Chemical hazards asbestos

The Chemical Hazard Potential (CHP) addresses chemical hazards associated with a material and can be applied to non-radioactive and radioactive materials. For a material that has both a radiological and a chemical hazard potential (e.g, radioactive asbestos) both of these hazard potentials must be taken into account in deriving the Safety and Environmental Detriment (SED). 

There must be a procedure or statement in the plan as to how transient employees, such as persons working on contract, are to be informed of the chemical hazards to which they may be exposed, and for provision of information of protective measures for these transient employees. It is not specifically spelled out in the standard but there is a need for the converse as well. Contractors are often called in to do renovations, perform an asbestos abatement project, or to conduct a pest control program, as examples, and use hazardous chemicals in the process or expose persoimel to airborne hazards. Provision should be made in the contracts for these groups for them to provide information to the occupants of the spaces where their work is being done. 

In addition to the chemical hazards assessment discussed in. the HAD for K-Reac br in Cold Standby (Ref 8-2) and the HADs for L- and P-Reactor Disassembly Basins (Ref 8-5, 8-6), additional chemical hazards assessments were performed separately for the Assembly Area and Moderator Storage Areas of K-Reactor (Ref 8-3, 8-4). There were no hazardous chemicals identified in these areas except for asbestos in the walls of the Assembly Area. The HAD for the Assembly Area (Ref 8-3) assessed the asbestos in the walls of the Assembly Area aiul concluded that the probability of the walls constituting a di cal hazard is judged not credible. Therefore the probabihty of exposure of personnd to asbestos fibers during hi h- iergy events is judged to be ne gible. 

An environmental health rapid assessment tool for use by EHOs accessing affecting sites immediately postcyclone divides assessment into key themes of drinking water, sewerage, waste, asbestos, food safety, personal hygiene, vectors, and chemical hazards. The tool has a section for EHOs for prioritizing environmental health issues and priorities in line with the key themes. 

Chemical Reactivity - Reactivity with Water No reaction Reactivity with Common Materials Can catch fire when in contact with porous materials such as wood, asbestos, cloth, soil, or rusty metals Stability During Transport Stable at ordinary temperatures, however when heated this material can decompose to nitrogen and ammonia gases. The decomposition is not generally hazardous unless it occurs in confined spaces Neutralizing Agents for Acids and Caustics Flush with water and neutralize the resulting solution with calcium hypochlorite Polymerization Not pertinent Inhibitor of Polymerization Not pertinent. 

Deactivation and D D actions can range from stabilization of multiple hazards at a single site or facilities containing chemical or radioactive contamination, or both, to routine asbestos and lead abatement in a nonindustrial structure. Strategies include programs that meet compliance objectives, protect workers, and make certain that productivity and cost-effectiveness are maintained. The content and extent of health and safety-related programs should be proportionate to the types and degrees of hazards and risks associated with specific operations. 

Training for other activities such as deactivation and D D may not fall under the hazardous waste definition. As previously mentioned, the authors believe that, in many cases, applying hazardous waste principles based on a hazard-based approach will help to provide a safe worksite and add value to these activities. These activities may involve hazard abatement processes, such as chemical lab packing, asbestos, lead, mercury, or... 

Asbestos It is not the name of a distinct mineral species but is a commercial term applied to fibrous varieties of several silicate minerals such as amosite and crocido-lite. These extremely fine fibers are useful as fillers and/or reinforcements in plastics. Property performances include withstanding wear and high temperatures, chemical resistance, and strengths with high modulus of elasticity. When not properly handled or used, like other fibrous materials, they can be hazardous. 

Think how many carcinogens are household names asbestos, cigarette smoke (a mixture of several thousand chemical compounds), DES, dioxin, saccharin, arsenic, PCBs, radon, EDB, Alar. Hundreds more of these substances, some very obscure, are known to the scientific and medical community, and many of these are scattered throughout the land at thousands of hazardous waste sites similar to Love Canal. People are exposed to these dreadful substances through the air they breathe, the water they drink and bathe in, and the foods they eat. Chemicals can also produce many other types of health damage, some very serious, such as birth defects and damage to our nervous and immune systems. 

Toxic substances can also be encountered in debris. For example, hazardous chemicals may have been legitimately stored in a blown up building or there could be lead from the batteries of bomb damaged motor vehicles. Another common hazard is the presence of asbestos in old buildings. 

