Information for Rescue Workers

Asbestos Safety Information
Paul Safchuck
President, White Lung Association

Question (questions by Cyndi Norman): There are new cases of people getting exposed to the dust. Most of these have past but there may be more buildings coming down and anyone walking through the area will get the dust on their shoes, clothes, etc. Rescue workers are at greatest risk. The authorities are rinsing people with hoses and saying to launder dusty clothes separately, but I don't think that's enough, do you?

The destruction of the WTC buildings, particularly the Twin Towers has caused a great release of various toxins. It is unfortunate that those who are our heroes in the rescue and the innocent bystanders are being exposed to asbestos.

Over five thousand tons of asbestos were used in just insulation for the structural steel. The tragic attack on these buildings has rendered much of this to environmental dust. One only has to look at how NYC responded to the exploded gas or steam lines to see how difficult this problem will be for years to come. It is sad that lack of proper protection for the heroes and their support personnel and supporters has allowed the terrorists to plant miniature bombs in the lungs of thousands, if not millions, of those in New York City.

Spraying individuals off with fire hoses is a crude form of decontamination. Proper decontamination is relatively simple and quite possible to establish at Ground Zero. It would consist of tent stations in which the workers would leave though.

The magnitude of this tragedy makes many of the traditional ways of controlling asbestos dust impossible to use. However, public information, which would warn bystanders and promote personal protection amongst workers, is still an option. It is an option that should be utilized.

Question: What should you do if you've already tracked the dust throughout your home, car, work, etc?

Asbestos contamination of a home is very difficult to clean up. Under most conditions this job should be done by a company licensed to handle asbestos. If the home owner is unsure about the contamination and wants to take precautions for removing suspected dust, they may wish to follow these guidelines:

• Asbestos contaminated dust must be taken up wet, such as wet cloth.
• The cloth must be disposed of in a sealed bag.
• Do not use normal vacuums on this dust. Asbestos fibers are too thin to be trapped by normal vacuum filtration.
• The filtration which captures most of the asbestos fibers is known as High Efficiency Particulate Air Filter or HEPA. This filtration removes 99.97% of the fibers whose widths are .25 microns or greater.

If rugs, carpets and clothing are contaminated it is many times easier to bag them up and dispose of them. Automobiles and homes can be cleaned professionally by licensed professionals.

Question: How can you protect yourself if you live in the area--can asbestos be in the air?

Asbestos is most certainly in the air, to what amount is yet to be known. The farther you are from Ground Zero and the farther you are away from the wind currents going through Ground Zero, the better. Air conditioners should be set to recycle air rather than bring in fresh air. All dust should be wet wiped up where possible. You should not go to Ground Zero or close to it without respiratory protection, full body cover and disposable booties.

Question: What do you think about the advice for residents to close their windows and run the air conditioning? I read in another article that air conditioning ducts pull in asbestos and distribute them throughout a building.

See above, definitely keep windows closed if possible.

Question: How should you protect yourself if you are walking or driving through an affected area?

Unless you have full body protection and a respirator which is approved for asbestos use by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (stamped on the unit NIOSH approved) do not go into this area. Until this area is thoroughly cleaned no one should go there unless they have a reason which is equal in weight to the elevated life time risk of cancer.

Question: How can protect yourself if you are a rescue worker (or other person) spending time around the WTC crash site. How can you not expose your family?

Do not bring your work clothes home, do not wear your work clothes in your car, do not work without full personal protection which includes respirator, body covering, and gloves. Leave all work-related clothing, tools, etc outside the home. Do not wash your contaminated clothing in your home. Discard it if possible in sealed plastic bags.

Question: What do you think of the statement that people at the WTC site don't have to worry because asbestos-based illness is the result of years of exposure, not a single one? I agree it's more likely the longer you are there, but isn't one small exposure enough for some people? And if you are covered with dust, head to toe, in the eyes, in the lungs, isn't that the equivalent of years of low to moderate level exposures?

