Phillip Adams of the ABC interviews the following about asbestos
issues.
Matt Peacock
ABC Journalist and Senior Reporter with the 7:30 Report.
Jock McCulloch
Professor of History at RMIT University.
Geoffrey Tweedale
Professor of History at the Manchester Metropolitan University
[Courtesy ABC]
ASBESTOS
1 Introduction
2 Legal Obligations
3 Asbestos containing materials (ACM)
4 Damage to Heath
5 Health Risk Assessment
6 Labelling
7 Activities Involving Potential Exposure
8 Minimising Potential Exposure
1INTRODUCTION
The aim of asbestos awareness-training is to provide a basic
understanding and perspective of asbestos issues in the workplace.
Education and training is a fundamental part of the understanding
and management of all types of hazards in the workplace.
2 LEGAL OBLIGATIONS
All Australian workplaces are governed byAsbestos
legislation.
Victoria has the strictest Asbestos regulatory controls in
Australia.
WorkSafe licensed removal contractors must carry out the removal
and or handling of asbestos materials. (Except for limited removal
of non friable asbestos materials by un licensed persons)
The management of asbestos materials in (Victorian)workplaces
and or the removal or handling of asbestos materials must comply
with the requirements of;
Victorian Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004.
Victorian Occupational Health & Safety Regulations
2007
WorkSafe Victoria Compliance Code – Removing Asbestos in
Workplaces 2008
WorkSafe Victoria Compliance Code – Managing Asbestos in
Workplaces 2008
Go to Regs & Codes page for these documents.
3 ASBESTOS
CONTAINING MATERIALS (ACM)
Asbestos is a generic term for a group of naturally occurring
silicate minerals that are mined primarily in South Africa, Canada,
and Russia. Asbestos can appear in fibrous crystal form, and when
milled, separates into flexible fibres. There are three
commercially grades of asbestos.
Chrysotile is white asbestos with fine silky fibers. It
accounts for over 90 percent of the asbestos used in Australia and
is the least hazardous type. This fibre is the only one still
legally imported and used in Australia in the friction materials
industry. I.e brakes.
Commonly found in, asbestos cement (AC) sheet and pipe, vinyl
floor tiles, sealants, braided rope seals, gaskets, roofing felts,
switchboards, brake linings, etc.
Amosite is brown asbestos and is used mostly in thermal
insulation materials. The second most hazardous type. Commonly
found in, limpet sprayed fire proofing, pipe & boiler lagging,
AC sheet and pipe, etc.
Crocidolite is blue asbestos and is the most hazardous
type.
Commonly found in, limpet sprayed fire proofing, pipe &
boiler lagging, older AC sheet and pipe, etc.
Asbestos fibres have the following characteristics:
Resistant to heat, fire, bacteria and chemicals
Great tensile strength and stiffness. Blue Asbestos has the
tensile strength of mild steel.
Excellent electrical and thermal insulator
Acoustic insulation
Resistant to the effects of friction and wear
Bonding reinforcing material
FRIABLE ASBESTOS MATERIALS
An important term used in describing the condition of asbestos
is the word "friable."
A material is considered friable if it can be reduced to powder
by hand pressure when dry.
Friable examples include, limpet (sprayed fire proofing /
coatings, thermal and acoustic insulation applications) pipe and
boiler lagging, etc.
Non friableasbestos materials typically include moulded pre
formed products; cement sheet roofing, walls, pipes, vinyl floor
tiles, Zelemite tar boards, sealants, tar membranes, etc.
Although the use of asbestos in thermal, surfacing, and fire
proofing materials was banned in 1978, buildings constructed as
late as 1990 have been found to contain asbestos building
materials. Some building materials found to contain asbestos
include:
Acoustic ceiling tiles
Asbestos cement sheet and pipe and pre formed materials
Bituminous roofing felts, Malthoid
Expansion joint fillers
Fire stop packing in wall penetrations
Gaskets and packing, braided seals, ropes and sealants in plant
and equipment
Lift motor brake linings, spark arrestors, electrical cable
wrap
Limpet acoustic sprayed ceiling finish
Limpet fireproofing insulation for structural steel beams,
lintels, trussess, columns,
Millboard and paper for lino backing, duct insultation, fire
door cores
Thermal hot pipe and vessel lagging for boilers, headers,
calorifiers, pipework
Vermiculite / Monocote finishes
Vinyl floor tiles and lino backing (Millboard paper)
Zelemite compressed tar electrical backing boards and many
others.
