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At least 19 records

Environmental projects. Volume 4: Asbestos survey

The Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex (GDSCC), near Barstow, California, operates in support of six large parabolic dish antennas. Many of the buildings and structures at the GDSCC were erected before it became known that asbestos posed a hazard to human health. Thus, because of concern with asbestos, two field surveys were conducted at the GDSCC in October/November 1986 and in September 1987 to locate, classify, and quantify all asbestos-containing materials in buildings, structures, roofs and boilers. The report describes the results of the two surveys and describes methods for both asbestos management and asbestos abatement. The surveys found that GDSCC practices involving asbestos are conscientious and forward-thinking. A program, due to start in FY 1988 and to be completed in FY 1990, is planned to remove all friable (easily pulverized) asbestos-containing materials discovered during the two field surveys for asbestos at the GDSCC.

Kushner, L.

Calcium Free Asbestos for Fuel Cells

Organic-acid salt removes unwanted calcium without weakening asbestos. Asbestos mixed with disodium ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (disodium EDTA) in water and agitated for 2 hours. After disodium EDTA solution is drained away, asbestos contains only 0.02 to 0.1 percent calcium. Fiber structure of asbestos unaffected.

Snitzer, B. A.

Environmental projects. Volume 12: Friable asbestos abatement, GDSCC

The Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex (GDSCC) is part of the NASA Deep Space Network, one of the world's largest and most sensitive scientific telecommunications and radio navigation networks. Activities at the GDSCC are carried out in support of six large parabolic dish antennas. These activities may give rise to a variety of environmental hazards, particularly the danger of exposure of GDSCC personnel to asbestos fibers that have been shown to be responsible for such serious ailments as asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma. Asbestos-containing materials (ACM's) were used in the construction of many of the approximately 100 buildings and structures that were built at the GDSCC during a 30-year period from the 1950s through 1980s. The friable asbestos-abatement program at the GDSCC is presented which consists of text, illustrations, and tables that describe the friable asbestos abatement carried out at the GDSCC from December 21, 1988 through May 11, 1989.

Source record

Asbestos Surveillance Program

Background on asbestos is presented including the different types and the important medical distinctions between those different types. The four diseases associated with asbestos exposure are discussed: mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, and benign pleural disorders. The purpose of the LeRC Asbestos Surveillance Program is outlined, and the specifics of the Medical Surveillance Program for Asbestos Monitoring at LeRC are discussed.

Source record

Rapid Measurement Of Asbestos Content Of Building Materials

Portable instrument measures asbestos content of construction materials in place. Helps building renovators determine, quickly and accurately, whether asbestos is present. Concept readily adapted to special-purpose, battery-powered instrument. Contractor using such instrument could obtain reliable information on asbestos content in minutes.

Weiss, James R.

Qualification Status of Non-Asbestos Internal Insulation in the Reusable Solid Rocket Motor Program

This paper provides a status of the qualification efforts associated with NASA's RSRMV non-asbestos internal insulation program. For many years, NASA has been actively engaged in removal of asbestos from the shuttle RSRM motors due to occupation health concerns where technicians are working with an EPA banned material. Careful laboratory and subscale testing has lead to the downselect of a organic fiber known as Polybenzimidazol to replace the asbestos fiber filler in the existing synthetic rubber copolymer Nitrile Butadiene - now named PBI/NBR. Manufacturing, processing, and layup of the new material has been a challenge due to the differences in the baseline shuttle RSRM internal insulator properties and PBI/NBR material properties. For this study, data gathering and reduction procedures for thermal and chemical property characterization for the new candidate material are discussed. Difficulties with test procedures, implementation of properties into the Charring Material Ablator (CMA) codes, and results correlation with static motor fire data are provided. After two successful five segment motor firings using the PBI/NBR insulator, performance results for the new material look good and the material should eventually be qualified for man rated use in large solid rocket motor applications.

Clayton, Louie

Reinforcement of polymeric structures with asbestos fibrils

Investigation determines structural potential of asbestos fibrils. Methods are developed for dispersing macrofibers of the asbestos into colloidal-sized ultimate fibrils and incorporating these fibrils in matrices without causing reagglomeration.

Rader, C. A.

