What is Asbestos?
Over the past several years there has been discussion about asbestos containing materials (ACM) in CU buildings and the possible hazard they may pose to building occupants. Although various diseases have been linked with industrial exposure to airborne asbestos, the presence of asbestos in a building does not mean that the health of building occupants is necessarily endangered. As long as ACM remains in good condition and is not disturbed, exposure is unlikely. However, when building maintenance, repair, renovation, or other activities disturb ACM, asbestos fibers can be released creating a potential hazard to building occupants. The purpose of this informational letter is to educate the University community about asbestos and what steps the Department of Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) is taking to properly manage ACM.
WHAT IS ASBESTOS?
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that is distinguished from other minerals by the fact that its crystals form long, thin fibers. It typically has a white, chalk-like appearance but can often have different colors and textures or may be mixed into a material and not readily visible. In use since the first century by the Greeks and Romans, asbestos gained widespread use because it was readily available, low in cost, and because of its unique properties; it does not burn, it is strong, it is a poor conductor of heat and electricity, and is impervious to chemical corrosion.
Asbestos has been used in literally hundreds of products. Many of these products are present on campus such as wall plaster, wallboard, floor tile, ceiling tile, roofing shingles, fireproofing material, acoustical insulation, boiler and pipe insulation, electrical insulation, window putty, blackboards, laboratory gloves, bench tops, fume hoods, and automobile brake linings – the list is almost endless. ACM is of greatest concern when it is friable (capable of being crumbled, pulverized, or reduced to powder by hand pressure) or is physically disturbed by drilling, sanding, grinding, scraping, breaking, or any other abrasive or destructive activity. This is when asbestos has the greatest chance of becoming airborne and being inhaled by building occupants.
Most of the information on the health effects of exposure to airborne asbestos has been derived from studies of workers in the asbestos industry. Asbestos fiber concentrations for such workers were many times higher than those encountered by the general public, or by most workers in building with ACM. Diseases found to occur due to high exposures of airborne asbestos are lung cancer, asbestosis (scarring of the lung), and mesothelioma (cancer of the abdominal wall). Because of the efforts of EH&S, the chance of exposure to high levels of airborne asbestos while on campus is minimal.