4 DAMAGE TO HEALTH
Routes of entry into the body
While asbestos fibres may gain entry into the body through
inhalation and ingestion, by far the major route is inhalation.
Asbestos fibres have no odour, and are for the most part invisible
to the naked eye.
The respiratory system includes the mouth, nose, wind pipe
(trachea), bronchi and lungs.
The lungs contain air sacks called alveoli. The alveoli are the
sites where oxygen is absorbed into the blood and carbon dioxide is
removed from the blood. Your body's respiratory system has defence
mechanisms, which work to keep foreign particles from causing
damage. Studies indicate that these mechanisms are 95 to 98 percent
effective.
Bodily Defencemechanisms and their functions are:
The mouth and nose filter out the larger fibres and
particles.
Coated bronchi filter out smaller fibres and particles.
Cilia, which are hair-like protrusions on cells lining the
airways (bronchial tree), move the fibres and particles up to the
back of the mouth where they are ingested or expelled.
The smallest fibres and particles which are not previously
trapped may travel to the alveoli in the respiratory system. Here
they may be attacked by large cells, known as macrophages, which
attempt to digest them.
Most of the available information about asbestos diseases comes
from studying workers in the various asbestos industries. The bulk
of the data comes from World War II shipbuilding activities and the
asbestos industries in Australia, United States and England.
Exposure to very high levels of airborne asbestos typical of the
asbestos workplace prior to 1972 has been linked with the following
diseases:
Asbestosis is a chronic disease in which lungs become scarred
(fibrosis) as a result of a
biological reaction to the inhalation of asbestos fibres.
Scarring causes thickening of the
walls of the lungs and a reduction in the capacity for transfer
of oxygen to the bloodstream.
Asbestosis usually results after exposure to high concentrations
of fibres over a long period of time. Symptoms usually occur 15 to
35 years after the first exposure.
Mesothelioma is a cancer of the covering of the lung or lining
of the chest or abdominal
cavities. It is the rarest form of the asbestos-related
diseases. This disease is always
rapidly fatal, usually within a year after diagnosis. There is a
direct relationship between smoking and the risk of developing
Mesothelioma. The latency period is usually 25 to 30 years for
mesothelioma.
Lung Cancer is now responsible for roughly 50% of the deaths
that occur from past asbestos exposures.
Generally, the earliest symptom is the development of a
persistent cough or chronic cough. Later symptoms include loss of
appetite, weight loss, pain and general weakness.
Other cancers have been noted in a very few individuals who are
occupationally exposed to asbestos. These tumors are usually
cancers of the gastrointestinal tract.
Smoking and Lung Cancer
The combination of asbestos exposure and smoking greatly
increases the risk of developing lung cancer. Smoking with asbestos
exposure does not just double the risk, but multiplies it many
times. Unprotected Asbestos workers are approximately five times
more likely to develop lung cancer than the general population.
Smokers are ten times more likely to develop lung cancer than the
general population. A person who works with asbestos and also
smokes is likely to have an approximate 50 times greater risk of
contracting lung cancer.
5 HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT
Some biological and physical factors that influence the asbestos
risks to health include,
Friable asbestos materials are more hazardous than non friable
asbestos materials
E.g pipe / boiler lagging is more hazardous than AC sheet,
gaskets, seals, vinyl, etc.
Whether the product is external or internal. Internal materials
generally provide more risk than external materials for the same
type and condition.
The proximity of the asbestos product to the unprotected
person.
The type of asbestos fibre. Crocidolite (blue) asbestos and
Amosite (brown asbestos) are more hazardous than Chrysotile (white)
asbestos.
Concentration in air of the fibre. 0.01 fibre per millilitre of
air is considered safe.
