Control of asbestos

A recent study published by the British Medical Journal has found that there are 1800 mesothelioma deaths each year in Britain. Since this disease can take between 15 and 60 years to develop, the peak of the epidemic has still to be reached. In the construction industry, those at risk are asbestos removal workers and those, such as electricians, plumbers and carpenters, who are involved in refurbishment, maintenance or repair of buildings. 

As discussed earlier in this chapter, asbestos can occur in three forms - crocidolite (blue), amosite (brown) and chrysotile (white). It was used widely as a building material until the mid-1980s. Although much asbestos has been removed from buildings, it has been estimated that over half a million non-domestic buildings still have asbestos in them amounting to many thousands of tons. 

The Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002 requires those in control of premises to  

In addition, the regulations include the following main provisions  

1 A singie tighter control limit for all types of asbestos 

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L 28 Work with asbestos insulation, asbestos coating and asbestos insulating board - Control of Asbestos at... 

Requirements for the control of asbestos exposures at work. Exposure is to be prevented or, if this is not reasonably practicable, reduced to the lowest level reasonably practicable by measures other than the use of respiratory protective equipment. 

L 27 The control of asbestos at work. Control of Asbestos at Work Regnlations 1987 - Approved Code of... 

Confined vapour cloud explosion, 13, 214, 215 Construction materials, 59, 60 Contact dermatitis, See Dermatitis Containment, 135, 165, 220, 221 Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations, 148, 594 Control of Major Accident Hazard Regulations 1999, 5, 424, 594... 

NIOSH. 1989d. Control of asbestos exposure during brake drum service. Cincinnati, OH National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, NTIS no. PB90-I6850I. 

Results of a survey of asbestos fibers in consumer cosmetic talc powders from Italian and international markets using electron microscopy, electron diffraction, and energy dispersive x-ray analysis showed that asbestos was detected in 6 of 14 talc samples from the European Pharmacopeia (Paoletti et al. 1984). Chrysotile was identified in 3 samples, 2 samples contained tremolite asbestos and anthophyllite asbestos, and 1 sample contained chrysotile and tremolite asbestos. The authors noted that, in all talc powders analyzed, fibrous talc particles frequently were present that were morphologically similar to amphibole asbestos fibers. Counting fibers as particles with aspect ratio >3 1 and width < 3 m, the percentages of particles that were asbestos fibers ranged from <0.03% to 0.13% for 4 samples, and were 18% to 22% for the other 2 samples. Paoletti et al. (1984) noted that the European Pharmacopeia, at that time, had not established analytical quality control of asbestos contamination. 

The dangers of asbestos were at last exposed as well. While earlier publications had described associations between asbestos and cancer, the connection became widely accepted after a 1964 study by Irving Selikoff, director of a pioneering occupational and environmental health clinic at Mount Sinai Hospital. Selikoff had taken on the subject after noticing high cancer rates among asbestos workers treated at his clinic in New Jersey, and he campaigned passionately for control of asbestos hazards.13... 

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