Asbestos - FPOA Seminar/2013... · building products What is Asbestos? What is Asbestos? ... What...

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Asbestos Dion Torhjelm, PEng Evan Alvernaz, CIH, ROH, CSP

Transcript of Asbestos - FPOA Seminar/2013... · building products What is Asbestos? What is Asbestos? ... What...

Page 1: Asbestos - FPOA Seminar/2013... · building products What is Asbestos? What is Asbestos? ... What is an Asbestos Fibre By definition, an asbestos fibre is longer than 5 μm and has

Asbestos

Dion Torhjelm, PEng

Evan Alvernaz, CIH, ROH, CSP

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The Road Map

• History and Uses

• Health Effects

• Regulations

• Fire Prevention and Inspection Issues

• WorkSafeBC Initiatives

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History and Uses

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• Fibrous rock found

naturally in the Earth’s

crust

• Fibrils are very small and

not visible to the human

eye

• Used in thousands of

building products

What is Asbestos?

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What is Asbestos?

• The hazardous effects of asbestos may have

been recognized as early as the 1st Century AD.

• slaves wearing and weaving asbestos cloth

• Asbestosis - identified in 1920/1930.

• Link to lung cancer – reported in the UK in 1934

– firmly established in 1955

• Link to mesothelioma - established in 1960

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What is Asbestos?

• Found in the veins in host rock.

• The class of asbestos depends on the type of

rock that form the asbestos

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Common Types of Asbestos

Serpentine

• Chrysotile

Amphibole

• Amosite

• Crocidolite

• Tremolite

• Anthophyllite

• Actinolite

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Serpentine Asbestos

Chrysotile

• “White Asbestos”

• hydrated, magnesium silicate

• long, wavy and flexible fibres

• Accounts for about 90% of the current world

consumption.

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Asbestos Production

Asbestos is extracted by open

pit mining

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Asbestos Production

Areas of production:

• Canada (Chrysotile)

• The former Soviet Union

• USA

• China

• South Africa (Amosite)

• Australia (Crocidolite

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Asbestos in Canada

• The majority of the world’s chrysotile was mined

in Thetford, Quebec.

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In the News …

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• The Federal Government of Canada will no longer support

the export of chrysotile asbestos or oppose the registration

of chrysotile as a hazardous substance under the

Rotterdam Convention.

• The PQ in Quebec will rescind the $58 M loan guarantee

approved by the Quebec Liberals to ramp up the asbestos

industry in Quebec (Jeffrey and Thetford Mines).

• The leader of the Liberal party in Quebec, Jean Charest, is

from Sherbrooke, in the heart of the asbestos belt. He lost

his seat during the last Provincial election.

In the News …

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Useful Properties

• Resists burning.

• High tensile strength.

• Dampens noise.

• Resists corrosion.

• Resists biological growth.

• Insulates against the conduction of electricity.

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Asbestos Containing Building

Materials

• Exteriors

• asbestos cement materials

• felts and mastics

• stucco

• brick and mortar

• insulation

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Asbestos Containing Building

Materials

• Ceilings

• t-bar ceiling tile

• cement ceiling tile

• acoustic and stippled

finishes

• plaster or drywall joints

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Asbestos Containing Building

Materials

• Walls

• plaster

• drywall joints

• stippled finishes

• thermal spray

• cement panels

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Asbestos Containing Building

Materials

• Flooring

• vinyl asbestos tile (VAT)

• sheet vinyl flooring

• floor leveling compounds

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Miscellaneous ACM

• Incandescent light

fixture backing

• Wire insulation

• Fume hoods

• Lab counters

• Elevator brake shoes

• Heating cabinet panels

• Fire dampers and

flanges

• Diffuser back-plaster

• Emergency generators

• Fire-stopping

• Theatre curtains

• Welding blankets and

screens

• Incinerators

• Cooling towers

• Duct tape

• Duct isolation joints

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Industrial Uses

• Pipe insulation

• Insulating blocks

• Sprayed insulation

• Condensation control

• Roof shingles

Asbestos cement

board and pipe

(Transite)

• Caulking compounds

• Floor tiles

• Joint cements

• Welding rods

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Pipe or Boiler Insulation

• Asbestos-containing material (ACM) was often

used as thermal mechanical insulation.

