United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
June 1969
Pesticides and Toxic Substances (TS 799i
The ABC s
Of Asbestos
In Schools
1361
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Introduction
• When is asbestos a problem?
• What should my school and
school district be doing about
asbestos?
• What can I do to help?
This pamphlet, developed by the
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) in conjunction with
the National Parent Teacher Asso-
ciation (PTAi and the National
Education Association (NEA), can
help parents and teachers answer
questions and learn the facts
about asbestos in schools. It also
outlines the responsibilities of
school boards and other school offi-
cials to protect school children and
employees from possible exposure
to asbestos.
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The Asbestos Issue
sbestos fibers can
cause serious health
problems. If inhaled,
they can disrupt the
normal functioning of the lungs.
Three specific diseases —asbesto-
sis, lung cancer, and another
cancer known as mesothe-
lioma —have been linked to as-
bestos exposure. These diseases
do not develop immediately
after inhalation of asbestos
fibers; it may be 20 years or
more before symptoms appear.
In general, as with cigarette
smoking, the more asbestos
fibers a person inhales, the
greater the risk of developing
an asbestos-related disease. The
most severe health problems
from asbestos exposure have
been experienced by some work-
ers who held jobs in industries
such as shipbuilding, where
they were exposed to very high
levels of asbestos in the air.
These employees worked di-
rectly with asbestos materials
on a regular basis as a part of
their jobs. Much uncertainty
surrounds the risk from expo-
sure to low levels of asbestos
fibers.
Nevertheless, the risk of
school children being exposed
to even low levels of asbestos is
a concern. Acting on this con-
cern, Congress passed the As-
bestos Hazard Emergency Re-
sponse Act (AHERAi in 1986 to
protect school children and
school employees from exposure
to asbestos in school buildings.
This pamphlet describes key
parts of these new federal asbes-
tos requirements for schools.
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What Exactly
Is Asbestos?
sbestos is a mineral
found in certain types
of rock formations.
When mined and proc-
essed, it takes the form of very
small fibers which are usually in-
visible to the naked eye. A typical
asbestos fiber is 1,200 times
smaller than a strand of human
hair. These individual fibers are
generally mixed with a material
which binds them together so that
they can be used in many differ-
ent products. Because the fibers
are so small and light, they can re-
main in the air for many hours if
they are released from asbestos-
containing material. This in-
creases the chance that someone
will inhale them.
Asbestos became a popular com-
mercial product because it is
strong, won't burn, resists corro-
sion, and insulates well. Its com-
mercial use in the United States
began in the early 1900s. when it
was used as insulation in steam
engines. Since then asbestos has
been used to create about 3,000 in-
sulation, fireproofmg and other
products. The peak years of asbes-
tos use in schools were from
World War II until the 1970s.
when several major kinds of asbes-
tos materials were banned be-
cause of growing concern about
related health effects.
Where Is
Asbestos
Likely to Be
Found?
PA estimates that
there are asbestos-
containing materials
in most of the nation's
approximately 107.000 primary
and secondary schools. Asbestos is
most commonly used in schools as
insulation and in building materi-
als. It has also been used in floor
and ceiling tile, cement pipe, cor-
rugated paper pipe wrap, acousti-
cal and decorative insulation, pipe
3
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Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff G
and boiler insulation, and spray-
applied fireproofing. The flufYy
white substance you may find
above a dropped ceiling, for exam-
ple, is one type of spray-applied
material. The amount of asbestos
in these products varies widely,
from 1 to 100 percent, depending
on the use. Pipe and boiler insula-
tion typically contains more asbes-
tos than other building materials.
The precise amount of asbestos in
a product cannot always be deter-
mined from labels —since most
products used in the past were
not labeled—or by asking the
manufacturer. Instead, positive
identification of asbestos requires
analysis of samples by a qualified
laboratory.
When Is
Asbestos a
Problem?
ntact and undisturbed
asbestos materials gen-
erally do not pose a
health risk. Asbestos
materials, however, can become
hazardous when, due to damage or
deterioration over time, they re-
lease fibers. If the fibers are in-
haled, they can lead to health
problems.
