Asbestos exposure risk from ceiling and other building materials

Although much research has been conducted regarding asbestos removal and worker exposure, there are gaps in our understanding of the extent of asbestos-containing materials still present in building materials and the effectiveness of exposure controls used during the removal of these materials. We conducted a review of third party surveys and exposure assessment reports to: (1)  Evaluate the exposure levels measured by personal and area asbestos air sampling during abatement of ceiling and other building materials to measure the effectiveness of site controls, (2) summarize the type and concentration of asbestos identified in residential and commercial buildings’ building materials. A literature research was performed using Bing, Google, and Yahoo search engines to identify (commercially) unpublished asbestos survey reports and air sampling reports during asbestos removal to assess exposure potentials. The data extracted resulted in 3012 bulk samples assessed for concentration and type; 617 contained asbestos. Forty-one types of Asbestos-containing material (ACM) were identified. All ACMs identified were chrysotile. The chrysotile concentration in the bulk samples ranged from non-detectable to 100%. Air sampling exposure data from two asbestos abatement projects were assessed. The maximum unweighted (time) personal exposure measured was 0.0201 f/cc. Based on our evaluation of the exposure records from the removal of ACM in both commercial and residential settings where type and concentration of asbestos was known, the risk for overexposure is low based on the effectiveness of implemented risk management strategies.    Key words: Asbestos, abatement, occupational exposure , environmental monitoring.