Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 18, September 16, 2024
(a)
Air sampling specified in this section shall be performed by the asbestos
safety technician in accordance with the procedures specified in this
subchapter and shall be analyzed by a laboratory pursuant to
40 CFR 763.90.
1. For phase contrast microscopy (PCM)
analysis, laboratories shall be currently enrolled in the American Industrial
Hygiene Association Proficiency Analytical Testing Program or an equivalent
recognized program.
2. Analysis by
PCM shall use the NIOSH 7400 method delineated in "Fibers" publication in the
NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods, 3rd edition, 2nd supplement, August 1987 or
the latest edition. Maximum turnaround time from sample collection through data
reporting shall be 24 hours.
3. For
transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis, laboratories shall participate
in the National Institute of Standards and Technology--National Voluntary
Laboratory Accreditation Program (NIST-NVLAP) and shall certify that the
analysis they performed was according to the protocol listed in Appendix A to
Subpart E of 40 CFR 763. Maximum turnaround time from sample collection through
data reporting shall be 72 hours.
4. All pumps shall be calibrated prior to
initial sampling using a primary standard. Pumps shall be re-calibrated with a
minimum of a secondary standard before and after each sample is collected.
Protocols shall be established for periodic calibration, using a primary
standard. The frequency of primary recalibration checks shall be initially
high, until experience is accumulated to show that it can be reduced while
maintaining the required sampling accuracy. Records shall be kept of all
calibrations and shall be part of the daily log.
(b) Air sampling while abatement is in
progress shall comply with the following procedures:
1. A minimum of three samples per eight hour
shift shall be collected (one at the beginning of each shift, one every four
hours thereafter, and one at the end of the contractor's work day). One
stationary sample shall be collected within the clean room of the
decontamination unit and two samples collected adjacent to the work area but
remote from the decontamination unit entrance. In the selection of adjacent
areas to be monitored, preference shall be given to rooms adjacent to critical
barriers and/or work area. Testing results shall not indicate that
concentrations above 0.01 fibers per cubic centimeter have occurred outside the
containment barrier or above 0.02 fibers per cubic centimeter within the clean
room of the decontamination chamber during the abatement project.
2. For abatement projects in occupied
buildings, additional samples shall be taken in spaces adjacent to the work
area and inside the work area and analyzed by PCM as required by
5:23-8.19(c)4. The
contingency plan in
5:23-8.19(c)5
shall be followed if test results indicate that this is necessary.
(c) Post abatement visual
inspections and air monitoring shall comply with the following procedures:
1. Within 48 hours after clean-up for
post-removal air testing, and before the removal of critical barriers, a
thorough and complete visual inspection and a subsequent final air test shall
be performed. This test is required to establish safe conditions for the
removal of critical barriers and to permit the beginning of reconstruction
activity, if required. Sufficient time following clean-up activities shall be
allowed so that all surfaces shall be dry during monitoring. Air pressure
differential filtration units shall be in use during this monitoring. Post
removal testing shall begin when all work area surfaces are completely
dry.
2. Aggressive air sampling
shall be employed using propeller-type fans and leaf blowers as follows:
i. The fans shall be placed in each room to
be sampled so as to cause settled fibers to rise and enter the air.
ii. Prior to air monitoring, floors,
ceilings, and walls shall be swept with the exhaust of a one-horsepower leaf
blower. The areas which would be subject to dead-air conditions shall be swept
clean.
iii. The fans used shall be
capable of creating a minimum air velocity of 500 feet per minute. These fans
may be of the oscillating type.
iv.
The sampling pump and sampling media shall be placed in the abatement area on a
random basis to provide unbiased and representative samples. Stationary fans
shall be placed in locations which will not interfere with air monitoring
equipment. Fan air shall be directed toward the ceiling.
v. One fan shall be used for each 10,000
cubic feet of the work area.
vi.
The leaf blower and its use must meet the criteria set forth in EPA document
560/5-85-024, "Guidance for Controlling Asbestos-Containing Materials in
Buildings," appendix section M.1.5, or any replacement criteria set forth by
the EPA. Their use should be restricted to general occupancy areas that are
contained, and they should not be used in any space with an open dirt, sand or
gravel floor.
vii. The work site
shall be kept free of non-asbestos abatement debris that would render
aggressive air sampling impractical.
(d) Post abatement sampling and analysis for
an asbestos hazard abatement project shall be performed as per EPA 40 CFR
763.90i. Samples collected within the affected work area shall be analyzed by
TEM.
(e) Post abatement sampling
and analysis for an asbestos hazard abatement project utilizing the glovebag
technique and encapsulation shall be as follows:
1. One sample per 10,000 square feet of work
area with a minimum of five samples shall be required. Samples collected within
the affected work area may be analyzed by PCM to confirm completion of an
asbestos abatement project using the methodology specified in NIOSH
7400.
(f) For TEM
analysis, the project shall be considered complete when the results of samples
collected in the affected work area comply with
40 CFR 763.90
and Appendix A to Subpart E. Maximum turnaround time from sample collection
through data reporting shall be 72 hours.
(g) For PCM analysis, the project shall be
considered complete when the results of samples collected in the affected work
area show that the concentration of fibers for each of the five samples is less
than or equal to 0.01 fibers per cubic centimeter.
(h) When the air analysis results for
projects covered by this subchapter show asbestos fiber concentrations above
the acceptance criteria, then clean-up shall be repeated until compliance is
achieved by re-cleaning all surfaces using wet methods and operating all HEPA
equipped air pressure differential units to filter the air.
