Asbestos

New Zealand workers are still being diagnosed with asbestos related illnesses, many years after they were exposed. Many of these workers will die.

The Problem

What is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a silicate mineral, mined from the earth in much the same way as any other mineral. The wide use of asbestos over thousands of years is due to its resistance to heat and chemicals.

Types Of Asbestos:

* WHITE ASBESTOS (Chrysotile)

Its fibres are curly and difficult to separate. They are white to grey in colour.

* BROWN ASBESTOS (Amosite)

It is type of asbestos found most often in sprayed insulation materials.

* BLUE ASBESTOS (Crocidolite)

Use of this material has been either banned or restricted. It will still be encountered in maintenance and removal work. Its fibres are straight and coloured dark blue.

Importation into New Zealand, beginning before 1960 and peaking in 1974, brought thousands of tons of crude asbestos into shipyards and construction sites for use in building and fire-proofing.

What are the health effects of asbestos exposure?

Asbestos is known to be very toxic, especially following prolonged exposure. The ill health effects of exposure to asbestos arise from breathing in, and retention of, very small fibres of asbestos.

The finest asbestos fibres, with a diameter of less than 8 millionths of a metre, penetrate deep into the lungs of exposed workers and are never removed. The longest of the fibres defy the body's normal defence and clearance mechanisms. Over time, the diseases caused by asbestos are:

* ASBESTOSIS

Progressive scarring (fibrosis) of the lung, leading to pain, breathlessness, and, eventually death. The first symptoms can appear 15 to 20 years after exposure. There is no known cure.

* LUNG CANCER

Tumours of the bronchial tubes and lungs, occurring up to 25 to 30 years after first exposure, and normally fatal. The risk increases greatly in workers who smoke. The ICFTU estimate that at least one case of lung cancer in 10 is caused by exposure to asbestos.

* MESOTHELIOMA

Is a cancer of the lining of the chest (pleura) or of the abdomen (peritoneum). This tumour thickens the lining and may eventually totally enclose the lung. Painful and invariably fatal.

* OTHER CANCERS

Of the larynx, stomach, large intestine and possibly of ovary, breast, kidney and bone marrow.

These cancers and, in particular mesothelioma, have been produced in humans and in animals BY ALL FORMS OF ASBESTOS. Therefore they should all be regarded as being equally hazardous. The scientific literature reports that mesotheliomas develop on average 27 years after exposure, even when that exposure has been minimal.

Other indications of asbestos exposure are:

* pleural plaques - patches of thickening of the lining of the chest wall and over the diaphragm;

* pleural effusion - collection of fluid within the chest but outside the lung.

What has Asbestos been used for and where is it found?

Asbestos has been used in buildings or ships as pipe and boiler lagging, fire insulations panels and asbestos cement sheets. There are hundreds of other asbestos products and processes, including:

* Insulation - sprayed onto structures; fire blankets, gloves, curtains, pads; string, tape, paper; insulation board;
* Friction Materials - clutches; disc brake pads; brake linings;
* Reinforced Products - asbestos cement slabs, sheeting, pipes; floor tiles; composite board; roofing felt; underseals, paints; gaskets, washers, valve-packing, backing on vinyl sheet flooring, floor tile adhesives, soundproofing or decorative material, patching and joint compound.

There is a high risk of asbestos material being found in older schools, construction sites, and other buildings constructed before the 1980s.
INDUSTRIES WHERE ASBESTOS IS USED OR HANDLED

* Phasing out the use of asbestos by product substitution is the only acceptable method of control. (Asbestos used in insulation can be replaced by use of other mineral or synthetic fibres, while asbestos used in building materials can be replaced by use of wood fibre cement. Note that hazards of substitutes need to be investigated prior to their introduction.) Asbestos is still used in the manufacture of brakes, clutches and gaskets.
* While substitution is pending:
1. Detect and monitor levels by sampling the air with an asbestos filter device;
2. Reduce airborne concentrations by:
(a) enclosure (placing a physical barrier between workers and the asbestos fibres);
(b) local exhaust ventilation (efficient, vacuum induced, as close to source as possible);
c) modify tooling (use of manual saws to cut asbestos cement sheets; use of high pressure water streams to cut asbestos materials);
(d) environmental monitoring to check effectiveness of above methods;
3. Provide personal protective equipment and introduce administrative measures:
(a) full body suit;
(b) airline fed helmets/cartridge masks;
(c) half shifts while wearing gear;
(d) 15 minutes rest break every hour;
(e) medical monitoring to check effectiveness of above methods.
4. Maintain a register of all personnel exposed to asbestos.

