Exposure and risks from wearing asbestos mitts

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Industrial Hygiene
• Asbestos Research

Background:

• Limited data exists on asbestos fiber exposure from gloves/mitts, especially in hot industrial settings like glass manufacturing.
• Previous studies documented high fiber exposure from other personal protective equipment made of chrysotile asbestos.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess personal exposure levels to asbestos fibers when wearing asbestos mitts.
• To evaluate fiber exposure in simulated hot environments relevant to glass manufacturing.

Main Methods:

• Simulated three work activities in a controlled test room using new and artificially aged asbestos mitts.
• Measured respirable asbestos fiber exposure levels without dust suppression treatments.
• Investigated the impact of localized ventilation simulating furnace airflows.

Main Results:

• Respirable asbestos fiber exposure levels ranged from <0.06 to 0.55 fibers/ml.
• No significant difference in fiber exposure between aged and unused mitts was observed.
• Localized ventilation reduced exposure by approximately five-fold; task differences were significant, with 'rowing' molten glass being lowest and furnace seal replacement highest.
• Estimated lifetime cancer risk for 20 years of exposure at the upper range is <22 per 100,000.

Conclusions:

• Wearing asbestos mitts likely results in relatively low airborne chrysotile asbestos fiber exposure.
• Exposure levels are considerably lower than accepted standards from the 1960s and 1970s.
• The associated cancer risks from this specific use of asbestos mitts are likely very low.