Airborne Asbestos Concentrations During Spray-Buffing of Resilient Floor Tile

Abstract

A study was conducted to determine the level of airborne asbestos concentrations during routine spray-buffing of asbestos-containing floor tiles at 17 schools in northern, central, and southern New Jersey. Although the schools selected do not represent a statistical random sample, they do represent a cross section of floor conditions and floor-care maintenance practices. Increased airborne asbestos levels during spray-buffing were measured at 12 of the 17 schools. The increase was statistically significant at 7 of the 17 schools. Overall, the mean relative increase in airborne asbestos concentrations during spray-buffing with the high-speed machines (1000 to 1500 rpm) was statistically significantly higher than that during buffing with low-speed machines (175 to 330 rpm). Machine speed appeared to have a significant effect on the structure morphology of the airborne asbestos structures generated during spray-buffing. This study demonstrates that routine spray-buffing of asbestos-containing resilient floor tile can be a source of asbestos-containing particles in building air.