Asbestos: Position Statement
(Approved by ASHRAE Board of Directors February 1, 1990)
The American Society of
Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc.
(ASHRAE). is a technical society of some 50,000 members dedicated
to advancing the arts and sciences of heating, ventilation, air
conditioning, and refrigeration, the allied arts and sciences,
and related human factors for the benefit of the general public.
It is composed of consulting engineers, contractors, researchers,
educators, government officials, and persons employed by
manufacturing companies including more than 5.000 individuals
from over 100 countries outside the United States and Canada.
ASHRAE is also associated with technical societies having similar
interests in 25 other nations.
ASHRAE is concemed with
the technical means for conditioning the indoor environment.
Parts of some mechanical systems and insulated walls, floors and
roofs designed and installed to accomplish this environmental
control have in the past used asbestos-containing materials. Air
ducts may be installed in areas adjacent to asbestoscontaining
materials used for fireproofing andbr insulation; piping,
boilers, and auxiliaries have been insulated with
asbestos-containing materials; asbestos-containing materials may
be installed inside ceiling return plenums; and
asbestos-containing building materials may have to be disturbed
for access to air-conditioning/heating systems for maintenance or
renovation. Airbome asbestos fibers of respirable size are known
to be a health hazard when inhaled. ASHRAE is committed to
minimizing health risks to service and maintenance personnel as
well as to building occupants; it is felt, therefore, that
designers and installers of heating, ventilating and
air-conditioning systems and the service and maintenance
personnel should understand the risks involved in working with
and/or near asbestos-containing building materials (ACBM).
ASHRAE Recognizes:
1. Asbestos has been
used in a wide variety of mechanical systems and building
products and. hence, can be found in many buildings.
2. Airborne asbestos
particles of respirable size. when inhaled, are known to cause
diseases such as asbestosis and cancer, including mesothelioma.
Therefore, it is important to identify and control
asbestos-containing material found in buildings and prevent its
dispersal into the air.
3. The asbestos
abatement industry has emerged as a separate construction trade
that will influence daily operations and continuing renovations
in asbestos-containing buildings for many years. This trade is
changing very rapidly, and ASHRAE members must become aware of it
and its progress and recognize that there is a wide variability
in competence among asbestos consultants and asbestos abatement
contractors.
4. Resources are
available at the national, state/ provincial and local levels of
government. such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and
various state/provincial health agencies which also promulgate
asbestosrelated regulations.
5. Asbestos is a health
hazard orly when it is in its airborne form, however. asbestos in
buildings is a manageable problem.
ASHRAE Recommends:
1. Building and
mechanical system designers should avoid using or specifying the
use of asbestos-containing products.
2. All personnel whose
work involves building/ mechanical system renovation andbr
maintenance should become thoroughly familiar with the potential
risks involved in ACBM and engage a qualified professional to
make a building assessment if asbestos is, or may be present. F
ull use should be made of national and local resources for
information and training.
3. Assessment of a
building with asbestos should be performed as a minimum by
qualified inspectors to identify the potential risk of exposure
to asbestos.
4. Care should be
exercised in determining qualifications of ''certified
asbestos inspectors'' since quality of certification training
activities varies significantly from state to state.
5. If an asbestos
assessment reveals sources of asbestos fibers, an Asbestos
Management Plan should be put into effect.
6. If abatement of ACBM
is recommended by a qualified professional, this work should be
performed under the direction of a consultant and by an asbestos
abatement contractor both of whose qualifications have been
thoroughly evaluated and documented.
7. A subcommittee of the
ASHRAE Environmental Health Committee should be formed to
maintain up-to-date asbestos-related information and to act as a
resource for other committees of the Society.
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Position Documents