A radiographic survey of public school building maintenance and custodial employees
- Bureau of Public Health, Madison, WI (United States)
Analyses of radiographs from a cohort of 457 school maintenance and custodial workers (90 had no employment other than at a school) demonstrated an increased prevalence of abnormalities consistent with asbestos-caused disease. Pleural abnormalities predominated (24 of 29). The abnormalities could not be explained by occupational asbestos exposures which may have occurred prior to school employment. Abnormality prevalence ranged from 1.7% among those with less than 10 years to 37% among those with 30 or more years of public school employment. Laborers and skilled tradesmen with more than 20 years of school employment had a higher prevalence of abnormality (40 and 28%) than the building engineers (14%). In order to ensure that future asbestos exposure and disease risk is minimized in buildings constructed with asbestos-containing materials (ACM), implementation of asbestos hazard identification and abatement must include a rigorous operations and maintenance program. Control of asbestos from in-plane ACM is a public health priority. 23 refs., 2 figs., 2 tabs.
- OSTI ID:
- 7181255
- Journal Information:
- Environmental Research; (United States), Vol. 59:1; ISSN 0013-9351
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ASBESTOS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
PERSONNEL
BIOMEDICAL RADIOGRAPHY
OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE
PUBLIC HEALTH
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM DISEASES
SCHOOL BUILDINGS
ANIMALS
BUILDINGS
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
DISEASES
EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES
MAMMALS
MAN
MEDICINE
NUCLEAR MEDICINE
PRIMATES
RADIOLOGY
VERTEBRATES
560300* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
550900 - Pathology