• Can be pre-formed insulation sections, blocks or

mudding compounds.

• Often used with fiberglass insulation.

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Health Effects

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Motor Vehicle Accidents 313

Other Injuries 620

Asbestos Diseases 465

Other Occupational Diseases 155

Total 1,553

Fatal Injuries and Diseases

(2000 – 2009)

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Accepted Fatal Claims for Asbestos

and Silica (1986 – 2010)

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What is an Asbestos Fibre

By definition, an

asbestos fibre is

longer than 5 μm

and has a length

to width ration

greater than 3:1

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Fibre Breakage

• Man-made fibres such as

fiberglass cannot be split

along their length, but

instead become shorter

when broken down.

• When disturbed, an

asbestos fibre can be split

into thinner and thinner

fibres.

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Fibre Diameter

Fibre Type Average Diameter (Microns)

human hair 40

mineral wool 7

fibreglass 1-25

chrysotile 0.02-1.5

amosite 0.4

crocidolite 0.2

ceramic refractory fibre 2-3

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Health Hazards

• Asbestos fibres are hazardous when inhaled.

• Asbestos fibres can remain airborne for several

hours.

• The smaller the fibre, the longer it takes to settle.

• Fibre-related disease can result.

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Natural Defenses

• Mucociliary elevator: mucus and hair-like cilia

lining the upper respiratory tract.

• Macrophages: cells surrounding the deep lung

spaces.

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Mucociliary Elevator

• Particles become

trapped in the mucous

lining and are swept

upwards by the tiny

hair-like cilia.

• Once the mucous with

trapped particles

reaches the back of

the throat it is

coughed out.

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Macrophages

• Macrophages surround and break down foreign

particles and keep the air sacs of the lungs

clear.

• Macrophages will try to get rid of asbestos fibres

by spilling enzymes, but since asbestos is

virtually indestructible, the fibers cannot be

destroyed.

• The fibres will remain in the lungs.

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Macrophages

• Macrophages will continue to die trying to

dissolve asbestos fibres, resulting in continuous

scar tissue buildup.

• The more fibres trapped, the longer the time, the

greater amount of scar tissue.

• Different people develop scar tissue at different

rates

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Asbestos-Related Diseases

• Asbestosis

• Lung cancer

• Mesothelioma

• Pleural thickening

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Asbestosis

• Asbestosis is a serious scarring condition of the

lung that normally occurs after heavy exposure.

• The disease is progressive. As the amount of

scar tissue increases, the lungs become more

rigid, making it difficult to breathe.

• Air transfer in the lungs is decreased due to the

scar tissue.

• In severe cases can be fatal.

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Lung Cancer

• Typically, cancer from asbestos exposure does

not develop until 20 or more years after first

exposure.

• Lung cancer represents 5-15% of asbestos

related lung problems.

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Lung Cancer

• Asbestos exposure, combined with smoking,

increases the risk of lung cancer as much as 70

times.

0 20 40 60 80

Increased Chance of Lung Cancer

Asbestos & Smoking

Smoking Only

Asbestos Only

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Mesothelioma

• Mesothelioma is a cancer which affects the

lining of the lungs (pleura) and the lining

surrounding the lower digestive tract

(peritoneum). It is almost exclusively related to

asbestos exposure.

• It is extremely rare and always fatal, usually

within months of diagnosis.

• A dose response relationship has not been

identified.

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Mesothelioma

• Length of exposure to asbestos in mesothelioma

patients ranges from two months to 50 years.

• The period between exposure and disease onset

ranges from 15 to 55 years, with an average of

40 years before disease development.

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Pleural Thickening

• Pleural thickening is generally a problem that

happens after heavy asbestos exposure. The

lining of the lung (pleura) thickens and swells. If

this gets worse, the lung itself can be squeezed,

and can cause shortness of breath and

discomfort in the chest.

