Asbestos

Carolyn Sirett <carolyn.sirett [at] pc__gc__ca> writes

>I am a student from the Collections Conservation and Management
>Program at Fleming College and currently completing an internship at
>Parks Canada, Western and Northern Services Centre. I am completing
>a research project on the removal of asbestos in artifacts and am
>seeking the opinion of professional conservators in the field who
>may have come across a similar situation.  If you have a moment to
>answer any of the following questions, or provide details of how
>asbestos has been treated in your collection, it would be greatly
>appreciated.
>
>    What kinds of artifacts were encountered that contained
>    asbestos?

Scientific and Industrial artefacts, in particular Railway Vehicles
and components.

>
>    What was the method used to control the asbestos? (i.e. was a
>    sealant applied over the fibres or was it completely removed
>    from the artifact)

It depends on what is the safest thing to do. An asbestos management
plan is based on a risk matrix where encapsulation of the material
might be the best option.

>    Did asbestos training have to be completed prior to treating the
>    artifact or was a sub-contractor hired to complete the work?

According UK Asbestos Regulations certain types of ACMs (asbestos
containing materials) can only be removed by UKAS accredited
contractors. Others can be removed by non-licensable certified
personnel. My organisation employs both external and in-house
services depending again on the outcome of the subsequent survey.

>    If a sub-contractor was used, were there any challenges or
>    concerns about the artifact discussed prior to the asbestos
>    removal?

The decision to remove the material is normally the outcome of a
comprehensive survey. I would like to point that the main priority
here (as in other carcinogens/toxic materials) is human safety in
compliance with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006.

With regards to the remediation method you described, I would like
to flag the following:

Sampling. Confirmation of ACM presence can only be made by a UKAS
accredited Surveyor. A sample can be in theory extracted and sent to
a surveyor, however extraction should be done be non-licensed
certification holder. Couriering the sample is another problem as it
would be illegal to use e.g. Royal Mail postal service to send ACMs.

Any ACM related work should be done using shadow vacuuming
techniques during the work and afterwards for environmental
cleaning.

Vacuum cleaner should be type H (Hepa along is not enough) and it
should be DOP tested and de-contaminated on semi-annual basis.

Personnel PPE consists of type 5/6 tyvek coveralls, FFP3 masks,
nitrile gloves.

Work should commence in a restricted area clearly marked etc.

Waste disposal in double sealed marked bags (red inner, clear outer)
and according to state/national regulations.

Particle containment can be only ensured with the use of
consolidants, acrylic or PVA based. A plastic sleeve alone cannot in
my opinion guarantee total containment unless an object is sealed
completely in 750 gauge polythene wit the use of heat sealer.
Realistically speaking, I would probably seal the whole helmet with
polythene and manage it as a whole ACM or consolidate the tags with
Lascaux HV478, mark and monitor.

In conclusion, the management of asbestos in collections in the UK is
subjected to some very strict regulations; A conservator without a
non-licensable certification would have only limited his/her actions
in containing the object is a sealed box and placing warning signage
as required the Asbestos Assumptive Policy. More information on the
subject can be found in the HSE website. Hope the above can be of
some help

Stathis Tsolis
Conservator
The National Railway Museum
Leeman Road
York YO26 4XJ
+44 194 686 224


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 25:21
                 Distributed: Monday, October 24, 2011
                       Message Id: cdl-25-21-004
                                  ***