Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new building ventilation guidance that emphasizes the importance of adequate airflow and upgraded air filtration systems in reducing the transmission of airborne pathogens. The guidance highlights the target of achieving at least 5 air changes per hour (ACH) and utilizing enhanced filters to improve indoor air quality. This development has significant implications for building owners, managers, and individuals concerned about their health and well-being. In this blog post, we will explore the key takeaways from the CDC's new guidance and its importance in creating healthier indoor environments.
​

As a homeowner, you may be eager to start your next home renovation project. However, before you pick up that sledgehammer, it's important to take the necessary precautions to protect yourself and your family from the dangers of asbestos. Asbestos is a hazardous material that can cause serious health problems when its fibers are released into the air.

Asbestos was commonly used in construction materials prior to the 1980s, so if your home was built before then, it's possible that asbestos could be present. Asbestos can be found in insulation, ceiling tiles, flooring, and other building materials. When these materials are disturbed, such as during renovations, the asbestos fibers can become airborne and pose a risk to your health.

The health risks associated with asbestos exposure include lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis. These conditions can take years to develop and often have no early warning signs. Asbestos exposure is particularly dangerous for children, the elderly, and those with pre-existing respiratory conditions.


To protect yourself and your family, it's important to have an asbestos sampling done before starting any renovation project. An asbestos sampling involves taking samples of the building materials in your home and testing them for the presence of asbestos. If asbestos is found, you'll need to hire a professional asbestos abatement contractor to safely remove the materials before you can begin your renovation.

It's important to note that asbestos should never be removed by homeowners themselves. Asbestos abatement is a highly specialized process that requires proper training, equipment, and procedures to ensure the safe removal and disposal of the hazardous materials. Attempting to remove asbestos on your own can result in serious health risks and even legal penalties.
​
In summary, before starting any home renovation project, it's crucial to have an asbestos sampling done by a professional. This will help ensure that your renovation is done safely and that you and your family are not exposed to the dangers of asbestos. Protecting your health should always be a top priority, and taking the necessary steps to identify and remove asbestos is an important part of that.

In summary, it's important to take the necessary precautions to protect yourself and your family from the dangers of asbestos during home renovations. By having an asbestos sampling done by a professional before starting your renovation project, you can ensure that your home is safe and free from asbestos.

If you're concerned about asbestos in your home, contact a professional asbestos abatement contractor like WHS to schedule an inspection. They can provide you with more information about asbestos and help you determine if an asbestos sampling is necessary. Remember, the health and safety of you and your family should always come first.

​Call WHS today to schedule an inspection and ensure the safety of your home during renovations.

WHS Asbestos Exposure Risk Assessment
WHS uses a risk matrix provided below to evaluate the potential exposure to asbestos and determined that the overall risk level was low to moderate. This is a generic risk matrix which can be used with wipe samples, and/or bulk sampling results and incorporates the requirements of BC and Alberta, which have slightly different definitions of Low, Moderate and High-Risk Work.

Conditions for each criteria identified above, and the estimated worker exposure during demolition activities with no additional cleaning or controls implemented to reduce the release of dust and debris and based on details provided in image below.

Conditions for each criteria identified above, and the estimated worker exposure during demolition activities with no additional cleaning or controls implemented to reduce the release of dust and debris and based on details provided in table above.
Green – Minimal Risk/ Background Levels.

• Typical Airborne Concentration: at background levels
• Wipe Samples <10,000 structures/cm2

Yellow 1 - Low Risk of Exposure

• Typical Airborne Concentration: <0.01 fibres per cc.
• Wipe Samples >10,000 structures/cm2 but <100,000 structures/cm2

Yellow 2 – Low Risk of Exposure

• Typical Airborne Concentration: <0.01 fibres per cc.
• Wipe Samples >10,000 structures/cm2 but <100,000 structures/cm2

Orange 1 – Moderate Risk of Exposure

• Typical Airborne Concentration: between 0.01 fibres per cc and 0.02 fibres per cc.
• Wipe Samples >100,000 structures/cm2 but <1,000,000 structures/cm2
• Bulk samples Asbestos content is between 0.5% and 50% chrysotile and the material is non-friable.  Amosite, and Crocidolite present at <5%, vermiculite is bound in the matrix (plaster/stucco)

Orange 2 – Moderate Risk of Exposure

• Typical Airborne Concentration: between 0.01 fibres per cc and 0.05 fibres per cc.
• Wipe Samples >1,000,000 structures/cm2
• Bulk samples Asbestos content is between 0.5% and 50% chrysotile and the material is non-friable. Amosite, and Crocidolite present at <5%, vermiculite is bound in the matrix (plaster/stucco)

Orange 3 – Moderate Risk of Exposure (with a containment)

• Typical Airborne Concentration: between 0.01 fibres per cc and 0.05 fibres per cc.
• Bulk samples Asbestos content is between 0.5% and 50% chrysotile and the material is friable.
• Removal of friable Amosite, via glove bags.
• Potential for excessive dust (drywall dust and debris), occupied school or hospital. Infection Prevention Controls are required.

