Custodians & Asbestos Exposure / Mesothelioma

As schoolchildren, many of us grew up thinking of the custodian as the “janitor” who mopped the bathrooms and cleaned up the various messes young children are apt to make.

The fact is that while a custodian often undertakes janitorial duties, those duties and tasks go far beyond sweeping, mopping and taking out the trash. Most custodians are responsible for a great deal of overall building maintenance, including heating, air conditioning and ventilation (HVAC) systems, electrical systems and more. These all have the potential to bring one into contact with asbestos containing materials (ACM), especially in older buildings.

Where The Asbestos Is

The idea of a fire in a school – or any other public building – should concern any rational person. It was out of such concerns that asbestos products were used extensively in public buildings prior to 1980. Because it is literally a type of rock, asbestos fibers share many characteristics of rock – it is resistant to heat, acid, moisture, electrical current and most importantly, open flame. Hence, ACM insulation was installed nearly anywhere there was heat or danger of fire. Pipe lagging, electrical conduits and furnace doors were just a few of the places ACMs were used. Floor tiles, wall board, joint compounds and window putty might also contain asbestos (1).

While there have been extensive asbestos containment and abatement projects undertaken over the past twenty years, the fact is that hundreds of thousands of public buildings across the U.S. still contain asbestos products (2).

Where The Danger Is

ACM may be friable or non-friable. “Friable” is defined by the Environmental Protection Agency as the ability to crush the material using hand pressure alone. In a friable state, ACM is crumbling into dust, releasing these needle-like fibers into the air where they may be aloft for weeks (3).

A great amount of state and federal information states that “non-friable” asbestos is safe as long as it is left undisturbed. While this is true to an extend, the fact of the matter is that there is little in the way of solid knowledge as to how ACM products degrade over time. Earth tremors, accidents, and even the vibrations caused by people walking around on a floor above can potentially shake asbestos fibers loose, especially if the product is old and deteriorating (4).

Building custodians should be monitoring any part of a building in which the presence of asbestos is suspected or known, and a half-face respirator with dual HEPA filters should be worn. If friable asbestos is discovered, the first step is to contact the owner(s) of the building. Legally, they are obligated to deal with the situation according to state environmental regulations; such action in many states includes notification of the building’s occupants (5). If the building’s owner(s) fail to respond, the next step is to contact the regional office of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Because so many governmental functions have been “outsourced” to private corporations over the past quarter-century (and especially since 2001), one should be prepared for a long and often frustrating time, as many OSHA offices no longer have asbestos experts on staff (6).

If You Are Diagnosed

If you are diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related illness, it is important to gather as much documentation as possible about the asbestos products used in your workplace, including manufacturers and type and location of such products. Most asbestos legal actions are taken against multiple defendants, and determining who these are requires some research. A lawyer who specializes in asbestos litigation knows a great deal about these particular issues, or has ready access to such records; however, personal documentation can go a long way toward building a strong case.

'Custodians & Asbestos Exposure / Mesothelioma' Resources:

Notes

  1. Bowker, Michael. Deadly Deception, pp. 329 – 330.
  2. American Cancer Society. “What Are the Risk Factors for Malignant Mesothelioma?”
  3. Environmental Protection Agency. “Demolition Practices.”
  4. Bowker, pp. 330 – 331
  5. Bowker, p. 331.
  6. Ibid.

Sources

  1. American Cancer Society. Cancer.org. October, 19, 2006.“What Are the Risk Factors for Malignant Mesothelioma?”.
  2. Bowker, Michael. Deadly Deception (New York: Touchstone, 2003).
  3. Environmental Protection Agency. “Demolition Practices Under the Asbestos NESHAP”