Synergistic effects. (cocktail effect, smoking increases the
risk)
Environmental conditions. Heat, cold, wind and rain affect fibre
release and spread.
6 LABELLING
Regulation 4.3.27 (6) requires labelling of workplace asbestos
containing material (ACM).
Extract;
(6) In relation to asbestos that is identified under
subregulation (1)(b), the employer must ensure that— (a) the
presence and location of the asbestos are clearly indicated; and
(b) if reasonably practicable, the indication is by labelling.
However it is our experience that the majority of workplaces
have not carried this out.
The majority of buildings that contain asbestos materials have
little if any labelling indicating the presence of asbestos and
therefore suspect materials should be deemed asbestos containing
unless otherwise identified. Copy and paste these labelsand apply to a
clean surface of the asbestos material (without disturbing it). I.e
use A4 sheet labels (4, 6, 8 labels to a sheet), adjust graphic
size to suit label.
7 ACTIVITIES INVOLVING POTENTIAL EXPOSURE
Any disturbance to an asbestos product may cause an asbestos
exposure risk.
This disturbance may be by mechanical, human or by environmental
means.
Some non-friable materials may become friable if they are cut,
drilled or damaged by water. Friable materials are more likely to
release fibres into the air where they can be a source of
exposure.
The presence of asbestos alone in a building does not mean that
the building occupants are necessarily AT RISK OF EXPOSURE. As long
as asbestos-containing materials remain in good condition and are
not disturbed exposure is unlikely.
Whendamage, building maintenance, repair, renovation or other
activities disturb ACM, asbestos fibres can be released creating a
potential hazard to building occupants. Fibre release may occur in
several ways:
Fallout. Old and or deteriorated materials release fibres more
easily due to the damage or destruction of the bonding agents used
to hold the asbestos product together. Fallout may result in fibres
being deposited on horizontal surfaces over time due to humidity,
vibration product expansion / contraction or general ageing.
Contact. Striking, cutting, drilling, etc. will release bulk
fibres into the environment.
Air erosion is also a form of contact and may release fibres to
the environment from damaged or exposed material.
Work Practices. Sweeping, dusting or non HEPA filtered vacuuming
of settled dust may result in asbestos fibres being re-suspended
into the atmosphere.
8 MINIMIZING POTENTIAL
EXPOSURE
Read the asbestos audit report. (In Victoria its referred to as
the Division 5 or 6 / Part 5 or 6 report)
Demolition and Refurbishment work must have a Division 6 report
prior to job start.
ACM must be removed and removal areas cleared prior to
commencement of demolition works.
Do not drill, sand, grind or cut materials that may contain
ACM.
Clean-up of asbestos containing materials should only be done
using a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) vacuum and or wet
methods by licensed persons
Become familiar with the health hazards associated with ACM.
Be aware of areas that could potentially contain ACM.
Assist in the prevention of activities which disturb the ACM,
i.e. usual demolition
When asbestos fibres become airborne, people working with
asbestos may inhale fibres, which remain in their lungs. Over time,
these fibres can cause disease. A person's chance of developing
asbestos-related disease depends on how much asbestos they were
exposed to and for how long.
Smoking increases the risk of asbestos-related diseases.
The use of asbestos was probably at its highest in the mid to
late 70s, but asbestos cement products like asbestos flues and
water pipes were still being installed into the 1990s. Asbestos use
in brake linings and pads and clutch plates has only recently been
phased out. People who were involved in the following industries in
the past were at greatest risk:
Mining, milling and manufacture of asbestos products
Tradespeople who installed these products such as laggers
Shipbuilding
Boiler attendants, fitters
Railway carriage construction
Office and industrial building construction
Power industries (i.e old SEC plants in the La Trobe Valley in
Victoria)
Wives and children of the above and many other incidences
Workers and families were at greatest risk. Workers involved in
the mining, milling or manufacture of asbestos (I.e Wittenoom) and
in the construction, power (I.e SEC) and shipbuilding industries
have been exposed in the period before stringent controls were
enforced. Families of asbestos workers may also have been exposed
to asbestos fibres brought home on workers' clothing. Asbestos use
in new products is now banned Since 31 December 2003, asbestos and
all products containing asbestos have been banned
Australia-wide.