The health and safety representatives to be fully involved at every stage.
AREAS (BUILDINGS OR STRUCTURES) WHERE WORKERS ARE IN CONTACT WITH OR NEAR IN SITU ASBESTOS PRODUCTS
1. Keep the workforce informed

Workers are often very concerned if asbestos is found where they work, or if they think they are working with or near asbestos. Safety reps can:

* Give them the facts about asbestos;
* Tell them whether management plans for dealing with the issue are adequate;
* Provide an opportunity for workers to express/register their concerns - by holding meetings and conducting opinion surveys;
* Inspect the workplace regularly; and
* Encourage workers to report to management and safety reps if asbestos is found to have been disturbed (or if they think it has).

2. Risk management Action Plan

Safety reps should urge management to:

* Undertake a survey by suitably qualified occupational hygienists should be undertaken to discover where asbestos has been used; where it is likely to crumble or be disturbed; what state the asbestos is in and where fibres are likely to be breathed in by workers. (It is not desirable to rely exclusively on measurement of airborne concentrations, as these are normally low, and their measurement takes the focus away from the essential point, which is the PRESENCE of asbestos and its LIKELIHOOD OF EMITTING AIRBORNE FIBRES.) This information should go into a workplace Asbestos register, and all areas labelled appropriately.
* Implement a program for the control of any asbestos identified which will involve (depending on the results of the survey):
1. Leaving the asbestos intact (but labelled) if it is in good condition and unlikely to be disturbed and unable to feed fibres into workers' breathing zones;
2. Encapsulating or deep sealing the asbestos, if it is in good condition and unlikely to be disturbed;
3. Safe removal of the asbestos by approved removalists (contact OSH for a list of approved contractors), if its surface is damaged or crumbling, or it is likely to be disturbed, e.g. by maintenance work.
* If the asbestos is left intact or sealed, there should be regular reviews of the state of the surface. It should also be labelled for future identification purposes.
* If exposure has been serious, regular medical checks should be arranged for all exposed workers.
* The employer should formally acknowledge in writing that workers have been exposed to asbestos in case diseases develop later and compensation claims are to be made. As rep, ensure that Asbestos exposure forms are completed by each affected worker. Make sure that copies of the forms are given to your union.

3. Monitoring

Where asbestos has been discovered or disturbed, safety reps should:

* Be involved by management in the process of dealing with it;
* Monitor how management are following their plan;
* Ensure that contractors are on the VTHC List of Approved Removalists, comply with the law and with the management plan;
* Keep the workforce informed of progress.

Safety reps should also:

* Contact the workers involved in the removal or maintenance, or their safety reps;
* Take up with management any concerns raised by the workforce or contractors;
* Inform management/inspectors/the union if there are breaches of the law or the management action plan.

4. Returning to work

When asbestos has been dealt with, safety reps should:

* Be consulted before a site is declared fit for re-occupation (including joint oversight of air monitoring);
* Inform and reassue the workforce that the problem has been dealt with;
* Ensure that "Asbestos Exposure" letters (attached below) have been completed for everyone who may have been exposed; and
* Ensure health monitoring and counselling for people who want it (see below).

SUMMARY
Action Plan for Health and Safety Representatives:

* Keep the workforce informed at all times.
* Make sure management identify asbestos, develop an action plan to deal with it and stick to that plan.
* Assume that walls, ceilings and lagging contain asbestos unless certain they don't.
* Insist that all work with asbestos complies with the OSH guidelines (see below).
* Make sure that any OHS Committee meeting minutes record all matters relating to asbestos issues, and that these records are kept in a safe area for future reference.

What should you do if you have already worked with or been exposed to asbestos?

* Make sure your employer, your doctor and your union have a record of your asbestos exposure, and if you get any of the asbestos diseases, contact your union for assistance in seeking compensation.
* Asbestos diseases usually take many years to appear, so medical checks straight after exposure may detect nothing. Such checks will not cure asbestos diseases - they just help to identify some of them earlier. However, some workers may benefit from stopping further work with asbestos if disease is detected, and some ill-health can be helped by early detection. Regular medical check-ups must be according to the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission's "Guidelines for Health Surveillance". You must tell your doctor how you have been exposed to asbestos dust, where and for how long.
* If you smoke, try to stop or cut down. Your risk of lung cancer begins to drop the day you stop smoking.

See Also
OSH guidelines for the management and removal of Asbestos.
Click here.

Information about asbestos on the ACC website.

This Fact Sheet is courtesy of The Workers Health Centre. To visit their website click here