Asbestos

Awareness

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

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

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

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

Asbestos Materials
Friable products

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

Asbestos Materials
Non Friable
cement products
flat sheet corrugated sheet pipes compressed sheet

vinyl floor tiles switch board brake and clutch lining

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

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 3:1

Health effects
The body cannot breakdown asbestos fibres.
Three primary diseases associated with asbestos
exposure
Mesothelioma

Lung Cancer
Asbestosis

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

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

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

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

Management of Asbestos
DECS
Asbestos Management Procedure www.decs.sa.gov.au/hrhealthsafety/
- Resources/Policies and Procedures

Regulations and Codes of Practice

www.workcover.com/ www.safework.sa.gov.au/
- Resources/Publications/Legislation & Codes of Practice

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.

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

Shows 2 plugs with Warning labels stuck over them.

Same plugs with one label and PVC cap removed to expose asbestos plug.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

Shows loose grey/brown asbestos (Amosite) on top of ceiling tiles under a large water pipe.

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.

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.

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/hrhealthsafety/)

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.

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.

Some examples of Asbestos Signs

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).

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.

Deep 6 asbestos fencing with warning signs.

Another example of an asbestos deep 6 style of fencing. Removal of such fences should be in accordance with the DECS Asbestos Management Procedure.

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.

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.

Asbestos thermal lagging around pipe work

Asbestos cement flue pipes

Another example of asbestos products found in worksites.

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.

Asbestos white substance in the ground in this picture

Crushed asbestos and mud Asbestos