Occupational Health and
Safety Act, 1993; Asbestos Regulations, 2001.Regulations covering:
notification;
assessment and control of exposure; Occupational Exposure Limit of 0.2 f/cc - 4
hr TWA measured by
Phase Contrast Microscopy; training; air monitoring; medical
surveillance;
non-employee exposure; respirators, personal protective equipment and
facilities;
asbestos building
materials including asbestos cement sheeting and related products; disposal.
14
APPENDIX 4. SOME ALTERNATIVES TO ASBESTOS-CONTAINING PRODUCTS
Asbestos
product Substitute products
Asbestos-cement
corrugated roofing
Fiber-cement roofing
using synthetic fibers (polyvinyl alcohol,
polypropylene) and
vegetable/cellulose fibers (softwood kraft pulp,
bamboo, sisal, coir,
rattan shavings and tobacco stalks, etc.); with
optional silica fume,
fly ash, or rice husk ash.
Micro concrete
(Parry) tiles; galvanized metal sheets; clay tiles; vegetable
fibers in asphalt;
slate; coated metal tiles (Harveytile); aluminium roof
tiles (Dekra Tile);
extruded uPVC roofing sheets; recycled polypropylene
and high-density
polyethylene and crushed stone (Worldroof); plastic
coated aluminium;
plastic coated galvanized steel.
Asbestos-cement
flat sheet (ceilings,
facades, partitions)
Fiber-cement using
vegetable/cellulose fibers (see above), wastepaper,
optionally synthetic
fibers; gypsum ceiling boards (BHP Gypsum);
polystyrene ceilings,
cornices, and partitions; façade applications in
polystyrene
structural walls (coated with plaster); aluminium cladding
(Alucabond); brick;
galvanized frame with plaster-board or calcium
silicate board
facing; softwood frame with plasterboard or calcium
silicate board
facing.
Asbestos-cement
pipe
High
pressure: Cast iron and ductile iron pipe; high-density polyethylene
pipe; polyvinyl
chloride pipe; steel-reinforced concrete pipe (large sizes);
glass-reinforced
polyester pipe.
Low
pressure: Cellulose-cement pipe; cellulose/PVA fiber-cement pipe;
clay pipe;
glass-reinforced polyester pipe; steel-reinforced concrete pipe
(large diameter
drainage).
Asbestos-cement
water storage tanks
Cellulose-cement;
polyethylene; fibreglass; steel; galvanized iron; PVAcellulose
fiber-cement
Asbestos-cement
rainwater gutters;
open drains (mining
industry)
Galvanized iron;
aluminium; hand-moulded cellulose-cement; PVC
15
APPENDIX 5. CONSIDERATIONS FOR WORKING WITH ASBESTOS MATERIALS IN
EXISTING STRUCTURES
A.
Evaluation of alternatives
1. Determine whether
the project could include the installation, replacement, maintenance, or
demolition of any of
the following:
• Roofing,
siding, ducts or wallboard
• Thermal
insulation on pipes, boilers, and ducts
• Plaster
or fireproofing
• Resilient
flooring materials
• Other
potentially asbestos-containing materials
2. If the use of asbestos-containing
materials (ACM) has been anticipated for new construction
or renovation,
provide information about alternative non-asbestos materials and their
availability.
For new construction,
determine the expected difference for the entire project—on initial and
operating costs,
employment, quality, expected service life, and other factors—using
alternatives
to ACM (including
consideration of the need for imported raw materials).
3. In many cases, it
can be presumed that ACM are part of the existing infrastructure that must
be disturbed. If
there is a need to analyze samples of existing material to see if it contains
asbestos, provide
information on how and where can that be arranged.
4. Once the presence
of ACM in the existing infrastructure has been presumed or confirmed and
their disturbance is
shown to be unavoidable, incorporate the following requirements in tenders
for construction work
in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
B.
Understanding the regulatory framework
1. Review the host country
laws and regulations and the international obligations it may have
entered into (e.g.,
ILO, Basel conventions) for controlling worker and environmental exposure to
asbestos in
construction work and waste disposal where ACM are present. Determine how the
qualifications of
contractors and workers who maintain and remove ACM are established,
measured, and
enforced.
2. Determine whether
licensing and permitting of the work by authorities is required.
3. Review how removed
ACM are to be disposed of to minimize the potential for pollution,
scavenging and reuse.
4. Incorporate in
tenders involving the removal, repair, and disposal of ACM the requirements
set out in Section C
below.
16
C.
Considerations and possible operational requirements related to works involving
asbestos
1. Contractor
qualification
• Require
that contractors demonstrate that they have experience and capability to
observe
international good
practice standards with asbestos, including training of workers and
supervisors,
possession of (or means of access to) adequate equipment and supplies for the
scope of envisioned
works, and a record of compliance with regulations on previous work.
2. Related to the
technical requirements for the works
• Require
that the removal, repair, and disposal of ACM be carried out in a way that
minimizes
worker and community
asbestos exposure, and require the selected contractor to develop and
submit a plan,
subject to the engineer’s acceptance, before doing so.
• Describe
the work in detail in plans and specifications prepared for the specific site
and
project, including
but not limited to the following:
- Containment of
interior areas where removal will occur in a negative pressure enclosure;
- Protection of
walls, floors, and other surfaces with plastic sheeting;
- Construction of
decontamination facilities for workers and equipment;
- Removing the ACM
using wet methods, and promptly placing the material in
impermeable
containers;
- Final clean-up with
special vacuums and dismantling of the enclosure and
decontamination
facilities;
- Disposal of the
removed ACM and contaminated materials in an approved landfill;29
- Inspection and air
monitoring as the work progresses, as well as final air sampling for
clearance, by an
entity independent of the contractor removing the ACM.
• Other
requirements for specific types of ACM, configurations and characteristics of
buildings
or facilities, and
other factors affecting the work must be enumerated in the plans and
specifications, and
applicable regulations and consensus standards must be specifically
enumerated.
3. Related to the
contract clauses30
• Require
that the selected contractor provide adequate protection to its personnel
handling
asbestos, including
respirators and disposable clothing.
29 Alternative
guidance for circumstances where approved landfills are not available for
disposal of hazardous
substances, such as
asbestos, guidance is provided in the EHS General Guideline, reference above as
well as in the
Guideline on Waste
Management Facilities.
http://www.ifc.org/ifcext/sustainability.nsf/AttachmentsByTitle/gui_EHSGuidelines2007_WasteManagement/$FIL
E/Final+-+Waste+Management+Facilities.pdf
30 Standard
contract clauses for asbestos work exist but are too extensive for this short
note. To view an example, the
U.S. National
Institute of Building Sciences “Asbestos Abatement and Management in Buildings:
Model Guide
Specification” has a
complete set – in copyright form – and the clauses and instructions for using
them fill a twoinch
binder.
17
• Require
that the selected contractor notifies the relevant authorities of the removal
and
disposal according to
applicable regulations as indicated in the technical requirements and
cooperates fully with
representatives of the relevant agency during all inspections and
inquiries.
4. Related to
training and capacity building
• Determine
whether specialist industrial hygiene expertise should be hired to assure that
local
contractors learn
about and apply proper protective measures in work with ACM in existing
Structures.
