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Comments concerning exposure to airborne asbestos associated with simulated cable installation above a suspended ceiling.

Baron-PA; Keyes-DL; Chesson-J; Ewing-WM; Hays-SM; Longo-WE; Millette-JR; Hatfield-RL

Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 1993 Mar; 54(3):A-87-A-89

http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/aiha20/54/3

00213335

A letter to the editor was presented which discussed an earlier published study. The earlier study indicated that cable installers may be exposed to significant asbestos (1332214) concentrations. However, the letter questioned several statements and techniques reported in this previous study. The letter contended that the authors incorrectly stated that the NIOSH method 7402, which uses transmission electron microscopy to confirm that asbestos fibers are present, specifies the upper bound for reliability to be 0.5 fibers/cubic centimeter, whereas this number is given merely as an example of an upper concentration limit on a sample with a volume of 1000 liters. The second point of concern was that it is not made clear in the original article why an essentially outdated method was used for the study, the Yamate technique. Thirdly, the letter questioned the comparison of most of the data in the study with measurements made using currently accepted methodology. The final objection dealt with the use of structures/cubic centimeter rather than fibers/cubic centimeter as an indication of health effect. The response from the original authors was included.

NIOSH-Author; Asbestos-fibers; Insulation-materials; Airborne-particles; Air-quality-monitoring; Analytical-methods; Asbestos-dust; Asbestos-removal; Industrial-hygiene; Health-hazards

AIHAAP

1332-21-4

19930301

Other

1993

3

0002-8894

American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal