ChemRisk Human Health and Ecological Risk Assessment Methods
Skip Navigation Links
  Quick Search  
Areas of Special Expertise
Airborne Particulates
Beryllium and Radionuclides
Bioaerosols and Microbial Risk Assessment
Biomonitoring and NHANES
Consumer Products
Inhalation Irritants
Metals
Nanotechnology
Occupational Medicine
Persistent Chemicals
Pharmacology
Plastics
REACH Services
Respirable Fibers
Sustainability
VOCs
Crisis Management
Epidemiology and Occupational Health
Exposure Assessment and Dose Reconstruction
Health and Environmental Risk Assessment
Litigation Support
National Security and Public Safety
Product Life Cycle Due Diligence
Toxicology and Ecotoxicology

Airborne Partciualtes

The commercial applications of asbestos expanded dramatically during the first half of the 20th century as the versatility of these materials became internationally recognized. Although the relationship between asbestos and the ability of this class of minerals to induce disease has been recognized since the 1930s, it was generally believed prior to the 1960s that the pathological consequences of asbestos were limited to those experienced by individuals with opportunities for exposure to high concentrations of asbestos through their employment in the mining and manufacturing industries. However, by the mid-1960s, it was established that handling and otherwise working with or in the vicinity of some asbestos-containing materials (e.g., insulation) also posed a significant health risk. As a result, significant research efforts were initiated in attempt to understand the characteristics of asbestos that allow these minerals to exert their acute and chronic toxic effects. By the 1970s, investigators began to report that not all asbestos is the same by documenting substantial differences in the toxicological and pathological consequences of exposure to asbestos by fiber type and fiber dimension. The importance and limitations of research examining these critical issues continue to be debated.

ChemRisk® staff has conducted a tremendous amount of research on health issues related to respirable fibers, particularly asbestos. Over the past several years, we have:

  • measured airborne fiber levels associated with brake, clutch, and gasket handling during reconstructed historical exposure scenarios;
  • developed and published a state of the science analysis of asbestos and health risks covering the period from 1900 to present; and
  • performed a comprehensive review and interpretation of available industrial hygiene data related to garage mechanics and “bystander” exposures to insulators.

Our scientists have published more than a dozen articles assessing the airborne asbestos concentrations associated with handling materials that historically contained asbestos and the potential health consequences associated with exposure to asbestos as a result of handling or otherwise being in the vicinity of these products.

ChemRisk® Publications

  • Finley, B.L., R.O. Richter, F.S. Mowat, S. Mlynarek, D.J. Paustenbach, J.M. Warmerdam and P.J. Sheehan. 2007. Cumulative asbestos exposure for US automobile mechanics involved in brake repair (circa 1950s-2000). J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 17(7): 644-655.

  • Hollins, D.M., D.J. Paustenbach, K. Clark, and C.A. Mangold. 2009. A visual historical review of exposure to asbestos at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (1962-1972). J Toxicol Environ Health B Crit Rev 12:124-156.

  • Jiang, G.C.T., A.K. Madl, K.J. Ingmundson, D.M. Murbach, K.A. Fehling, D.J. Paustenbach, and B.L. Finley. 2008. A study of airborne chrysotile concentrations associated with handling, unpacking, and repacking boxes of automobile clutch discs. Reg Toxicol Pharmacol. 51(1):87-97.

  • Madl, A.K., L.L. Scott, D.M. Murbach, K.A. Fehling, B.L. Finley, and D.J. Paustenbach. 2008. Exposure to chrysotile asbestos associated with unpacking and repacking boxes of automobile brake pads and shoes. Ann Occup Hyg. 52(6): 463-79.

  • Madl, A.K., S. H. Gaffney, J.L. Balzer and D.J. Paustenbach. 2009. Airborne asbestos concentrations associated with heavy equipment brake removal. Ann Occup Hyg, pp. 1–19. Advance Online Publication doi:10.1093/annhyg/mep056.

