Asbestos exposure from activities in buildings with asbestos-containing materials

Our plain-English summary of Asbestos exposure from activities in buildings with asbestos-containing materials, by D.L. Keyes, J.R. Millette (Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1991).

The study

• Authors: D.L. Keyes, J.R. Millette
• Journal: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
• Published: 1991;643:509-10
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher
• In J-M's library: Johns-Manville's company medical library held a copy (J-M no. 004487).

In plain English

This brief conference paper summarized one completed study by the authors and colleagues, which the authors said would be submitted for publication, and described studies still under way. In the completed study, two identical experiments were run in an unoccupied school containing asbestos fireproofing. In a room isolated with polyethylene barriers, protected workers simulated installing electrical cable above a suspended ceiling, then returned a few hours later to clean by dusting, sweeping and vacuuming. Measured by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), airborne asbestos rose 520- to 590-fold after installation began, averaging about 27 and 67 structures per cubic centimeter in the two simulations. Levels fell but stayed much higher than background during cleaning and for several hours afterward. Workers' personal samples ranged from less than 1.0 to 237 structures per cubic centimeter by TEM, and from 0.045 to 0.43 fibers per cubic centimeter by phase contrast microscopy. The authors concluded that cable installation under these circumstances can raise airborne asbestos by dislodging fibers and re-entraining fibers in dust and debris. Preliminary results from ongoing studies suggested that basketball, tumbling, dry sweeping and dusting can also raise airborne asbestos levels significantly.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Brief conference paper summarizing a completed simulation study (two identical experiments measuring airborne asbestos during simulated cable installation and cleanup), plus a description of ongoing studies
• Who was studied: A room in an unoccupied school containing asbestos fireproofing, isolated with polyethylene barriers; protected workers carried out the simulations; area air samples throughout the room and personal samples on selected workers
• Exposure: Disturbance of asbestos-containing fireproofing material and associated dust and debris during simulated installation of electrical cable above a suspended ceiling, followed by cleaning (dusting, sweeping and a commercial vacuum cleaner); fiber type not stated
• Main results:
  • By TEM, airborne asbestos levels rose sharply after cable installation began, a 520- to 590-fold increase
  • During installation, levels averaged about 27 structures per cubic centimeter in one simulation and 67 s/cc in the other
  • Average levels declined but stayed much higher than background during cleaning and for several hours afterward
  • Personal samples on workers, analyzed by TEM, ranged from less than 1.0 s/cc to 237 s/cc for sampling periods of 30 minutes to about two hours
  • Personal samples analyzed by PCM ranged from 0.045 fibers per cubic centimeter to 0.43 fibers per cubic centimeter
  • Preliminary results from ongoing studies suggested that athletic activities (basketball and tumbling) and cleaning activities (dry sweeping and dusting) can raise airborne asbestos levels significantly
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that cable installation under the circumstances investigated can raise levels of airborne asbestos by dislodging asbestos fibers and re-entraining fibers in dust and debris
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The findings on athletic and cleaning activities were described as still preliminary

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Asbestos Exposure, Asbestos-Containing Material (ACM).

Related studies

• Asbestos-containing materials in New York City buildings — P. Lundy, M. Barer (1992)
• Mesothelioma among employees with likely contact with in-place asbestos-containing building materials — H.A. Anderson, L.P. Hanrahan, et al. (1991)
• Personal exposure during abatement of various asbestos-containing materials in the same work area — J.H. Lange, K.W. Thomulka, et al. (2005)
• Worker exposure to asbestos during removal of sprayed material and renovation activity in buildings containing sprayed material — N.W. Paik, R.J. Walcott, et al. (1983)
• Asbestos release from whole-building demolition of buildings with asbestos-containing material — R.A. Perkins, J. Hargesheimer, et al. (2007)
• Does the Presence of Asbestos-Containing Materials in Buildings Post-construction and Before Demolition Have an Impact on the Exposure to Occupants in Non-occupational Settings? — R. Singh, A.L. Frank (2023)

Browse more research in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, or return to medical research.