Asbestos materials cannot be imported, stored, supplied, sold,
installed, used or re-used. . The Occupational Health & Safety
(Asbestos) Regulations 2007, also specify that only licensed
asbestos removalists may remove fixed or installed
asbestos-containing material (except in certain limited
circumstances). Transporting and disposal of asbestos The transport
and disposal of asbestos waste is controlled by the Environment
Protection Authority, which stipulates the safe handling and
disposal through specific licensing.
Asbestos and the building trades Today, workers in the building
trades - such as plumbers, carpenters and electricians, especially
those who are self-employed - could be exposed to asbestos. This
will happen if they work on materials that contain asbestos in such
a way that fibres are released into the air: for example, when
using power tools. Asbestos that is not disturbed and the fibres of
which remain contained does not pose a risk for people using the
building.
Asbestos in the home.
Asbestos materials are still commonly found in homes. They can
be harmful only if the asbestos fibres are released into the air
and breathed in. If building materials like asbestos cement
sheeting (used for walls and roofs) are in good condition, the
asbestos fibres are tightly bound and very few escape into the air.
These materials are very unlikely to cause health problems. Even if
the walls or roof are not in good condition, the number of fibres
released is very small. Asbestos fibres are most likely to be
released if asbestos-containing material is disturbed: for example,
during home renovations that involve drilling, cutting, sawing or
breaking of the asbestos-containing material. Ways to work safely
with asbestos are outlined in Asbestos in the home - see
related articles below. Where to get help
Your local doctor - for concerns about health
Local council - for enquiries or complaints regarding the
removal or disposal of asbestos in your neighbourhood
Department of Human Services (Environmental Health Unit)- for a
copy of the booklet, Asbestos in the home.Tel. (03) 9637
4156 or website
WorkSafe Victoria - for information about asbestos in the
workplace and licensed asbestos removalists. Tel. (03) 9641 1555 or
website
Environment Protection Authority Victoria -for enquiries about
correct disposal of asbestos-containing materials. Tel (03) 9695
2722
>Contact this office for a list of WorkSafe licensed asbestos
removalists.
Click here for Asbestos Labels &
Signs (PDF file) Open file, copy and paste (click camera icon)
appropriate label to Word then print on labels sheet or laminate
single page.
For outdoor applications use laminated labels or metal
signs.
Asbestos is a mineral rock that is made up of masses of tiny
fibres. For many decades, asbestos was mined and widely used in
building materials and for insulation, fireproofing and sound
absorption.
Why is asbestos dangerous?
When asbestos is disturbed, it forms a dust made up of tiny
fibres. This can easily be breathed in and cause serious health
problems, notably:
The health hazards of asbestos have become clear in recent
decades and its use is now restricted in Australia.
Who is at risk?
Almost everyone has been exposed to some asbestos fibres, but
for most the exposure and the risk are very small. People who have
been exposed to asbestos fibres in their jobs are at greater risk.
Such jobs include:
mining or milling asbestos
manufacture and repair of goods using raw asbestos fibres, such
as brake linings
use of products containing asbestos, for instance in building
and construction, heating, shipyards, power stations, boiler making
and plumbing
alteration, repair or demolition of buildings or other
structures containing asbestos.
It may take up to 30 or 40 years after exposure for any disease
caused by asbestos to become evident. Most workers exposed to
asbestos will not develop an asbestos-related disease.
What are the symptoms of asbestos-related disease?
If you have been exposed to asbestos you should tell your
doctor. He or she will examine you and may refer you for tests, for
example, a chest x-rayor
lung function test. If you smoke, you should stop, since smoking
can greatly increase your chance of developing asbestos-related
lung cancer. You should see your doctor if you experience any of
the following symptoms:
Pleural plaque is not cancer,
and it does not cause cancer. It takes at least seven years to
develop after asbestos exposure. It is quite common, generally
causes no symptoms and generally requires no treatment. It may
cause a dull pain or, in rare cases, make you short of breath. A
plaque is a thickened patch, known as ‘fibrosis', on the pleura.