The potential for an asbestos-
containing material to release fi-
bers depends primarily on its con-
dition. If the material, when dry,
can be crumbled by hand pres-
sure—a condition known as "fri-
able"—it is more likely to release
fibers, particularly when dam-
aged. The fluffy spray-applied as-
bestos fireproofing material is gen-
erally considered "friable." Pipe
and boiler insulation materials
can also be "friable," but they
continued on p. 6
*«•»**««"***»***«»*
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What Has the Government
Done about Asbestos?
he federal govern-
ment has been regu-
lating asbestos for a
number of years.
Any material which contains as
little as 1 percent asbestos is
subject to federal asbestos regu-
lations. Progress is being made
to limit the uses of asbestos and
to identify substitute materials.
EPA is now considering ways to
phase out the use of other as-
bestos materials.
On October 22, 1986. Presi-
dent Reagan signed AHERA
into law. The Act required EPA
to develop regulations creating
a comprehensive framework for
dealing with asbestos in public
and nonprofit private elemen-
tary and secondary schools. The
regulations were published on
October 30, 1987.
The AHERA schools rule re-
quires all public school districts
and private schools, known as
local education agencies or
LEAs, to inspect all school
buildings for both friable and
nonfriable asbestos; to develop
plans to manage asbestos in
schools; and to carry out the
plans in a timely fashion. The
rule also provides an opportu-
nity for parents, teachers, and
other school employees to be-
come familiar with and involved
in their school's asbestos man-
agement program. School offi-
cials are required to notify par-
ent, teacher and employee
groups about asbestos-
related activities.
EPA also has established an
asbestos-in-schools assistance
program. Through its Headquar-
ters office in Washington, D.C..
and ten Regional offices. EPA
provides direct technical assis-
tance to help thousands of
school officials and workers un-
derstand asbestos issues. EPA
makes funds available to train
asbestos professionals, to assist
states in developing asbestos
programs, and to help schools
comply with the federal asbes-
tos regulations. Since 1985,
EPA also has provided loans
and grants to help financially
needy public and private schools
correct serious asbestos hazards
through the Asbestos School
Hazard Abatement Act
(ASHAA* program. Finally.
EPA publishes informational
pamphlets for the public.
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often are enclosed in a protective
casing which prevents fiber re-
lease unless the casing is dam-
aged. Some materials which are
considered "nonfriable," such as
vinyl-asbestos floor tile, can also
release fibers when sanded, sawed
or otherwise disturbed. Materials
such as asbestos cement pipe can
release asbestos fibers if they are
broken or crushed when buildings
are demolished, renovated or
repaired.
What Are the Proper
Methods for Managing
Asbestos?
ost asbestos-containing
material can be prop-
erly managed where it
is. In fact, asbestos
that is managed properly and
maintained in good condition ap-
pears to pose relatively little risk
to students and school employees.
Accordingly, the AHERA schools
rule rarely requires the removal of
asbestos materials.
Proper asbestos management be-
gins with a comprehensive inspec-
tion by qualified, trained and ex-
perienced inspectors, accredited
through an EPA or state-approved
training course. Inspecting the
condition of asbestos materials —
initially with AHERA-accredited
inspectors and at least semi-annu-
ally with trained custodial or
maintenance staff—is extremely
important so that changes in the
material's condition, such as dam-
age or deterioration, can be de-
tected and corrected before the
condition worsens. Sometimes nor-
mal school or maintenance activi-
ties can damage asbestos material
and cause fiber release, particu-
larly if the material is "friable."
A thorough initial inspection and
regular surveillance can prevent
accidental exposure to high levels
of asbestos fibers.
The methods (see page 7), in
AHERA terminology, are asbestos
"response actions." The last three
methods of response actions-
encapsulation, enclosure, and re-
moval—and sometimes the second
method —repair—must be done by
accredited asbestos professionals.
The final response action, asbes-
tos removal, is generally necessary
only when the material damage is
extensive and severe, and other ac-
tions will not control fiber release.