The amount of exposure has not been measured to my knowledge. I would recommend that all rescue workers request air sampling where the samples are read with a Transmission Electron Microscope. I would also recommend that all workers retrieve one half 35 mm film canister of sample dust. This should be labeled and sent to a lab (pick from those in the phone book that advertise for asbestos analysis) with request for either Polarized Light Microscopy or Transmission Electron Microscope. The former is least expensive and is generally sufficient for most bulk samples.

World Trade Center Catastrophe Worker Health Fact Sheet
New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health
(link to full text)

RECOVERY AND CLEAN-UP OPERATIONS ARE HAZARDOUS. Many of the workers involved in the World Trade Center recovery and cleanup operation have received safety and health training, but many other workers will be facing hazards that are unfamiliar, with the potential to cause serious illness, injury or death. The site is in a constant state of flux, with the result that new hazards can suddenly emerge. Workers and managers need to understand the existing hazards and how to minimize them as well as being alert to the possible development of new hazards.

This factsheet is for workers who are engaged in recovery efforts, as well as for those involved in the restoration of essential services and cleanup operations. All this work involves potentially unsafe conditions and exposures to hazardous materials.

ALL OF THE HAZARDS LISTED BELOW are likely to be encountered during World Trade Center recovery and cleanup operations. Anyone working at or near ground zero is more likely to encounter these hazards than someone involved in cleanup operations several blocks away, but at any location, dust and ash from the World Trade Center pose a potential health hazard.

DUST AND FUMES: Contaminated air poses health risks that depend on the nature and concentration of the contaminants and upon the physical condition of the exposed worker. Workers with any history of chronic conditions of the lungs or heart are at greater risk of adverse health effects from contaminated air.

Contaminants in the air, including toxic dust and chemicals, can cause serious illness or death. Dust and ash anywhere in the vicinity of the World Trade Center site is likely to contain asbestos, cement, drywall and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) combustion products.

CEMENT DUST AND DRYWALL DUST usually contain crystalline silica. Inhalation of silica dust can cause silicosis or other potentially fatal lung diseases. Cement dust can be irritating and can cause or worsen asthma and chronic bronchitis.

AIRBORNE PARTICLES OF BURNED PLASTIC, INCLUDING POLYVINYL CHLORIDE (PVC) or other plastics from insulation, conduit, furniture, etc., may cause respiratory irritation and provoke or worsen asthma and chronic bronchitis.

ASBESTOS was a major material used in the construction of the World Trade Center. That asbestos is a constituent of the dust and debris. Inhalation of asbestos fibers can result in serious or fatal diseases, including cancer. Although there is no known safe level of asbestos exposure, higher levels of exposure result in greater risk of disease.

OTHER DUSTS may cause asthma or bronchitis or other respiratory problems, such as difficulty breathing. Any dust can cause eye irritation. Some dusts can cause allergic skin reactions. If dusty work clothes are worn off the job, they can contaminate vehicles and residences.

HAZARDOUS GASES: Another concern in the World Trade Center area is the possible build-up of toxic or explosive gases from ruptured gas lines or stored chemicals. Of most concern is the presence of such gases in confined or restricted spaces.

FLAMMABLES OR EXPLOSIVES may be released from ruptured gas lines and storage containers.

CARBON MONOXIDE, a colorless, odorless gas, may be present as a byproduct of combustion (fire). Inhalation of carbon monoxide can cause a wide range of health effects, from loss of judgment to death by asphyxiation.

OXYGEN DEFICIENCY: There may not be enough oxygen present in the air to support breathing. This can result from other gases (such as carbon monoxide) replacing oxygen. Oxygen can also be used up during combustion.

Exposure to other gases can cause eye, nose, throat or lung irritation. Workers who enter confined spaces are at highest risk for these hazards.

COMMUNICABLE DISEASES: Workers who are exposed to infected blood or other bodily fluids can become infected. For infection to take place, infected blood or body fluids must enter a workers body through the eyes, nose or mouth or through a break in the skin, such as a cut or abrasion.

