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... EPA "Purple Book." See Page 11 of this booklet for information on obtaining this and other publications regarding asbestos. All asbestos waste and the disposable clothing, filters, equipment, and building materials which are not to be cleaned and reused must be disposed of as asbestos waste. The material must be in double 6 -mil plastic bags, labelled as asbestos, hauled to an approved asbestos landfill in a covered vehicle, and disposed of according to EPA, state, and local regulations. The contractor or homeowner should contact the health department or air pollution control agency in the area where the asbestos removal is to take place to determine local notification, removal, and disposal requirements and sites. 1 - Place all dampened filters, cloths, mop heads and other asbestos wastes into a transparent (6 -mil) plastic bag.
Seal the bag with heavy duty tape. Place the first bag into a second bag. 2 - If the bags are not already preprinted, label the bags with a sign: "DANGER; CONTAINS ASBESTOS FIBERS, AVOID CREATING DUST, CANCER AND LUNG DISEASE HAZARD." The sign should be placed between the two transparent plastic bags. Seal the second bag with heavy duty tape. 3 - Place the sealed and labeled bags with other solid waste material for pick-up and delivery to an approved waste disposal site. Asbestos waste materials should be disposed of according to Federal and local regulations. WHERE ASBESTOS MIGHT BE FOUND IN YOUR HOME Exterior walls and closed decks were sometimes built with a fire retardant sheeting in the form of asbestos paper. If it looks like a thick gray cardboard, it may contain asbestos.
If left undisturbed and in good condition, the under sheeting is considered safe. However, if you are taking out a wall for expansion and remodeling, or if you are replacing siding and shingles, you could release many fibers in the process of drilling, sawing, and removing. Hire professionals for removing this paper. Cement asbestos board (commonly referred to as CAB) has been used in houses as sheets for straight and lap siding and has been cut and shaped as a substitute for wood shingles for roofs and exterior walls. The material is hard and brittle, normally light gray in color, was pre-drilled for fastening, and often was factory primed and painted. Since this material is mainly outside the home, and the asbestos is bound in a hard material, it presents little hazard, unless altered by drilling, sawing, or sanding.
When CAB becomes worn or damaged, spray paint it to ensure sealing in the fibers. If you must remove CAB be very careful to wet the material and cut or pull the nails so that damage or breakage of the CAB is minimized. Brake pads and linings, clutch facings and various gaskets often contain asbestos, particularly in older cars. When it is time to replace these parts, consider substituting non-asbestos materials which are available for some clutch facings, gaskets, and brake materials. As asbestos clutch facing, brake shoe, and brake pad materials wear down in normal automobile use, asbestos-containing dust in the form of tiny fibers is created and released to the outside environment.
Much of this material is entrapped within the clutch space or brake housing, ready to be released in concentrated form when repair and replacement work is done. This concentration of fibers is especially dangerous for the home mechanic who does such work without proper safety equipment and awareness. This situation is made worse if the work is done within an enclosed space, such as a garage. The house and surrounding environment can be further contaminated by using compressed air, or vacuuming the brake residue with a shop or home vacuum cleaner.
Do not use compressed air or vacuums. Ideally, work on clutches and brakes should only be done by professionals where specialized vacuum and protective equipment is available and where the mechanic is properly trained. Refer to the EPA literature listed at the back of this brochure for further information about this work. Loose blown-in and batt insulation infrequently have been known to contain asbestos, especially in homes built or remodeled between 1930 and 1950. This material was used for thermal insulation and can be found where interior rooms and spaces need to be protected from outside temperatures. These areas include outside walls and floor or roof / attic spaces between structural joists and rafters.
This asbestos presents a hazard only if renovation and repair work disturbs it. If you plan such a project and find asbestos-containing materials, be sure certified and / or qualified contractors / workers are consulted and hired so you do not spread asbestos fibers throughout your home and the environment. Sheet vinyl (including the backing or underlayment), vinyl tile, and vinyl adhesive may all contain asbestos. In these products, asbestos fibers were added to the basic materials to give them strength and durability. These products are considered safe unless the flooring is altered or damaged.
Damage could occur as a result of prolonged or excessive abrasion. Breaking, sawing, cutting, grinding, and sanding will release asbestos fibers into the environment. When replacement or repair becomes necessary, these flooring products should be handled as little as possible and disposed of in an approved manner "In an approved manner" refers to legal procedures for asbestos disposal applicable to the jurisdiction in which the house is located. Contact local health or air pollution control authorities to determine requirements for proper disposal of asbestos containing material and products... Be sure not to power grind or sand down the flooring, the remaining adhesive or adhesive backing. If you need to replace floor covering, sometimes the best solution is to lay the new floor directly over the old one.
However, you should keep in mind that this asbestos-containing material remains in your house, and must eventually be dealt with if and when you remodel or demolish. Notifying future buyers of its hidden existence may be required in your locality. FURNACES, BOILERS, HEATERS, & PIPING Insulation blankets (the outside covering or shell), door gaskets, duct insulation, and tape at duct connections of furnaces and boilers all may contain asbestos. It was used as the best material available, during its time, as high-temperature insulation. Oil, coal, or wood furnaces with asbestos-containing insulation and cement are generally found in older homes, its installation dating between 1930 and 1972. The material is white or grey in color and resembles the plaster used in casts to protect broken bones.