Although the AHERA schools rule
does not prohibit schools from re-
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How To
Respond?
Proper methods for dealing
with asbestos are:
• Developing and carrying out
a special maintenance plan to
insure that asbestos-contain-
ing materials are kept in
good condition. This is the
most common method when
the materials are in good con-
dition at the time of initial
inspection.
• Repairing damaged pipe or
boiler covering, which is
known as thermal system
insulation.
• Spraying the material with
a sealant to prevent fiber
release —a process called
encapsulation.
• Placing a barrier around
the materials, known as an
enclosure.
• Removing asbestos —under
special procedures.
ENCLOSURE
REMOVAL.
moving any asbestos materials.
removal decisions should not be
made lightly. An ill-conceived or
poorly conducted removal can actu-
allv increase rather than elimi-
nate risk. Consequently, all school
removal projects must be designed.
supervised, and conducted by ac-
credited professionals and should
be performed in accordance with
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Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff G
state-of-the-art procedures. In ad-
dition, schools may wish to hire an
experienced and qualified project
monitor to oversee the asbestos
contractor's work to make sure the
removal is conducted safely.
Only an AHERA-accredited
management planner —an asbestos
professional with proper training.
qualifications, and experience —is
authorized to advise school offi-
cials on which response action is
appropriate for a particular situ-
ation. The final selection of the
proper method is up to school offi-
cials after they receive the advice
of the school's accredited manage-
ment planner.
What Should My School &
School District Be Doing?
nder the new AHERA
schools rule, each local
education agency
LEA, which means
a school district or private school)
must take the following asbestos-
related actions:
I Designate and train a person to
oversee asbestos-related activities
in the school system.
fc Inspect every school building
for "friable" and "nonfriable"
asbestos-containing building
materials.
Prepare a management plan
for managing asbestos and control-
ling exposure in each school.
Consult with accredited
inspection and management profes-
sionals to identify and carry out
whatever asbestos actions are nec-
essary and appropriate to protect
health and the environment. These
actions or methods must be docu-
mented in the management plan.
Notify the public about the as-
bestos inspection and the availabil-
ity of the asbestos management
plan for review.
W Use only properly accredited
persons to conduct inspections, to
develop the asbestos management
plan, and to carry out the appro-
priate response actions.
I Keep records of all asbestos-
related activities in the plan and
make them available for public
review.
8
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What Does the LEA
Designated Person Do?
School officials may choose a
consultant or one of their own
employees to oversee their as-
bestos program. This desig-
nated person must meet certain
training requirements, and
serves as the single point of con-
tact for public information
about asbestos-related activities
in the LEA. He or she is respon-
sible for:
• Ensuring that initial asbes-
tos inspections, reinspections
every three years, and semi-
annual surveillance activities
are conducted properly by
qualified personnel.
• Including results of the in-
spection in the management
plan. The plan must identify
all asbestos-containing build-
ing materials found in
schools and recommend ac-
tions for dealing with asbes-
tos hazards.
• Submitting the management
plan to the appropriate state
agency, designated by the
Governor to review and ap-
prove plans, by October 12,
1988 (or by May 9, 1989, if
the school has been granted
a deferral by the state).
Making sure that custodial
and maintenance workers re-
ceive required safety training
and information about the lo-
cation of asbestos-containing
materials in their school.
Warning labels must be
posted in all routine mainte-
nance areas, such as boiler
rooms, where asbestos-con-
taining building materials
are found.
Assuring that response
actions specified in the man-
agement plan are carried out
according to the plan's time-
tables. The regulations re-
quire that all LEAs begin to
carry out their management
plans no later than July 9.
1989.
Seeing that all asbestos
records required by the reg-
ulations are accurately
maintained.
Informing all teacher, par-
ent and employee organiza-
tions at least once a year
about the asbestos activities
in each school and about the
availability of the manage-
ment plan for their review.
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Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff G
When Are School
Management Plans Due?