  • Madl, A.K., K. Clark and D.J. Paustenbach. 2007. Exposure to airborne asbestos during removal and installation of gaskets and packings: A review of published and unpublished studies. J Tox Environ Health. 10(4): 259-286.

  • Mangold C., K. Clark, A. Madl, and D. Paustenbach. 2006. An exposure study of bystanders and workers during the installation and removal of asbestos gaskets and packing. J Occup Environ Hyg. 3(2):87-98.

  • Mowat, F., M. Bono, R.J. Lee, S. Tamburello, and D. Paustenbach. 2005. Occupational exposure to airborne asbestos from phenolic molding material (Bakelite) during sanding, drilling and related activities. J Occup Environ Hyg. 2(10): 497-507.

  • Murbach, D.M., A.K. Madl, K.M. Unice, J.S. Knutsen, P.S. Chapman, J.L. Brown, and D.J. Paustenbach. 2008. Airborne concentrations of asbestos onboard maritime shipping vessels (1978-1992). Ann Occup Hyg. 52(4): 267-279.

  • Paustenbach, D.J., B.L. Finley, P.J. Sheehan, and G.P. Brorby. 2006. Re: Evaluation of the size and type of free particulates collected from unused asbestos-containing brake components as related to potential for respirability. Am J Ind Med. 49:60-61.

  • Paustenbach, D.J., A.K. Madl, E. P. Donovan, K. Clark, K. Fehling, and T. Lee. 2005. Chrysotile asbestos exposure associated with removal of automobile exhaust systems (ca. 1945-1975) by mechanics: Results of a simulation study. J Expos Anal Environ Epidemiol. Nov. 2:1-16

  • Paustenbach, D.J., A. Sage, M. Bono, and F. Mowat. 2004. Occupational exposure to airborne asbestos from coatings, mastics, and adhesives. J Expo Anal Environ Epidemiol. 14(3):234-44.

  • Paustenbach, D.J., B.L. Finley, E. Lu, G.P. Brorby, and P. Sheehan. 2004. Environmental and occupational health hazards associated with the presence of asbestos in brake linings and pads (1900 to present): A “state-of-the-art” review. J Toxicol Environ Health, Part B. 7(1):33-110.

  • Paustenbach, D.J., R. Richter, B. Finley, and P. Sheehan. 2003. An evaluation of the historical exposures of mechanics to asbestos in brake dust. Appl Environ Hyg. 18: 786-804.

  • Paustenbach, D.J. 1987. Bhopal, asbestos, and Love Canal...how they should affect engineering education. IEEE Tech and Society Mag. (March) 6(1):9-15.

  • Pierce, J.S., G.C.T. Jiang, and B.L. Finley. 2008. A state of the science review of the potential health hazards associated with asbestos in shielded metal arc welding rods in the United States. Toxicol Environ Chem. 90(5): 917-956.

  • Pierce, J.S., M.A. McKinley, D.J. Paustenbach, and B.L. Finley. 2008. An evaluation of reported no-effect chrysotile asbestos exposures for lung cancer and mesothelioma. Crit Rev Toxicol. 38(3):191-214.

  • Richter R.O., B.L. Finely, D.J. Paustenbach, P.R. Williams, P.J. Sheehan. 2009. An evaluation of short-term exposures of brake mechanics to asbestos during automotive and truck brake cleaning and machining activities. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 19: 458-474.

  • Williams, P., D.J. Paustenbach, J.L. Balzer, and C. Mangold. 2007. Retrospective exposure assessment of airborne asbestos related to skilled craftsmen at a petroleum refinery in Beaumont, Texas (1940-2006). J Toxicol Environ Health, Part B. 70:1076-1107.

  • Williams, P., A.D. Phelka, and D.J. Paustenbach. 2007. A review of historical exposures to asbestos among skilled craftsmen (1940-2006). J Toxicol Environ Health, Part B. 10(5): 319-377.

For Additional information, please contact Amanda Phelka at aphelka@chemrisk.com; (303) 417-1046, ext 1001


Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Contacts | Website Directory
© 2004-2010 ChemRisk®, All Rights Reserved.