The pleura is the two layers of membrane that line the chest wall
and cover the lungs. While pleural plaque shows that you may have
been exposed to asbestos, pleural thickening can also be caused by
a lung infection. If you have pleural plaque, it is important that
you stop smoking. You need to see your doctor for regular check-ups
and have a chest x-ray every three to five years. You may also need
to have a lung function test.
Asbestosis
Asbestosis is not cancer but is a serious disease. It takes 10
years or more after asbestos exposure to develop. It causes
scarring of the lungsand
may lead to disability or even death.
Asbestosis is not cancer but is a serious disease. It takes 10
years or more after asbestos exposure to develop. It causes
scarring of the lungs and may lead to disability or even death.
When asbestos fibres stay deep in the lungs, scar tissue forms
around them, and this may grow over years. The scar tissue can be
seen on a chest x-ray. It stops oxygen moving into the bloodstream,
so the person with asbestosis feels out of breath. The doctor will
also hear ‘crackles' in your chest-a bit like the sound made by
rubbing hair between your fingers. These are signs of scar tissue
in the lungs.
Asbestosis slowly progresses over time. Some treatments can help
to improve quality of life. Extra oxygen can help some people-you
should discuss this with your doctor.
Asbestosis usually develops in asbestos workers who have had a
lot of exposure, so new cases in Australia are becoming uncommon.
People with asbestosis may also develop lung cancer.
Lung cancer
Lung cancer may not develop until decades or more after
exposure, and is much more likely to develop in smokers and people
with asbestosis.
If you have been exposed to asbestos and you smoke, your risk of
getting lung cancer is very high-perhaps as much as 90 times that
of non-smokers who have not been exposed to asbestos. If you have
been exposed to asbestos, you can probably reduce your risk if you
stop smoking. The risk continues to fall the longer you don't
smoke.
Mesothelioma
This is a cancer that is very strongly linked to asbestos
exposure, occurring more frequently in Australia than anywhere else
in the world. Mesotheliomas can take 30 or 40 years after exposure
to asbestos fibresto develop. The most common type starts in the pleura(the
two layers of membrane that line the chest wall and cover the
lungs).
Mesothelioma may occur in one or more places over the pleura. It
forms growths shaped like small pieces of cauliflower. They grow
and spread gradually to surrounding areas.
If asbestos fibres are ‘breathed into' the stomach, they may
also work their way through the stomach wall and cause mesothelioma
in the lining of the abdomen(peritoneum).
Occasionally, mesothelioma arises in the membrane around the heart
or the reproductive organs.
Symptoms of mesothelioma
The cancer causes cells in the pleura to produce fluid, called a
pleural effusion. The fluid builds up between the two layers of
pleura and presses on the lungs. This causes shortness of breath
and a dry cough, and can also be painful. As the cancer progresses,
it can grow into the lung, lymph nodes, chest wall and ribs.
Mesothelioma in the peritoneum ('peritoneal mesothelioma')
causes pain and a swollen abdomen, sometimes with nausea,
vomiting, fever or bowel or urinary problems.
In both types, other symptoms may appear later, including severe
weight loss, spitting up sputum or blood, difficulty swallowing and
a hoarse voice.
Treatment for mesothelioma
There is no proven cure for mesothelioma, but new research
findings have recently resulted in better symptom relief and longer
survival. The main aim of treatment is to keep quality of life as
good as possible for as long as possible.
Some people's outlook is better than others, and occasionally
doctors from the larger cancer centres can recommend more effective
therapies that have tolerable side effects.
Your decision about treatment will depend on how far your cancer
has progressed, what you prefer and what your doctor suggests.
PET/CT scans and specific blood tests may help to choose which
treatment option is suitable for individual patients.
All treatments have good and bad points and risks, and you
should talk these over with your doctor. Opinions may vary between
different specialists, and some people will find it helpful to get
a second opinion from experts who treat larger numbers of
mesothelioma patients as part of a dedicated team at specialised
cancer centres.