As noted before, management
plans originally were due to the
states by October 12, 1988. Be-
cause some LEAs have had prob-
lems complying with this dead-
line, however. Congress amended
AHERA to allow school officials to
apply for extra time to inspect
their schools and prepare manage-
ment plans. The amendment per-
mitted LEAs to ask their states
for a deferral of the October 1988
deadline. If the state granted the
deferral, the LEA must submit its
plan to the Governor no later than
May 9, 1989. Before applying to
the state for a deferral, an LEA is
required to notify parent, teacher
and employee organizations of its
plan to file a deferral request. In
the case of a public school, the
LEA was also required to discuss
its intention to file at a public
meeting before submission to the
state.
Schools which sought deferrals
had to certify to the state that
they made a "good faith" effort to
meet the original October AHERA
deadline. They also had to provide
a schedule outlining significant ac-
tivities leading up to submission of
the plan by May 9, 1989. This
schedule of events must include in-
specting the school, having sam-
ples of suspected asbestos material
analyzed by a qualified laboratory,
and preparing the management
plan.
Although your LEA may have
applied for extra time to inspect
its buildings and to prepare its
asbestos management plan, all
schools are still required to begin
putting their plans into action no
later than Julv 9, 1989.
What Can I
Do to Help?
s a parent, teacher,
i ^H service worker or other
H school employee, the
most important thing
you can do first is to learn about
your school's asbestos activities.
As you do so, remember that the
mere presence of asbestos in a
school doesn't necessarily mean
that the health of its occupants is
endangered. Again, asbestos that
is managed properly and main-
tained in good condition poses
relatively little risk. Federal regu-
lations do not require the removal
of all friable asbestos from schools
until the building is demolished.
In fact, during the life of the
building, other methods of dealing
with the material are often prefer-
able to removal.
In those cases when removing
asbestos is determined to be the
appropriate decision, the work
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g Hh li Jj Kk LI Mm Nn
\i^ /
must be done under strict controls
by trained, qualified and experi-
enced asbestos professionals who
are properly accredited under
AHERA.
Step One: Awareness
Your first step is to find out if
your school has prepared or is pre-
paring an asbestos management
plan as required by AHERA. By
becoming familiar with this plan,
you will know if asbestos materi-
als are in the school, what plans
the school has for managing this
asbestos, and when these activities
are scheduled to occur.
Step Two: Minimize
Disturbance
There are several simple things
you can do to minimize your expo-
sure to asbestos. The most im-
portant one is to find out which
materials in your school contain
asbestos; you should be able to get
this information from your LEA's
designated person or from the
school's management plan.
Once you know where asbestos
is, use special care to insure that
any day-to-day activities, such as
repair or maintenance work, do
not disturb the material. In fact,
special training is required to par-
ticipate in any maintenance activi-
ties which might disturb asbestos.
In schools, asbestos-containing
materials can also be damaged by
student activities. For example, an
asbestos ceiling in a gym may be
disturbed if basketballs or other
objects are thrown up agam.-t it
Students and others who use the
gym should be warned to avoid
such activities.
\
AHERA
MANAGEMENT
PLAN FOR
MY SCHOOL
K
1
C'-.A^.
V«C
u
.... ^*.
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Who Is
Responsible
for Making
AHERA Work?
11 of us are responsible.
Making the AHERA
schools rule work to
protect the nation's
school children and employees is a
joint responsibility of the LEA
and its officials, school employees,
parents, students, federal and
state governments, and asbestos
control professionals.
EPA conducts compliance in-
spections of hundreds of schools
each year to make sure they are
obeying the law. The Agency is re-
sponsible for insuring that schools
comply with AHERA and it will
investigate reported violations.
Since the AHERA schools rule is
intentionally designed to involve
parent, teacher and other school
employee organizations, however,
it is important that you work with
your school to make sure that
its asbestos program is properly
conducted.
t Stft SCHOOL. OFFiCiALS
' 7 MY PRINCIPAL. /sfATE'
>/MY TANiro^S OFPiCALS
/MY PARENTS
'/ASBESTOS EXPERTS
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Where Can I
Get More
Information?
nder AHERA, citizens
have the opportunity to
become informed about
asbestos activities in
their schools. If you have a ques-
tion or concern about those activi-
ties, you should first contact your
LEA designated person. This per-
son knows the most about the as-
bestos situation in your school.