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Regulations

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Asbestos Inventory

An employer must ensure that a qualified person

has prepared an inventory of asbestos containing

materials in the workplace.

The inventory must be kept current and must be

available.

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Definition of “Asbestos

Containing Material”

• The Occupational Health and Safety Regulation

defines asbestos-containing material as:

• Containing 0.5% or more asbestos as determined

by polarized light microscopy, electron

microscopy, and/or gravimetric analysis

• Vermiculite-containing insulation materials which

contain any asbestos – even less than 0.5%

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Sample Analysis

Methods currently accepted by WorkSafeBC for

bulk sample analysis include:

• NIOSH Method 9000 (Chrysotile by XRD)

• NIOSH Method 9002 (PLM)

• EPA Method 600/R-93/116 (PLM, point counting

and TEM)

• EPA Method 600/R-03/004 (for vermiculite)

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Sample Analysis

To quantify asbestos percentages below 0.5%, the

following procedures should be used (refer to

EPA/600/R-93/116):

• 400 point count plus gravimetric reduction

• 1000 point count

• Analytical TEM plus gravimetric reduction

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Control of Asbestos Fibre

• An employer must ensure that all friable

asbestos-containing materials in the workplace

are controlled by removal, enclosure or

encapsulation

• The employer must not allow any work that

would disturb asbestos-containing material

unless necessary precautions have been taken

to protect workers.

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Risk Assessment and Work

Procedures

An employer must ensure that procedures for handling or

using asbestos-containing material prevent or minimize

the release of airborne asbestos fibres.

The employer must ensure that the procedures for the

control, handling or use of asbestos are in accordance

with procedures acceptable to the Board.

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Risk Activity Definitions

Low risk work activity

• A work activity that involves working with or in

proximity to asbestos-containing material, if the

material is not being cut, sanded, drilled, broken,

ground down or otherwise fragmented, or

otherwise disturbed.

High risk work activity

• A work activity that involves working with or in

proximity to asbestos-containing material if a high

level of control (e.g. air-tight enclosure) is

necessary

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Risk Activity Definitions

Moderate risk work activity

• A work activity, other than a high risk work

activity, that involves working with or in proximity

to asbestos-containing material that is being

disturbed

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The “Qualified Person”

The following must be performed by a “qualified

person”:

• Risk Assessment

• Inventory

• Work procedure development

• Inspect sites for hazardous materials prior to

demolition or renovation (section 20.112)

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Who is Qualified

• CIH, ROH

• ROHT, CSP, CRSP, P.Eng

• + experience and training

• Or, other acceptable combination of education,

training and experience.

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Exposure Control Plan

• a. Purpose & Responsibilities

• b. Risk Assessment & Control

• c. Education and Training

• d. Written Work Procedures

• e. Hygiene Facilities

• f. Health Monitoring

• g. Documentation

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Section 20.112 of the OHS Regulation states:

Before work begins on the demolition or salvage of machinery, equipment,

buildings or structures, the employer or owner must

a) inspect the site to identify any asbestos, lead, or other heavy metal or

toxic, flammable or explosive materials that may be handled, disturbed

or removed,

b) have the inspection results available at the worksite, including any

drawings, plans or specifications, as appropriate, to show the locations

of any hazardous substances,

c) ensure that any hazardous materials found are safely contained or

removed, and

d) if hazardous materials are discovered during demolition work that were

not identified in the inspection required by paragraph (a), ensure that

all work ceases until such materials are contained or removed.

20.112 Hazardous Materials

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Fire Prevention and

Inspection Issues

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Fire Fighting and

Investigations

• Some municipalities have implemented asbestos

exposure control plans for fire fighters and

investigators

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Fire Prevention and

Inspections

• Asbestos can reasonable be expected in

buildings constructed prior to 1990

• If damaged suspect materials are identified, a

cautious approach should be taken

• The Board has received calls from individuals

concerned about the potential presence of

asbestos containing materials

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WorkSafeBC Initiatives

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Questions?