Asbestos Awareness

What is Asbestos?
Asbestos is the name applied to various naturally occurring silicate minerals. The types successfully mined and marketed include: amosite (brown), chrysotile (white), tremolite, actinolite, anthophyllite, and crocidolite (blue). Asbestos is probably the best insulator known to man. Asbestos fibers are resistant to chemicals and heat, do not evaporate into air or dissolve in water, are very stable in the environment, and are also virtually indestructible. Because asbestos has so many useful properties, it has been used in over 3,000 different products. Usually asbestos is mixed with other materials to form products. Floor tiles, for example, may contain only a small percentage of asbestos. OSHA mandates that any product/material containing one percent or more of asbestos be identified as an "asbestos-containing material" (ACM).

Where is Asbestos-Containing Material (ACM) Found?
ACM is located in nearly all buildings, workplaces and areas of the University. Examples of ACM products may include but are not limited to:

  • Wall, ceiling, pipe, boiler, fire proofing, and other sprayed-on insulation in buildings
  • Putties, caulks, cements, wall and ceiling textures, mastic, glues and joint compounds
  • Ceiling and floor tiles; Roofing shingles and siding shingles
  • Acoustical plasters and transite materials; Mudded fittings and joints
  • Fire doors and electrical wire insulation; Gaskets; Brake linings and clutch pads
  • These and many other building materials used in construction prior to 1981

When is Asbestos Potentially Hazardous/Dangerous?
Asbestos or ACM is most hazardous when it is "friable". The term "friable" means that the ACM is easily crumbled by hand, releasing fibers into the air. For example, sprayed-on asbestos insulation may be highly friable. However, asbestos-containing ceiling tiles, floor tiles, laboratory cabinet tops, shingles, fire doors, siding shingles, etc., will not release asbestos fibers unless they are disturbed or damaged in some way. If an asbestos containing material is drilled, broken, ground, buffed, cut, sawed, struck or otherwise damaged, it may release fibers into the air. If it is left alone and not disturbed, it will not.

What are the Potential Adverse Health Effects of Overexposure?
ACM material is generally not considered to be harmful unless it is being damaged to the extent that very small fibers are being released into the atmosphere. Upon continual vibration and physical impact such as drilling or grinding, all types of asbestos tend to break into very tiny fibers so small that many must be identified using a microscope. In fact, some fibers may be up to 700 times smaller than a human hair and once released into the air, they may stay suspended there for hours for even days. Asbestos is generally considered to be potentially harmful when very small fibers are inhaled deep into the lungs. The very smallest fibers cannot be removed by the lung's natural defense systems and may become lodged in the alveolar lung tissue. They remain in the lung where these fibers may cause disease. OSHA believes that the most common adverse health effect is "asbestosis", which is scarring of the lungs. Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer of the membrane lining the chest and abdomen (about 200 cases each year in the U.S.A.). Lung cancer is believed to be more common among persons who were cigarette smokers and were exposed to significant amounts of asbestos fibers in various workplaces (mines, mills, factories, and shipyards). Two determining factors seem to be related to the probability of developing these diseases:

  • The amount and duration of exposure - persons exposed frequently over a long period of time are more at risk, making it important to minimize exposures.
  • Whether or not one smokes cigarettes - the first thing a smoker should do to reduce their risk of developing lung cancer is to stop smoking.

    (NOTE: Self-help smoking cessation materials are available through the UNM Employee Health Promotion Program (Johnson Center at 272-4460), the National Cancer Institute (1-800-4-CANCER), the American Heart Association (1-800-242-8721) and the American Lung Association (216 Truman NE at 265-0732)

How Does One Avoid Unnecessary Asbestos Exposure?
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral and is ubiquitous in our natural environment, including the soil, water and air. As such, it is impossible to achieve zero exposure, but it is possible to minimize unnecessary exposure. Because one cannot tell if floor or ceiling tiles contain asbestos just by looking at them, assume that it does and do not damage it. Never break, saw, cut, hammer, drill, damage, disturb or move any ACM or suspect materials. If, for example, you discover some sprayed-on ACM has been knocked off a ceiling, this would be considered a "spill". Do not attempt to clean up yourself! If such suspect ACM material has been damaged, demarcate the immediate area with barrier tape and call the UNM SRS Industrial Hygiene division at 277-0895 for an inspection to determine whether the debris contains asbestos fibers above the OSHA threshold of one percent. The University of New Mexico currently has several certified asbestos abatement contractors retained to encapsulate or remove all damaged ACM.