Operations and Maintenance in Buildings Containing Asbestos: Where Do We Go from Here?

Abstract

The Workshop on Operations and Maintenance (O&M) in Buildings Containing Asbestos provided an opportunity to gather and discuss a broad range of knowledge and experience on the efficacy of operations and maintenance techniques for the reduction of occupational exposures to asbestos. For a diverse group of studies by independent teams of investigators in commercial, governmental, university, and hospital settings there was consistent evidence that current techniques for O&M are effective in keeping almost all occupational exposures well below 0.1 f/ml. However, the database is still quite limited, and more investigations are needed to determine: (1) exposure in a wider range of building types, sizes, and inventories of asbestos-containing materials (ACMs); (2) means of extending O&M programs to more buildings containing ACMs; and (3) optimal techniques in terms of cost and efficacy.