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ASSESSMENT OF ASBESTOS REMOVAL CARRIED OUT USING EPA PURPLE BOOK GUIDANCE
Citation:
Kominsky, J. R. AND R. Freyburg. ASSESSMENT OF ASBESTOS REMOVAL CARRIED OUT USING EPA PURPLE BOOK GUIDANCE. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/2-91/003 (NTIS 91-148338), 1991.
Description:
A statistical evaluation of airborne asbestos data collected before, during, and after removal of spray-applied asbestos-containing fireproofing at three university buildings is presented. Each abatement project was conducted in accordance with the work practices and procedures recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in ‘Guidance for Controlling Asbestos-Containing Materials in Buildings,’ (the Purple Book). Containment barriers should be designed to effectively prevent a significant increase in airborne concentrations outside the work area during and after abatement. An increase in asbestos concentration outside the work area could allow an abatement site to be cleared when the level inside the containment is similarly elevated. This holds true whether PCM or TEM is used for the clearance. This weakness in the guidance for location of sampling outside of the containment barrier is one of the major findings of the study. A requirement to monitor the concentration of asbestos outside the work area before and after abatement is recommended to be added to the clearance procedure.