Occupational exposure during removal of windows with lead-based paint and asbestos caulking

Our plain-English summary of Occupational exposure during removal of windows with lead-based paint and asbestos caulking, by J.H. Lange (Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 2001).

The study

• Author: J.H. Lange
• Journal: Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology
• Published: 2001;66(2):146-9
• Cited by: 3 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

In plain English

This article reported air measurements taken while workers removed windows that had lead-based paint and asbestos caulking. Personal samples were analyzed with NIOSH methods 7400 for asbestos and 7082 for lead, and the workers did not know the data were being collected for a study. In 7 personal asbestos samples, time-weighted results ranged from below 0.0028 to 0.0394 fibers per cubic centimeter (f/cc). In 11 personal lead samples they ranged from 1.2 to 15.2 micrograms per cubic meter. The author reported that the highest values did not exceed the OSHA permissible exposure limit for asbestos (0.1 f/cc) or the OSHA action level for lead (30 micrograms per cubic meter). Area asbestos samples were below 0.07 f/cc. Waste debris tested below 0.1 ppm leachable lead. The author concluded that exposures were well below these limits and that respirators were not warranted. The author also noted that the measurements did not account for lead swallowed through hand-to-mouth contact, and that caution was needed in applying the results to other projects.

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: workplace air-sampling (exposure measurement) study during an abatement project, with personal time-weighted and area samples
• Who was studied: personnel removing windows during an abatement project; the number of workers, location and dates are not given in the available text; workers were unaware of the study
• Exposure: airborne asbestos and lead during removal of windows with lead-based paint and asbestos caulking; the asbestos fiber type is not named
• Main results:
  • The highest personal sample results did not exceed the OSHA permissible exposure limit for asbestos (0.1 f/cc time-weighted average) or the OSHA action level for lead (30 ug/m³ time-weighted average)
  • Personal asbestos samples (7 samples) ranged from below 0.0028 to 0.0394 f/cc (time-weighted average); the table reports an arithmetic mean of 0.01 f/cc
  • Personal lead samples (11 samples) ranged from 1.2 to 15.2 ug/m³ (time-weighted average)
  • Area samples for asbestos during work activities were below 0.07 f/cc
  • The confidence coefficient for at least 5% of personal exposure averages exceeding the lead action level and the asbestos permissible exposure limit was below 20%
  • Leaching tests (TCLP) of the waste showed less than 0.1 ppm lead, below the 5 ppm criterion for hazardous waste
• The authors' conclusion: The author concluded that airborne lead and asbestos exposures during window abatement were well below the OSHA action level and permissible exposure limit, that the measurements supported the work practices used, and that respirators were not warranted
• Limitations the authors state:
  • Air measurements do not account for lead taken in by hand-to-mouth ingestion
  • Results may not apply to other projects

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Occupational Exposure.

Related studies

• Exposure to airborne asbestos during abatement of ceiling material, window caulking, floor tile and roofing material — J.H. Lange, S.L. Sites, et al. (2008)
• Exposure to airborne asbestos during abatement of ceiling material, window caulking, floor tile, and roofing material — J.H. Lange, S.L. Sites, et al. (2006)
• Indoor air quality differences between urban and rural preschools in Korea — C. Yoon, K. Lee, et al. (2011)
• Airborne exposure concentrations during asbestos abatement of ceiling and wall plaster — J.H. Lange, K.W. Thomulka (2002)
• Fiber release during the removal of asbestos-containing gaskets: a work practice simulation — W.E. Longo, W.B. Egeland, et al. (2002)
• Evaluation of vacuum and wet-wipe methods for removal of World Trade Center dust from indoor environments — K.M. Tang, C.G. Nace, et al. (2004)

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