Surgery
You may be advised to have an operation known as ‘pleurectomy'.
This is a major operation. The operation itself carries a risk of
complications and death and cannot help everyone. For a few people,
however, it may be worthwhile. If the cancer is found when it is
still small, and you are otherwise fit, pleurectomy may help to
gain a few more months or, sometimes, some years of good quality
life.
Some surgeons also use phototherapy with surgery.
This means that before the operation, a special substance is
injected in a vein. This gets taken up by cancer cells and shows up
under laser light. After removing the pleura, the surgeon uses a
laser light to find extra cancer cells around the outside of the
lungs, and destroys them with the laser. The downside of this
treatment is that you must stay away from sunlight for the next six
weeks.
The surgeon may also suggest removing part or all of a lung, if
the cancer has spread into it. Sometimes lymph nodes inside the
chest are removed together with part of the diaphragm and any
tumour deposits growing through the ribs but involving only one
side of the chest, in an operation called an extrapleural
pneumonectomy.
If a major operation is planned, the addition of chemotherapy
and radiotherapy should be considered to reduce the chances of the
cancer growing back.
Chemotherapy
Your doctor may recommend chemotherapy(treatment
with drugs that kill cancer cells). This will usually be
recommended if other treatments are not suitable or the cancer has
regrown following other treatment. In many cases it may reduce the
size of the cancer, reduce its symptoms and improve quality of
life. In addition, chemotherapy has been shown to gain a few more
months of life.The more effective drugs that are now available to
mesothelioma patients include combinations of pemetrexed (Alimta),
cisplatin or carboplatin and gemcitabine.
Controlling the fluid build-up
Often the first concern with mesothelioma is to prevent or
control pleural effusion-the build up of fluid around the lungs.
The surgeon can put an irritant like surgical talcum powder into
the pleural sac. The pleura becomes inflamed and the two layers
stick together. This leaves no space for fluid, so the cells stop
producing it. This is called pleurodesis. It is often done during
thoracoscopy, when the doctor is looking inside the chest with a
flexible instrument like a small telescope. Pleurodesis does not
work for everyone. Removing the pleura will also control fluid
build-up, but as discussed above, it is a major operation.
Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy (treatment with radiation, using x-rays) to small
areas of the chest can often help control pain and lumps that grow
up from the surgical scars. It has generally not been used to treat
the whole pleura because it would do too much damage to the lungs, heart and liver.
This damage can be reduced by delivering the radiotherapy after
most of the mesothelioma has been removed by major surgery.
Recently, new advanced methods of high dose radiotherapy using very
complex beam arrangements with state of the art radiotherapy
equipment ( known as IMRT - intensity-modulated radiotherapy) have
been adopted successfully in a few specialised centres.
Treatment for peritoneal mesothelioma
If mesothelioma is in the lining of the abdomen-
the peritoneum - surgerycan
often help. It is not often possible to remove all the cancer, but
surgery may prolong life and can relieve symptoms such as bowel
obstruction and pain. Radiotherapyand
chemotherapymay
also be used.
Side effects of treatment
In radiotherapy, the x-raysare
carefully targeted to do as little damage as possible to normal
body tissues.
It may cause some side effects, but most go away after treatment
stops. They can include tiredness, reddened and peeling skin in the
treated area, nausea, vomiting and difficulty swallowing for a few
days or weeks. It can also cause permanent changes (‘fibrosis') in
the lung tissue. This is not usually a problem unless high doses of
radiotherapy are used to a large area.
The side effects of chemotherapydepend
on the drugs used and can vary from person to person. The side
effects usually go away after treatment stops. Your doctor will
talk to you about the side effects you might expect, and how to
manage them. With surgery there may be a chest pain; this usually
goes away or greatly improves over weeks to months.
Compensation for asbestos-related disease
If you developed lung disease after exposure to asbestos, you
may be entitled to seek compensation. Contact the Asbestos Disease
Society of Victoria or your solicitor for information.
63 Tope St South Melbourne 3205 Australia.
Tel 03 9686 9224, Fax 03 9686 9225 Email Us