If your furnace insulation is in good condition, it is best to leave it alone and keep maintaining it in good condition. If the insulation is in poor condition (friable), or pieces are breaking off or it has been subject to water damage, you should have it repaired or removed entirely. You may want to have the entire furnace replaced by a more modern efficient model. You should first find out if the insulation actually contains asbestos by sampling and analysis.
While the insulation is in poor condition and awaiting repair or removal, children should be prevented from playing in or near the space to protect them and prevent further insulation damage. Steam and hot water pipes were insulated with asbestos-containing material, particularly at elbows, tees, and valves. Its appearance is similar to that found on boilers. Pipes may also be wrapped in an asbestos "blanket", or asbestos paper (which looks very much like corrugated cardboard). Asbestos-containing insulation has also been used on and inside round and rectangular furnace ducts. Sometimes the duct itself may be made of asbestos-containing materials.
If you have moderately damaged insulation around pipes or boilers, the best current recommendation is to leave the insulation in place and have the protective covering repaired. Asbestos-containing cement sheets (CAB), millboard, and paper have been used frequently as thermal insulation to protect the floor and walls around wood burning stoves. Again, there is no hazard if left as is, if it is in good condition. INTERIOR SURFACES: WALLS AND CEILINGS Sprayed-on or travelled-on surface material on wall and ceiling surfaces of some homes may be composed of asbestos-containing materials.
If the surface material is firmly attached, has a hard surface, and has no water damage, it should not be hazardous. If the surface can produce powder or dust by hand pressure, it is advisable to seek professional advice before deciding what further course of action to take. You may choose to send a sample to a lab for analysis; and for this option you should follow sampling guidance described earlier in this booklet. You should not try to do either repair or removal of this material yourself.
There's too much danger you will expose yourself and your family to heavy concentrations of asbestos fibers. Contact a contractor whose workers are specifically trained to remove this type of material without contaminating people or the environment. Materials in older lamp socket collars, electric switch and receptacle boxes, liners for recessed lighting, backing for switchboard panels, fuse boxes, and old-fashioned "knob & tube" wiring have all, at times, been found to contain asbestos. Normal use of these items should not pose a hazard. Replacement products in these categories do not contain asbestos. Dispose of these items, when they are replaced, in an approved manner.
Oven & dishwasher (in cabinet) units were often wrapped in asbestos-containing insulation blankets or sheets until the mid- 1970 s. Homeowners should not disturb these materials since they do not pose a hazard if left in place. Removal or repair should be done by professionals, and the materials or the entire unit should be discarded in an approved manner. Portable dishwashers, toasters, clothes driers, popcorn poppers, broilers, electric blankets, slow cookers, and similar small appliances all have had parts made with asbestos-containing materials, which could give off fibers when the appliance is being disassembled for repair. The use of asbestos in these appliances is declining and newer items may have none. Consider discarding these items in an approved manner instead of repairing them.
Some older hair driers and portable heaters, where the coil-wrapping and insulation contain asbestos, may still be in use. These driers and heaters should be discarded. Manufacturers voluntarily recalled hair driers containing asbestos in 1979, since laboratory tests of these hair driers showed that asbestos fibers were being released during their use. Some older models of freezers and water heaters may have asbestos in the insulating blanket within the metal cover.
These should not pose a hazard in normal use. Discard in an approved manner. In general, when asbestos is used in appliances, it is in parts which will probably not result in the release of asbestos fibers during use, with the exception of hair driers and portable heaters where air currents pass over the material. It is unlikely that other asbestos components in these appliances present a significant health risk, unless dismantled.
Older gas-fired decorative fireplace logs and artificial ashes may have a considerable amount of asbestos fibers and, if disposed of, should be handled in the same manner as other asbestos materials. Asbestos-containing gloves, stove-top trivets, and pads that are still being used should also be discarded. Asbestos is only dangerous when it's deteriorated to the point where its tiny fibers can be released into the air and inhaled. If the material is solid (in appearance and to touch) and maintained in good condition, it presents no problem. If the asbestos-containing material in your home has become deteriorated for some reason, there's a good chance you can solve the problem without removal. Removal is generally the last resort, because it involves disturbing the material and sending more fibers into the air.
ASBESTOS AND SMOKING: A SPECIAL WORD OF CAUTION ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTS WE HAVE LEARNED ABOUT THE HAZARDS OF ASBESTOS IS THAT ALMOST ALL OF THE CASES OF ASBESTOS-RELATED LUNG CANCER OCCURRED AMONG PEOPLE WHO SMOKED AND WERE EXPOSED TO ASBESTOS. IN FACT, SMOKING NOT ONLY ADDS TO THE RISK, IT MULTIPLIES IT. BECAUSE OF SOME INTERACTION IN THE BODY, PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPOSED TO ASBESTOS AND ALSO SMOKE HAVE AN INCREASED RISK OF LUNG CANCER FIFTY TO NINETY TIMES GREATER THAN PEOPLE WHO DO NOT SMOKE AND ARE NOT EXPOSED TO ASBESTOS. SMOKING IS A HAZARD YOU CONTROL.
THIS LINK BETWEEN SMOKING AND ASBESTOS IS JUST ONE MORE GOOD REASON FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY NOT TO SMOKE. Bibliography:
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