740K79001
v>EPA
I Protection
Washington DC 20460
April 1979
Toxic Substances
School
Asbestos
Program
Questions
& Answers
t^
OS
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This booklet contains questions and
answers designed to assist State health
and education otticials, school
administrators, parents, students and
others interested in understanding the
Environmental Protection Agency's School
Asbestos Program.
PREPARED BY:
Control Action Division
Ottice of Toxic Substances
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office
Washington, D.C. 20402
Stock Number 055-007-00002-1
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EPA'S SCHOOL ASBESTOS PROGRAM
1. Q: Why is EPA Concerned About
Asbestos- Con tain ing Materials in
Schools?
A: EPA is concerned because
asbestos-containing materials can
release asbestos fibers into a school's
air where the fibers can be inhaled.
Exposure to asbestos fibers can cause
debilitating or fatal diseases.
Asbestos-containing materials were used
in constructing or renovating many
schools (and other buildings) throughout
the nation.
2. Q: What is; EPA Doing About
Asbestos- Con tain ing Materials in
X Schools?
A: EPA has organized a joint Federal,
State and local effort to identify and
correct exposure problems caused
by asbestos-containing materials in
schools. EPA's primary activities will
be to provide technical assistance
to States and school districts and to
act as an information clearinghouse for
Federal and State agencies and for
schools.
3. Q: What Kindjs of Technical
Assistance is EPA Providing?
A: EPA has prepared a Guidance Package
that explains a step-by-step procedure
for identifying and correcting exposure
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problems caused by asbestos-containing
materials. This Guidance Package
will be distributed, either directly or
through State asbestos program agencies,
to public school districts throughout
the nation in early spring 1979. An EPA
contractor has produced a videotape
which highlights the procedures
explained in the Guidance Package.
Copies of this tape are available for
loan from EPA's ten Regional offices. At
each Regional office there is a
specially trained individual, the
Regional Asbestos Coordinator, who
will provide additional technical
assistance where needed.
4. Q: How is EPA Acting as an
Information Clearinghouse?
A: In October 1978 EPA conducted a
telephone survey to learn of State and
local efforts to identify
asbestos-containing materials in schools
and to correct exposure problems caused
by those materials. EPA has included a
reporting form in its Guidance Package
and will use the information submitted
on those reporting forms to update
the results of EPA's survey. The data
collected by EPA will be available to
State and local officials upon request.
5. Q: Why Did EPA Become Involved?
A: The October 1978 survey revealed a
need by the States and school districts
for technical assistance. There were
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few documents that provided guidance and
few experts to whom concerned officials
could go for advice. Many State and
local officials asked EPA to provide
guidance documents and stated that they
would start or improve school asbestos
programs after receiving those
documents. The Guidance Package
provides the information that State or
school officials will need to have
effective school asbestos programs.
Doesn't EPA Regulate?
A: Developing and promulgating a rule
could take a long time, probably 12 to
Ib months. The EPA program provides
States and school districts with the
technical information they need to
establish or improve their own programs
and allows flexibility in dealing with
the problem. EPA nas the option to
regulate if the Agency identifies
serious problems in schools that are not
being corrected.
7. Q: Are Other Federal Agencies
Concerned About Asbestos In Schools?
A: Yes, EPA's progran is coordinated
with the National Institute for
Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS),
the National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health (NIOSH), the
Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA), and the Consumer
Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
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BACKGROUND ON ASBESTOS
8. Q: What is Asbestos?
A: Asbestos is a term used for a group
of naturally occurring minerals that
separate into fibers. Asbestos fibers
are incombustible and cannot be
destroyed or degraded easily. All forms
of asbestos have a tendency to break
into a dust of tiny fibers that can
float in the air and be inhaled or
swallowed.
9. Q: Why is Asbestos Hazardous?
A: Epidemiological studies of asbestos
workers have shown that exposure to
asbestos increases the risks of
developing lung cancer, mesothelioma
(cancer of the lining of the lung and
abdomen), and asbestosis (chronic
lung disease).
10. Q: Is any Exposure to Asbestos
Hazardous?
A: EPA believes that any exposure to
asbestos involves some increase of risk.
No safe level of exposure or "threshold"
level has ever been established. It is
impossible to estimate confidently the
exact degree of risk associated with
low-level exposures.
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11. Q: How Long is the Latency Period
for Asbestos-Related Disease?
A: The time between the first exposure
to asbestos and the development of
asbestos-related disease is called the
latency period. The latency period for
asbestos-induced disease is generally 15
to 35 years. The length of the latency
period depends upon the amount and
duration of exposure.
12. Q: Does Cigarette Smoking Increase
^. Person' s Vulnerability to
Asbestos-Related Disease?
A: Yes, asbestos exposure and
cigarette smoking together produce more
lung cancer then either factor acting
alone.
13. Q: How is Asbestos Used?
A: Asbestos has about 3000 different
uses. It makes an excellent
fireproofing or insulating material.
Manufactured products with asbestos
include reinforced asbestos cement
sheets and pipes, patching and taping
compounds, floor tiles, clutch facings,
brake linings, and pipe insulation.
14. Q: Do all of These Products Cause
Exposure Problems?
A: NO. The important question is how
easily will the material release
asbestos fibers. Materials which can
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be crumbled in the hand are termed
FRIABLE. If friable asbestos-containing
material is subject to pressure or
vibration, it can release asbestos
fibers which can be inhaled. In some
asbestos-containing materials, such as
vinyl floor tile, the asbestos fibers
are firmly bound together or encased.