How do the general framework conditions for the substitution of hazardous chemicals differ from the conditions under which the case of asbestos was dealt with This analysis was so important for the SubChem project because the relevance of the historic case analyses for future substitution processes (cf Chapter 3) had to be assessed. 

Asbestos is a fibrous inorganic material. It is mined and exploited because of its unique chemical and physical properties, in part the result of its distinctive fibrous form. The hazards, as we understand them, are also attributed to this fibrous character, but asbestos represents only a fraction of the many inorganic fibers now in use. Furthermore, although it is a readily recognizable form, fiber has no precise scientific or technical definition. Thus, to address the health effects of asbestos, federal government (OSHA—Oc-... 

The purpose of this book is to introduce fibrous inorganic materials, their unique features, and their chemical and structural variety. This survey of fibrous materials, together with a summary of their health and biological effects, provides an opportunity to examine the current theories of disease induction and the hazards associated with exposure, not only to asbestos but to other inorganic fibers as well. 

Small quantities of hazardous solid wastes (such as potassium dichromate, lead nitrate, silver nitrate, asbestos, etc.), liquid chemicals (such as chloroform, PCB, methylene chloride, etc.), petrochemicals (such as gasoline. No. 2 fuel oil, etc.), or pure metals (such as mercury, sodium, etc.), which are stored in bottles or cans, however, are not considered to be hazardous household products. Accordingly these nonhousehold hazardous solid wastes, even in small quantities, can only be properly disposed of by licenced or certified environmental professionals. 

Finding 4. The closure plan is incomplete in that it does not sufficiently address contingencies such as control of spills, dust, or special materials such as asbestos, nor does it specify countermeasures for mitigation of these potential situations. Moreover, the hazardous waste management units (HWMUs) at JACADS and the Red Hat Storage Area differ in the chemicals to be analyzed, their management and associated... 

Specific bans on chemicals or uses have not been the most important outcome of TSCA. Only one type of chemical, PCBs, was specifically targeted in the original law and they are now outlawed in most of their uses. EPA administration of the law in its early years led to a ban of chlorofluorocarbons as aerosol propellants, restrictions on dioxin waste disposal, rules on asbestos use, and testing rules on chlorinated solvents. It has led to a central bank of information on existing commercial chemicals, procedures for further testing of hazardous chemicals, and detailed permit requirements for submission of proposed new commercial chemicals. 

Asbestos constitutes several types of hydrated silicate mineral fibers. The types of asbestos, their chemical compositions, and CAS Numbers are presented in Table 3.8.1. These substances occur in nature in rocks, silicate minerals, fibrous stones, and underground mines. This class of substances exhibits unique properties of noncombustibility, high resistance to acids, and high tensile strength for which they were widely used in many products, including floor and roofing tiles, cement, textiles, ropes, wallboards, and papers. Because of the health hazards associated with excessive exposure to asbestos, the use of these substances is currently banned. 

The system for classification and disposal of hazardous chemical waste developed by EPA under RCRA does not apply to all wastes that contain hazardous chemicals. For example, wastes that contain dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), or asbestos are regulated under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). In addition, the current definition of hazardous waste in 40 CFR Part 261 specifically excludes many wastes that contain hazardous chemicals from regulation under RCRA, including certain wastes produced by extraction, beneficiation, and processing of various ores and minerals or exploration, development, and use of energy resources. Thus, the waste classification system is not comprehensive, because many potentially important wastes that contain hazardous chemicals are excluded, and it is not based primarily on considerations of risks posed by wastes, because the exclusions are based on the source of the waste rather than the potential risk. 

Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Law passed in 1976 that governs the regulation of toxic substances in commerce, with the objective of preventing human health and environmental problems before they occur. The manufacturing, processing, or distribution in commerce of toxic substances may be limited or banned if EPA finds, based on results of toxicity testing and exposure assessments, that there is an unreasonable risk of injury to human health or the environment. Important hazardous chemicals regulated under TSCA include, for example, dioxins, PCBs, and asbestos. 

Fillers present a potential inhalation and dermal contact hazard. They can cause mechanical damage to the skin, which may aggravate the irritant effect of other chemicals and additives. When fillers are handled in a liquid epoxy matrix or in a cured epoxy, their inhalation hazard is low. However, inhalation exposure to fillers can occur when they are handled in the dry state or when one is machining or grinding cured epoxy products. Inhalation exposure to fillers such as crystalline silica or fiberglass may result in delayed lung injury. Asbestos fillers have long been abandoned from use for these reasons. 

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