UNSANITARY CONDITIONS: Workers skin and clothing may be exposed to a wide variety of toxic materials and disease organisms. Care should be taken to protect food, beverage containers and smoking materials from contamination.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

PREVENTING EXPOSURE TO DUST: Some exposure to airborne dust is inevitable, but, wherever possible, dust and ash should not be disturbed in such a way that it becomes airborne. Wetting dust and ash with water before disturbing it will prevent it from becoming suspended in the air. During cleanup operations, dust and ash should never be swept or handled when it is dry. Do not vacuum dust with any equipment that is not equipped with HEPA filters.

RESPIRATORS: A respirator is a mask worn over the mouth and nose that filters out harmful contaminants in the air such as dust or chemicals. Some respirators also provide eye protection. Any respirator that does not provide eye protection should be worn with goggles. Wherever respirators are worn, there should be an adequate quantity of respirator cleaning supplies, replacement cartridges or replacement respirators.

Respirators are designed to provide protection from specific air contaminants. If you are wearing a respirator for protection from one substance, do not assume that it provides protection from any other substance. A respirator does not provide any protection if it does not fit properly, or if the seal is compromised by dirt.

A DUST MASK IS NOT A RESPIRATOR and does not provide protection from asbestos, silica or other hazardous particulates.

RESPIRATORS FOR WORKERS AT GROUND ZERO where there may be a wide variety of airborne hazards, should be rubberized masks with screw-in particulate P-100 or R-100 HEPA cartridges (not N-100). Workers at ground zero should not wear disposable respirators (even those rated P-100 or R-100) because working conditions there are extremely rough and disposable respirator seals are not likely to stand up to the conditions. Respirator cartridges should be replaced once a shift at minimum or whenever there is an increase in the difficulty of breathing through them.

RESPIRATORS FOR WORKERS AT LEAST SEVERAL BLOCKS FROM GROUND ZERO, where dust and ash is the main air contaminant, should be rated N-100 or P-100 or R-100. Respirators with replaceable cartridges are preferable, but disposable respirators rated N-, P- or R-100 are acceptable if they can be protected from conditions that compromise the seals. Disposable respirators (or respirator cartridges) should be replaced once a shift at minimum or whenever there is an increase in the difficulty of breathing through them.

Respirators that protect from dust cannot provide protection for oxygen deficiency or flammable and toxic gases. The air in an unventilated area where toxic or flammable gases may be present should be tested before workers enter. No one who has not been trained and qualified in confined-space entry should enter an area where these hazards are present.

PROTECTIVE CLOTHING: Goggles should be worn during all work operations for protection from irritating dust. Protective clothing should be worn so you can change out of your work clothes before returning home. Work clothes should be bagged at work and washed separately from personal laundry to prevent contamination.

UNIVERSAL PRECAUTIONS FROM BLOODBORNE DISEASES: For protection against bloodborne diseases, follow Universal Precautions: (1) treat all bodily fluids as if they are infected; 2) place a physical barrier (such as latex gloves, goggles or face mask) between you and the fluid; and 3) dispose of all potentially-infected materials as segregated medical waste.

SANITATION FACILITIES: When you eat, drink or smoke you may ingest any toxic materials that are on your clothing, hair or skin. If you are exposed to any toxic materials, it is essential to wash before doing anything that could result in ingesting them. If washing water is not available, moist towelettes should be used before eating. It is also essential to remove contaminated work clothing to prevent the contamination of vehicles or homes.

Where to Get More Information:

If you are interested in more suggestions, or ones that take your specific situation into account, feel free to join the Immune mailing list and ask as many questions as you wish.

Or you can write me at cyndi@immuneweb.org.

Rescue workers, or those coordinating rescue efforts, are welcome to phone me, Cyndi Norman, at 510-531-5464. I will answer as many questions as I can. If I don't know the answer, I probably know where to find it out. This is my home number in Oakland, California (3 hours earlier than New York). Please call between 10am and 10pm Pacific Time, unless it is an emergency.