Industrial hygiene summary report of asbestos exposure assessment for brake mechanics.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Roberts DR ; Zumwalde, Ralph D.
• Description:
  An industrial hygiene study was conducted to assess airborne asbestos (1332214) exposures from vehicle brake maintenance and repair (SIC-7539), and work practices used by mechanics. Personal and general area air samples were collected at six automobile and truck brake service facilities and analyzed for time weighted average (TWA) and peak asbestos fiber concentrations. Bulk samples were collected and analyzed for asbestos fiber content and size. The TWA and peak asbestos concentrations varied with the assembly cleaning methods and time required for cleaning. TWA values of 8 of 13 mechanics exceeded NIOSH recommended standards of 0.1 fiber per cubic centimeter (cc) greater than 5 microns in length, but all were within current OSHA standards of 2 fibers/cc. Fiber concentrations for all cleaning methods except vacuuming were near the NIOSH recommended ceiling of 0.5 fibers/cc. Peak concentrations in two samples collected during compressed air cleaning exceeded the OSHA ceiling of 10 fibers/cc. General area TWA values ranged from 0.08 to 0.28 fibers/cc. The geometric mean chrysotile (12001295) fiber size was 1.7 microns (length) and 0.15 microns (diameter). Thirty percent were chrysotile, 20 percent forsterite, and 50 percent unknown. The authors conclude that excessive exposure to asbestos fibers occurs during brake servicing. Vacuum cleaning systems and NIOSH approved respiratory protection methods are recommended to reduce exposure.
• Subjects:
  Accidents, Occupational Mental Health Occupational Health Preceptorship Printing Safety Safety Management Solvents Workplace
• Keywords:
  Air-quality-monitoring Airborne-fibers Control-methods Field-study Industrial-ventilation IWS-32-4a Lung-irritants Mechanics NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Survey Occupational-exposure

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• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Studies ; Industry Wide
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-42
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00133792
• Citation:
  Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, IWS 32-4a, 1982 Nov; :1-42
• CAS Registry Number:
  Asbestos (CAS RN 1332-21-4) ; Chrysotile (CAS RN 12001-29-5)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1983
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  7539 - Automotive repair shops, not elsewhere classified - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:6f19f6bcbf7d1ec871cc44fb3cf153e19ef30e67ae871f7600c7760de869848979edbfcd738b137523f8e6927b025e68ee314ad1d24d7391ad6f8b7470b29714
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/179599/cdc_179599_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 597.46 KB ]