Assessment of potential exposure to friable insulation materials containing asbestos

Asbestos and the procedures for assessing potential exposure hazards are discussed. Assessment includes testing a bulk sample of the suspected material for the presence of asbestos, and monitoring the air, if necessary. Based on field inspections and laboratory analyses, the health hazard is evaluated, and abatement measures are taken if a potential hazard exists. Throughout the assessment and abatement program, all applicable regulations are administered as specified by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Kim, W. S.

Safe Replacement For Asbestos In Nickel/Hydrogen Cells

Polyethylene fibers and potassium titanate particles perform as well as asbestos. New material for separators of nickel-hydrogen electrochemical cells offers performance similar to that of asbestos separator material without adverse health effects. In one version, separator contains pure polyethylene fibers, and may or may not contain supplementary latices as bonding agents. In standard wet-laying papermaking process, fibers pressed into mat, then dried. Mat used as is or pressed further in hot calender stack to soften and fuse fibers at crossing points. Treatment reduces porosity and increases resistance of mat to passage of air bubbles under pressure. In alternative version, matrix of 20 to 40 percent polyethylene fibers and 60 to 80 percent potassium titanate particles formed on paper machine, then dried. It, too, can be treated by hot calendering.

Scott, William E.

Asbestos Free Insulation Development for the Space Shuttle Solid Propellant Rocket Motor (RSRM)

Asbestos has been used for many years as an ablation inhibitor in insulating materials. It has been a constituent of the AS/NBR insulation used to protect the steel case of the RSRM (Reusable Solid Rocket Motor) since its inception. This paper discusses the development of a potential replacement RSRM insulation design, several of the numerous design issues that were worked and processing problems that were resolved. The earlier design demonstration on FSM-5 (Flight Support Motor) of the selected 7% and 11% Kevlar(registered) filled EPDM (KF/EPDM) candidate materials was expanded. Full-scale process simulation articles were built and FSM-8 was manufactured using multiple Asbestos Free (AF) components and materials. Two major problems had to be overcome in developing the AF design. First, bondline corrosion, which occurred in the double-cured region of the aft dome, had to be eliminated. Second, KF/EPDM creates high levels of electrostatic energy (ESE), which does not readily dissipate from the insulation surface. An uncontrolled electrostatic discharge (ESD) of this surface energy during many phases of production could create serious safety hazards. Numerous processing changes were implemented and a conductive paint was developed to prevent exposed external insulation surfaces from generating ESE/ESD. Additionally, special internal instrumentation was incorporated into FSM-8 to record real-time internal motor environment data. These data included inhibitor insulation erosion rates and internal thermal environments. The FSM-8 static test was successfully conducted in February 2000 and much valuable data were obtained to characterize the AF insulation design.

Allred, Larry D.

Asbestos Exposure Assessment Database

Exposure to particular hazardous materials in a work environment is dangerous to the employees who work directly with or around the materials as well as those who come in contact with them indirectly. In order to maintain a national standard for safe working environments and protect worker health, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has set forth numerous precautionary regulations. NASA has been proactive in adhering to these regulations by implementing standards which are often stricter than regulation limits and administering frequent health risk assessments. The primary objective of this project is to create the infrastructure for an Asbestos Exposure Assessment Database specific to NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) which will compile all of the exposure assessment data into a well-organized, navigable format. The data includes Sample Types, Samples Durations, Crafts of those from whom samples were collected, Job Performance Requirements (JPR) numbers, Phased Contrast Microscopy (PCM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) results and qualifiers, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and names of industrial hygienists who performed the monitoring. This database will allow NASA to provide OSHA with specific information demonstrating that JSC s work procedures are protective enough to minimize the risk of future disease from the exposures. The data has been collected by the NASA contractors Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) and Wyle Laboratories. The personal exposure samples were collected from devices worn by laborers working at JSC and by building occupants located in asbestos-containing buildings.

Arcot, Divya K.

Asbestos and Inconel combined to form hot-gas seal

Hot-gas seal prevents warpage tendencies in large flange joints exposed to high temperatures, such as those present in large space vehicle engine exhausts. Two Inconel wire mesh cores are held in place by an asbestos cloth cover that acts as a spacer to form the seal.

Wooster, C. W., Jr.