Hazard Alert
Asbestos in Construction
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The
Center to Protect Workers' Rights
Asbestos can hurt your lungs and many uses for it have been banned. But
this mineral is still used in construction, mainly in roof panels and
packing gaskets. And construction workers still are exposed to asbestos
during remodeling and demolition: Asbestos is often in old fireproofing,
roofing, vinyl flooring, pipe and boiler insulation, and some roads and
cement pipe and cement sheet products.
Thousands of construction workers have died from diseases caused by work
with — or near — asbestos without protection. And 10,000 people are expected
to die each year for the next 10 years because of past exposures to asbestos.
Asbestos diseases can sometimes take 20 years or more to show up after
you are exposed. All kinds of asbestos are dangerous.
The construction
trades most at risk from asbestos have been insulators, plumbers and pipefitters,
electricians, and sheet metal workers. But any construction worker
may be in danger during maintenance, remodeling, or demolition of an old
building or road. Sometimes workers' families are at risk, too, from
asbestos taken home on workers' clothes or shoes.
Some asbestos fibers are so small you cannot see them. They are the most
dangerous because they can get in your lungs.
Asbestos can cause asbestosis, which scars your lungs and makes
it hard to breathe. You can also get lung cancer or mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the chest or stomach. All
kinds of asbestos can give you these diseases, including chrysotile asbestos.
The more you are exposed to asbestos, the more chance you will get sick
later on. If you smoke, your chances of lung cancer from the asbestos
go up 10 times or more compared with a worker who does not smoke.
Any building built
before 1980 can have asbestos in the insulation, fireproofing, floors,
walls, or roof. Newer buildings can have asbestos in the roof or floors.
If you do not know if there is asbestos in a building (or road), OSHA
says you must act as if there is asbestos.
- Before you
disturb asbestos (loosen the fibers), you must have special training.
This is what OSHA and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) say.
Your employer must pay for your training. The training takes from 1 to
4 days. In some cases, you must get more training each year.
- Where there
is asbestos work, there should be a "competent person," as defined
by OSHA, to answer your questions. The competent person should know the
requirements for personal protection and inspect the job regularly.
- If you disturb
or remove asbestos, you must wear at least a half-face respirator
with N-, R-, or P-100 (HEPA) cartridges. OSHA says you must use the respirator,
except in some cases, like some roofing and flooring work. Ask the competent
person if you have the protection you need.
- Even if you wear
a respirator, try to reduce the asbestos in the air. OSHA and EPA
say you must keep the asbestos wet. Vacuum the dust using special HEPA
vacuums, which can capture very small fibers. Right away, collect and
close all waste in special bags to hold asbestos.
- Do not eat,
drink, or smoke in an asbestos work area. Clean your hands and face
before you eat, drink, or smoke.
- Family members
of construction workers have died of asbestos disease. They got sick
from asbestos taken home on a worker's clothes or shoes. So, leave your
work clothes and shoes at work and wash them at work. Or use throw-away
work clothes. If you do asbestos abatement, OSHA says you must shower
before you leave work.
- If you have
been exposed to asbestos on the job, go to a doctor who knows about
work-related diseases or lung diseases. Tell the doctor you have worked
around asbestos. Ask the doctor when you should be checked again.
- If you smoke,
quit.
The asbestos workers',
bricklayers', carpenters', laborers', painters', roofers', and sheetmetal
workers' international unions provide special training and certification
for asbestos abatement work. Some other unions arrange training for
their members. Call your union or the Building and Construction Trades
Department.
If you have questions about asbestos in schools, call the Environmental
Protection Agency.
If you have other questions about asbestos, call your local union, the
Center to Protect Workers' Rights (301-578-8500 or www.cpwr.com
, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (1-800-35-NIOSH
or www.cdc.gov/niosh),
or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA, www.osha.gov) – or check www.elcosh.org.
This document appears in the eLCOSH website with the permission of the
author and/or copyright holder and may not be reproduced without their
consent. eLCOSH is an information clearinghouse. eLCOSH and its sponsors
are not responsible for the accuracy of information provided on this
web site, nor for its use or misuse.
© 2001, The Center to Protect Workers' Rights. All rights reserved.
The Center to Protect Workers' Rights is the research and development
institute of the Building and Construction Trades Dept., AFL-CIO: CPWR,
Suite 1000, 8484 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910. (Edward C. Sullivan
is president of the Building and Construction Trades Department and
CPWR and Joseph Maloney is secretary treasurer.) Production of this
flyer was supported by grants UO2/310982 and UO2/312014 from the National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The contents are
solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent
the official views of NIOSH.
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