Asbestos certification and violation fine notice, n.d.

Z z ■< -< o In What Form Is Asbestos Dangerous? o CD Experts consider asbestos fibers to be relatively safe when they are firmly § bonded or compacted within another material. However, when loosely '2 o o bonded, these fibers may crumble into a dust comprised of microscopic asbestos particles. This form of friable asbestos is easily released into the •u c CT o' Ji. air where it can be inhaled, swallowed or become attached to clothing. u to Airborne asbestos poses the greatest health threat. o C3) 3. CD Tightly-bonded asbestos can also pose a health risk when it is disturbed, f Although the City banned the use of asbestos in construction in 1972, O o renovation or demolition of buildings constructed prior to that time may o c result in the release of asbestos which had previously been safely 3 CD contained. 3

Public Health Is Threatened When: • Asbestos materials are present in a form which may result in the release of asbestos fibers into the air: materials that can be pulverized by hand pressure are of much greater concern than hard cement compounds ■ ah'S or solid vinyl asbestos tiles which contain asbestos. • Existing asbestos is disturbed by renovation work or the installation of new heating, electrical or communication systems. • Asbestos removal is undertaken without adequate safety precautions and properly trained personnel.

What Are The Health Hazards? Asbestos, according to the medical experts, increases the risk of four serious diseases: 1, Asbestosis: This illness results from chronic exposure to airborne asbestos fibers and is not a disease found in the general population. It involves the scarring of lung tissue and may lead to shortness of breath or more serious lung damage. 2. Lung Cancer: According to recent statistics, 20% of all asbestos Federal Laws workers die of lung cancer. This illness usually develops 20 to 40 years Two agencies of the Federal government offer protection from unsafe after the initial exposure. asbestos work: 34 Mesothelioma: Most cases of this cancer can be linked to asbestos • The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) monitors exposure. Mesothelioma attacks the thin membrane that lines the chest, asbestos-related work and mandates legal limits on exposure in the lungs and abdomen, workspace (not more than .2 asbestos fibers per cubic centimenter of air). 4. Gastro-Intestinal And Other Cancers: There is evidence that • The Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) monitors the asbestos may cause cancers along the esophagus, the tube leading from handling and removal of asbestos through the Clean Air Act/National the back of the mouth to the stomach. Asbestos particles contained in Emissions Standard For Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) program. food, beverages or anything put in the mouth, can be swallowed and I Construction activities (demolition or renovation) which will disturb passed along the digestive tract. asbestos must be reported to the EPA prior to removal of asbestos. Detailed plans for asbestos removal and disposal must be submitted for How Does The Law Protect Me From Asbestos? projects that remove 260 linear feet of asbestos covered pipe or 160 Decreasing human exposure to asbestos has become an environmental square feet of asbestos-containing material. Recently proposed priority. The City, State and Federal governments have passed numerous regulations would phase out most use of asbestos over the next ten years. laws strictly regulating most asbestos-related work. The following are • In addition, under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the some highlights of recent asbestos legislation: Federal EPA also requires that all primary and secondary schools inspect,