CA Asbestos Abatement flashcards
CA Asbestos Abatement · Build recall with a focused review session.
36 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Respirable fiber definition
- A fiber longer than 5 micrometers, thinner than 3 micrometers, with a length-to-width ratio greater than 3:1; this fraction reaches the deep lung and drives regulatory exposure limits.
- Mesothelioma latency period
- The interval from first asbestos exposure to diagnosis of mesothelioma is typically 20 to 50 years, which is why current cases reflect exposures decades earlier.
- Asbestos and smoking synergy
- Lung cancer risk from combined asbestos and cigarette exposure is multiplicative rather than merely additive, producing far greater risk than either exposure alone.
- Asbestosis cause and course
- Asbestosis is diffuse interstitial lung fibrosis caused by cumulative asbestos dose; smoking does not cause it but accelerates functional decline in exposed workers.
- Take-home exposure pathway
- Workers can carry asbestos fibers home on clothing, shoes, and vehicles, exposing household members; change rooms and showers at the site interrupt this pathway.
- Absolute risk communication
- Stating risk as lifetime absolute risk with dose, duration, and fiber type specified is more accurate than relative comparisons alone, which understate low-dose uncertainty.
- OSHA asbestos PEL
- Under 29 CFR 1926.1101 the permissible exposure limit is 0.1 fibers per cubic centimeter as an 8-hour time-weighted average, with a 1.0 f/cc 30-minute excursion limit.
- NESHAP RACM thresholds
- Regulated asbestos-containing material triggers notification when renovation or demolition involves 260 linear feet on pipes, 160 square feet on other components, or 35 cubic feet off components.
- Cal/OSHA asbestos standards
- California Title 8 sections 1529 (construction) and 5208 (general industry) set asbestos requirements mirroring federal limits while adding registration, training, and medical surveillance duties.
- California contractor certification
- Asbestos abatement contractors must hold California asbestos contractor certification plus an appropriate CSLB license; subcontracting abatement to an uncertified firm violates the law.
- Title 17 section 61 scope
- California Code of Regulations Title 17 section 61 addresses asbestos in schools, covering inspection, management plans, and notification requirements analogous to federal AHERA rules.
- Most stringent rule principle
- When federal, state, and local air district requirements differ, the controlling requirement is the most stringent applicable one; local district rules govern notification and work practices.
- Presumed asbestos-containing material
- Thermal system insulation and surfacing material in older buildings are presumed asbestos-containing until sampling proves otherwise; presumption drives handling and worker protection decisions.
- Bulk sampling confidence
- Standard practice collects multiple samples per homogeneous area, commonly three for surfacing and thermal insulation and two to three for miscellaneous material, to support a negative determination.
- PLM bulk analysis
- Polarized light microscopy with dispersion staining is the standard bulk identification method; it identifies fiber type and estimates percentage in the analyzed layer.
- Layer-by-layer sampling
- Layered or composite materials must be sampled by individual layer; a positive layer defines the material and its percentage applies to that layer, not the whole assembly.
- Friability definition
- Friable material can be crumbled, pulverized, or reduced to powder by hand pressure; non-friable material can become friable through cutting, grinding, or weathering.
- Category I versus II
- Category I non-friable material includes asphalt roofing and gaskets; Category II includes vinyl floor tile and asbestos cement, and the categories differ in NESHAP handling and disposal.
- Negative pressure requirement
- Containment must maintain negative pressure relative to surrounding spaces, verified by manometer and recorded; loss of negative pressure requires stopping work until corrected.
- Air changes per hour
- HEPA exhaust units are sized to achieve at least four air changes per hour in the work area, maintaining directional airflow into the containment and diluting airborne fibers.
- Prohibited work practices
- Dry sweeping, dry shoveling, and compressed air are prohibited on asbestos debris; wet methods and amended water suppress fiber release during removal and cleanup.
- Glove bag use
- A glove bag or mini-enclosure is used to remove pipe insulation and fittings where full containment is impractical, keeping the material wet and enclosed during removal.
- Encapsulation versus enclosure
- Encapsulation seals the material surface with a coating; enclosure installs a physical barrier. Neither substitutes for removal when material is damaged or will be disturbed.
- Respirator assigned protection factor
- The assigned protection factor is the expected workplace concentration divided by the respirator's protection; selection requires the factor to meet or exceed exposure divided by the limit.
- Decontamination sequence
- Workers move one-directionally from the equipment room, removing gross contamination and bagging PPE, through the shower room, to the clean room where street clothes are worn.
- Fit test requirement
- Tight-fitting respirators require a fit test before use and annually thereafter; facial hair in the sealing surface prevents an adequate seal and disqualifies the wearer.
- Heat stress in containment
- Full containment with impermeable PPE creates heat stress risk; controls include fluid replacement, work-rest cycles, cooling, and monitoring for heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
- Waste containerization
- Asbestos waste is kept wet, sealed in leak-tight labeled containers such as 6-mil bags or drums, and never compressed or dropped, preventing fiber release and container failure.
- Waste shipment record
- NESHAP requires a waste shipment record tracking generator, transporter, quantity, and disposal site; the generator retains copies for the required retention period.
- Permitted disposal site
- Asbestos waste must go to a landfill permitted to accept it; disposal at unpermitted sites or by unapproved methods is a violation and creates liability for the generator.
- NIOSH Method 7400
- Phase contrast microscopy counts fibers per cubic centimeter for personal monitoring against the 0.1 f/cc limit; it cannot distinguish asbestos from other fibers without electron microscopy.
- Aggressive air sampling
- Aggressive sampling intentionally disturbs settled dust to test whether residual fibers can become airborne; non-aggressive sampling tests only ambient conditions during clearance.
- Clearance report scope
- A clearance report is valid only for the specific work area and conditions sampled; it does not certify other areas or future conditions and must state its scope explicitly.
- Clearance independence rule
- The firm performing abatement should not also perform clearance air monitoring for the same project; independence protects the integrity of the clearance determination.
- Exposure record retention
- Worker exposure records are retained for the period specified by the applicable standard, commonly 30 years, and medical records are kept confidential and separate from personnel files.
- Falsification as fraud
- Falsifying monitoring data, inspection findings, or waste manifests is fraud, grounds for license discipline, and a breach of the professional duty of accuracy owed to clients and regulators.