These materials will not release
asbestos fibers unless they are cut,
ground, or sanded.
ASBESTOS-CONTAINING MATERIALS IN SCHOOLS
15. Q: What Kinds of
Asbestos-Containing Materials in Schools
is EPA Concerned About?
A: EPA is concerned about friable
asbestos-containing materials that were
used for fireproofing, insulation,
or decoration. Friable materials are
usually found on overhead surfaces,
steel beams, and ceilings and
occasionally on walls and pipes.
16. Q: Were All Friable
Asbestos-Containing Materials Applied by
Spraying?
A: Most were applied by spraying, but
some were applied by troweling. The
sprayed materials are usually friable.
The materials which were applied by
troweling vary fron soft to hard. Hard
materials are not friable, but they may
release asbestos fibers if damaged.
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17. Q: How Serious a Problem do These
Friable Materials Present?
A: The problen varies significantly
from building to building depending on
the condition of the material, its
accessibility, and other factors.
18. Q: How Extensive is the Problem?
A: EPA does not know how many schools
have asbestos exposure problems. This
information will become available as
schools are inspected and the inspection
results are reported to EPA. The
October 1978 survey indicates that about
5% of the public schools in the
country have been inspected. Those
States that inspected all (or nearly
all) schools reported asbestos-
containing materials present in l%-5% of
their schools.
ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
19. Q: What Steps Does the Guidance
Package Recommend?
A: The steps are: (1) visually
inspect the building for material which
might contain asbestos, (2) take bulk
samples of suspect material, (3) have
the bulk samples analyzed, (4) if there
is asbestos-containing material, perform
an exposure assessment to determine
if there is an exposure problem, and (5)
perform corrective action if necessary.
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20. Q: Is EPA Going to Inspect
Schools?
A: EPA does not have the manpower to
inspect all of the nation's schools.
Schools should be inspected by
school officials or State officials.
EPA personnel will provide advice where
needed on how to inspect.
21. Q: Will School Records Indicate
Whether Asbestos-Containing Materials
Were Used in the School?
A: Sometimes. Check building records
to supplement a visual inspection, but
do not rely on records instead of
inspecting.
22. Q: Can Asbestos-Containing
Material joe Identified Solely h>y_ Visual
Inspection?
A: No. If you suspect that a
material contains asbestos, you must
have a sample analyzed in order to be
certain that it does contain asbestos.
Some materials that do not contain
asbestos look virtually identical to
materials that do contain asbestos.
23« Q: Will Air Sampling Indicate
Whether £ School Has an Exposure Problem
Caused b_y_ Asbestos-Containing Material?
A: Air sampling measures the number
of fibers in the air at the time the
<-.rtr"Dle was taken. It does not
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distinguish asbestos fibers from other
types of fibers or reveal the source of
the fibers. Therefore, air sampling
should not be substituted for
inspection, sampling, analysis, and
exposure assessment.
24. Q: If Laboratory Analysis
Establishes that a School has
Asbestos-Containing Material, What
Should the School do?
A: The school should perform an
exposure assessment to determine if
there is an exposure problem. Based on
the exposure assessment the school may
decide to perform a corrective action or
to defer action.
25. Q: What Kinds of Corrective
Actions can be Taken?
A: The asbestos-containing material
can be removed, encapsulated with a
sealant, or enclosed with a barrier
which separates the material from the
building environment.
26. Q: Are Specially Trained People
Needed To Perform Corrective Actions?
A: Yes. Performance of corrective
actions is governed by EPA and OSHA
regulations. Poorly performed work
can create a greater exposure hazard
than it eliminates. Therefore, workers
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should be familiar with the hazards of
exposure to asbestos, what EPA and OSHA
regulations require, and how to use
respirators and other satety equipment.
21. Q: Is Asbestos Exposure from
Friable Asbestos-Containing Materials ^
Problem Found only in Public Schools?
A: No. EPA's program tocuses on
public schools, but triable
asbestos-containing materials are just
as likely to be found in private
schools, universities, commercial
buildings, and residential buildings as
in public schools. EPA's Guidance
Package will be useful to any building
owner who suspects that his building has
asbestos-containing materials.
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
2b. Q: Kow Can 1^ Get a Copy ot the
Guidance Package?
A: Call toil tree «UO-424-y065. (In
the Washington, D.C. area call
b54-l404).
2y. Q: How Can I Get More Information
On Asbestos-Containing Materials in
Schools?
A: In general, the best people to
contact are your EPA Regional Asbestos
Coordinator or someone in your State
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asbestos program agency. To get the
names ot people to call, look in the
Guidance Package or call
800-424-9065 (in the Washington, D.C.
area, call bb4-i404.)
30. Q: How Can I Obtain More
Information On Health Risks
Associated With Asbestos?
A: Write to ASBESTOS, National Cancer
Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, 2020b, or
call 800-638-6694. (In Maryland call
800-492-6600)
31. U: How Can ^ Obtain Information
on Asbestos in Consumer Products?
A: Call the Consumer Product Satety
Commission:
800-638-8326 (most ot U.S.)
800-492-8363 (Maryland)
800-638-8333 (Alaska, Hawaii,
Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands)
A- U.S GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1979 O—290-1 S3
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