Evaluation of Glove Bag Containment in Asbestos Removal

摘要

The glove bag control techniques used to contain the emission of asbestos (1332214) fibers during the removal of asbestos containing pipe lagging were evaluated. The data were obtained during week long surveys in each of four public school buildings. Reports detailing the specific conditions and operations observed were generated for each pipe lagging removal site. Exposure measurements determined from personal samples indicated short term exposures as high as 9.0 fibers/cubic centimeter (f/cc) and time weighted average exposures of 0.3f/cc occurring during asbestos removal operations. Airborne asbestos contamination was determined in the work area before and after removal. Aggressive and nonaggressive sampling techniques were used for collecting area samples both before removal and after removal and subsequent cleaning. The results of the analyses indicated that glove bags as used at these four schools did not completely contain the asbestos being removed. In three of the four facilities workers were exposed to airborne asbestos concentrations above the OSHA permissible exposure limit (2f/cc at the time of the study). The authors conclude that the use of glove bags results in unpredictable exposure levels that may present an exposure hazard to workers and contamination of the work site.