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- Investigation of Coatings Containing Tremolite Non-Asbestiform to Determine if Abrasive Blast Fragments Contain Asbestos
Investigation of Coatings Containing Tremolite Non-Asbestiform to Determine if Abrasive Blast Fragments Contain Asbestos
Project ID: 1898
Principal Investigator: Allen Skaja
Research Topic: Repair and Maintenance
Funded Fiscal Years:
2011
Keywords: None
Research Question
Do coatings that contain tremolite non-asbestiform during removal process break down into fragments considered asbestos?
Need and Benefit
The regional offices are interested in this study to determine if tremolite and anthophyllite break down into asbestos during surface preparation activities. There are a few coating materials in our coating guide specifications that contain tremolite and anthophyllite, non-asbestiform. These coatings outperform the other coatings on the market, and Reclamation has been using these products for the past 25 years. Just like lead and chromate primers, these materials may be a safety and health issue, and we just do not know about it at this time.
A few industrial hygienists have brought this to my attention and would like to further investigate if the byproducts from coating removal process will contain asbestos fragments. This would truly be a safety issue if these byproducts contain asbestos because it is used on almost every project across Reclamation.
Contributing Partners
Contact the Principal Investigator for information about partners.
Research Products
Bureau of Reclamation Review
The following documents were reviewed by experts in fields relating to this project's study and findings. The results were determined to be achieved using valid means.
Document ID 952: this document contains protected information and it cannot be freely downloaded from USBR.gov. Contact the Principal Investigator to request a copy of this document.
Plant Physiological Responses to Atmospheric Forcings Affecting Crop Water Use and Yields: Literature Review and Model Comparisons (final, PDF, 5.8MB)
By Michael Tansey
Research Product completed on September 30, 2018
