Robert N. Sawyer and Charles M. Spooner, Sprayed Asbestos-Containing Materials in Buildings: A Guidance Document (1978)

A guidance document issued in March 1978 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (report EPA-450/2-78-014), written under contract by Dr. Robert N. Sawyer of Yale University and Dr. Charles M. Spooner of GCA Corporation. It is meant for "those involved in the use, removal, and disposal of asbestos materials in the building trades" and for building owners who know or suspect that friable sprayed asbestos is present. Part I covers asbestos, its spraying on steel and ceilings, contamination in buildings, the diseases it causes, standards and analysis; Part II covers measuring exposure, temporary and long-term controls, enclosure, sealant coatings, dry and wet removal, and contractors' duties under the regulations.

What it shows

The report calls asbestos "in all its forms" a serious respiratory hazard whose fibers "persist in the environment almost indefinitely" and, in an occupied building, "represent a continuous source of exposure." It traces sprayed asbestos fireproofing to England in 1932 and notes that by 1950 more than half of new multistory buildings in the U.S. used some form of sprayed mineral fiber fireproofing (see Spray-Applied Fireproofing). New York City banned spraying in 1972 and EPA banned spraying of insulation and fireproofing with more than 1 percent asbestos in 1973, but decorative coatings were left out, which allowed some spraying to continue. Its sections on sealant coatings and removal set out EPA's early advice on encapsulation and abatement.

About this copy

The copy has 120 pages, ending with the report documentation page, which gives 133 pages. A stamp on the cover reads "JMEA 4610"; it may be a Johns-Manville file number.