When you find out who this per-
son is, ask him or her what steps
your school has taken, and will
continue to take, to meet the re-
quirements of the AHERA schools
rule.
The LEA designated person
also can tell you which agency in
your state government is responsi-
ble for state AHERA activities.
The same agency usually is re-
sponsible for reviewing the LEA's
asbestos management plan. This
LEA designated person also should
be aware of any local asbestos
control requirements.
State AHERA designees also
are a good source of information.
These officials can help you better
understand the AHERA schools
rule and can answer questions
about your school's asbestos
activities.
You also can contact your EPA
regional office. There are ten EPA
regional offices around the coun-
try, and each one has a Regional
Asbestos Coordinator iRAC>.
Their addresses and phone num-
bers are listed at the end of this
pamphlet. School employees can-
not be penalized for contacting
EPA or the appropriate state
agency to discuss their concerns
about a school's asbestos program.
Local, state, and national parent
and teacher organizations are
other good sources of information
about asbestos in schools. Many of
these groups worked with EPA in
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developing the new AHERA
schools rule, and some have
started their own educational ef-
forts to improve understanding of
the AHERA requirements and
proper asbestos control practices.
The addresses and phone numbers
of the national offices of PTA and
NEA are listed at the end of this
pamphlet.
The EPA Toxic Substances Con-
trol Act (TSCA) Hotline is avail-
able to answer your questions
about the new AHERA regula-
tions and about asbestos in gen-
eral. You can obtain a variety of
asbestos guidance documents by
calling the TSCA Hotline at
(202) 554-1404.
Finally, EPA has an asbestos
ombudsman to help citizens with
asbestos-in-schools issues, ques-
tions, and complaints. This office
can be reached through a toll-free
number at (8001 368-5888.
Regional Asbestos Coordinators
EPA Region 1
JFK Federal Building
Boston, MA 02203
(617) 565-3835
(Connecticut, Maine,
Massachusetts, New
Hampshire, Rhode Island, and
Vermont)
EPA Region 2
Woodbridge Avenue
Edison, NJ 08837
(201)321-6671
(New Jersey, New York, Puerto
Rico, and Virgin Islands)
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EPA Region 3
841 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 597-3160
(Delaware, District of
Columbia. Maryland,
Pennsylvania, Virginia, and
West Virginia)
EPA Region 4
345 Cortland Street. X.E.
Atlanta. GA 30365
(404> 347-5014
(Alabama. Florida. Georgia.
Kentucky. Mississippi. North
Carolina. South Carolina, and
Tennessee)
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EPA Region 5
230 S. Dearborn Street
Chicago, IL 60604
(312) 886-6003
(Illinois, Indiana, Michigan,
Minnesota, Ohio, and
Wisconsin)
EPA Region 6
Allied Bank Tower
1445 Ross Avenue
Dallas, TX 75202-2733
(214) 655-7244
(Arkansas, Louisiana, New
Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas)
EPA Region 7
726 Minnesota Avenue
Kansas City, KS 66101
(913) 236-2835
(Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and
Nebraska)
EPA Region 8
One Denver Place
999 18th Street, Suite 500
Denver, CO 80202-2413
(303) 293-1744
(Colorado, Montana, North
Dakota, South Dakota, Utah,
and Wyoming)
EPA Region 9
215 Fremont Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 974-7290
(Arizona, California, Hawaii,
Nevada, American Samoa, and
Guam)
EPA Region 10
1200 6th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 442-4762
(Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and
Washington)
National Parent Teacher
Association
National FTA
700 N. Rush Street
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 787-0977
National PTA
Government Relations Office
1201 16th Street, N.W.
Suite 621
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 822-7878
National Education Association
NEA
1201 16th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20036
Division of Government
Relations
(202) 822-7300
or
Office of General Counsel
(202) 822-7035
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Prepared by the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
The National
Education Association
The National Parent
Teacher Association
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