Red 1 – High Risk

• Typical Airborne Concentration: between 0.1 fibres per cc and 1.0 fibres per cc.
• Work can be performed with a half mask

Red 2 – High Risk

• Typical Airborne Concentration: between 1.0 fibres per cc and 10 fibres per cc.
• Work can be performed with a PAPR

Red 3 – High Risk

• Typical Airborne Concentration: >10 fibres per cc.
• Work can be performed with a PAPR/Supplied Air
• Dry Removal of Chrysotile, Amosite or Crocidolite 

Background
Asbestos was historically used as a friction material in brake linings, disc brake pads and clutch facings in vehicles because of its unique fire resistance and wear properties. With an increase in the awareness of the health risks associated with asbestos and introduction of specific occupational health and safety legislation to address these hazards in the early 1980s, the manufacturing of asbestos-containing friction materials, such as brake pads, in Canada ceased, as did the use of the asbestos-containing products generally.
Risk of Exposure
Asbestos is dangerous to work with and can cause occupational diseases, including respiratory problems, mesothelioma and lung cancer.   For many years asbestos has been recognized as a health hazard for workers performing work in asbestos mining, processing and installation of asbestos products. Several serious, debilitating diseases that often end in death have been linked to the inhalation of fine asbestos fibres. For each disease, there is a period of latency, from 10 to 40 or more years, between first exposure to asbestos and the appearance of the disease.

Auto brake mechanics are known to be especially at risk of developing asbestos-related diseases.  Extrapolating the risk of mechanics developing asbestos related diseases, millwrights ad others trades people are at risk of having similar exposure to asbestos when refurbishing hydroelectric generators that previously used asbestos containing brake pads. 

​The brakes used need to stop 200MT rotors contained 10-25% chrysotile asbestos, and when applied to a spinning rotor created smoke and particulate that migrated throughout the generator.

As our hydro electric system ages, more maintenance and even refurbishment is required.  Therefore more workers are now inadvertently being exposed to asbestos.  One may say “brake pads haven’t been used in almost 30 years and the potential of asbestos being present is low”  Since 2014, WHS has tested numerous generating units that previously used asbestos containing brake pads and the results have demonstrated that the stator coils and rotors are still contaminated with asbestos 30 years after the asbestos pad have been changed.  Historically these areas and surfaces are rarely cleaned and the dust and debris accumulates over the years.  On average we find asbestos surface dust concentrations in million of asbestos structures per square centimeter following
American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) method D6480-19: Standard Test Method for Wipe Sampling of Surfaces, Indirect Preparation, and Analysis for Asbestos Structure Number Surface Loading by Transmission Electron Microscopy
Controls
In Ontario, the Ministry of Labour has specific procedures for mechanical well working on vehicles with asbestos containing brakes.  Employers are required to follow Type 1 or Low Risk procedures which are set out in section 14 of O. Reg. 278/05. These required measures and procedures include:

• The removal of any visible dust on the pad or drum with a damp cloth or a vacuum equipped with a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Aerosol) filter before beginning the repair work.
• Controlling the spread of asbestos dust by using measures that are appropriate to the repair work, including using a drop sheet that is impervious to asbestos (e.g., polyethylene) or other suitable material, which must not be reused and must be disposed of in an appropriate manner.
• Not using compressed air to clean up or remove dust from any surface.
• Not permitting eating, drinking, chewing or smoking in the work area.
• The provision of an air-purifying half mask respirator with an N-100, R-100 or P-100 particulate filter where requested by a worker.

These procedures can be extrapolated to apply to hydroelectric units, or any generator where asbestos containing brake pads were previously used, and out of the abundance of caution controls need to be implemented to reduce worker exposure to as low as reasonably achievable by cleaning the generator including the stator coils, and rotor prior to refurbishment.

Western Health & Safety team of occupational hygienists have experience in the assessment of assessing generators.

Industrial hygiene or Occupational Hygiene in Canada, is the practice of identifying, evaluating, and controlling workplace hazards that can affect the health and safety of workers. It involves the anticipation, recognition, evaluation, and control of chemical, physical, and biological hazards in the workplace.

​

Occupational hygiene professionals use scientific principles and engineering controls to identify and reduce or eliminate exposure to hazards such as toxic chemicals, noise, radiation, and other physical and biological agents that can cause illness or injury. They work to protect workers from acute and chronic health effects associated with exposure to these hazards by designing and implementing controls to mitigate or eliminate the risks.

Overall, the goal of industrial hygiene is to protect the health and safety of workers by preventing occupational illness and injury through the control and management of workplace hazards.

WHS offer Occupational hygiene services to assist our clients in processes aimed at protecting workers from potential health hazards in the workplace. These services may include assessments of exposure to hazardous substances, noise, temperature, and other physical and chemical agents that could pose a risk to workers' health and safety. Occupational hygiene services may also include the development of control measures to minimize exposure to these hazards, as well as training and education programs to raise awareness of the risks and to promote safe work practices. By providing occupational hygiene services, WHS helps its clients to ensure the health and safety of their employees and to maintain compliance with regulations.

When hiring an Occupational Hygienist make sure they are either a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) or Registered Occupational Hygienist (ROH).  A Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) is a person who has completed a college degree in environmental health, or science, has at least five years of relevant experience, and has successfully passed an examination with the American Board of Industrial Hygiene.

​Although there are numerous consulting companies offering industrial hygiene of occupational hygiene services, they may not have the education and experience to meet the minimum requirements to become a CIH or ROH.  ​