Determination of asbestos levels in a public building located in Towson, Maryland

In response to a request from the Baltimore County Health Department, a study was made of possible exposures to asbestos in a public building in Towson, Maryland. Determinations were made of asbestos in bulk ceiling samples and airborne samples. The building had two levels. The ground level houses the local fire department and the basement level houses the Bureau of Civil Defense. Asbestos was applied to the ceiling of the basement level to help alleviate a heat problem caused by the heating facility located on the ground floor, directly above the civil defense offices. The material, Spraycraft Asbestos Fiber, was applied in two layers. The x-ray diffraction study of the bulk ceiling sample indicated a chrysotile asbestos content of 27%, by weight. Concentrations in airborne samples ranged from 0.0 to 0.0031 fibers/milliliter, which were quite low compared to the 1976 standard 8 hour exposure of 2 fibers/milliliter. Due to the potential for flaking of the ceiling material with subsequently increased employee exposure, the authors recommend that appropriate action be taken to prevent this from occurring.