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EVALUATION OF ASBESTOS LEVELS IN TWO SCHOOLS BEFORE AND AFTER ASBESTOS REMOVAL
Citation:
Karaffa, M., J. Chesson, AND J. Russel. EVALUATION OF ASBESTOS LEVELS IN TWO SCHOOLS BEFORE AND AFTER ASBESTOS REMOVAL. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/2-89/010 (NTIS PB89165922), 1989.
Description:
This report presents a statistical evaluation of airborne asbestos data collected at two schools before and after removal of asbestos-containing material (ACM). Although the monitoring data, are not totally consistent with new Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) requirements and recent EPA guidelines, this study evaluates these historical data by standard statistical methods to determine if abated work areas meet proposed clearance criteria. The objectives of this statistical analysis were to compare 1) airborne asbestos levels indoors after removal with levels outdoors, 2) airborne asbestos levels before and after removal of asbestos, and 3) static sampling and aggressive sampling of airborne asbestos. The results of this evaluation indicated the following: 1) The effect of asbestos removal on indoor air quality is unpredictable; 2) The variability in fiber concentrations among different sampling sites within the same building indicates the need to treat different sites as separate areas for the purpose of clearance; 3) Aggressive sampling is appropriate for clearance testing because it captures more entrainable asbestos structures. Aggressive sampling lowers the chance of declaring a worksite clean when entrainable asbestos is still present.