Page 60 - Green Builder Magazine May-June 2019 Issue

IAQ: Breathe Easier

Products, Research and Advice for Improving Indoor Air Quality

An Air

Affair

Here’s how to protect

your team from

hazardous material

during construction.

Mandatory checkup. Despite years of
precautions and monitoring by the construction
industry, lung health hazards such as asbestos
still hover in the air and within walls. CREDIT:NAVFAC

BY MEGAN WILD substances—vapor, gas, dust or fumes. Furthermore, additional information
Unfortunately, these substances are in is available at public institutions, such
T SHOULDN’T COME as a surprise abundance across most project sites in the as theŒOccupational Safety and Health
that thousands of builders each year construction industry, and it is imperative Administration or theŒNational Institute
su er from work-related skin or lung the greatest of care is taken to limit any for Occupational Safety and Health.
issues. One in every 20 were poisoned, harmful e ects on employees. Here’s a closer look at the dangers of
I according to the U.S. Department Manufacturers of hazardous materials hazardous waste to a builder’s team, as well
of Labor. And this doesn’t include all the are obliged to issue safety fact sheets as how these dangers can be prevented.
thousands of employees who didn’t report detailing the characteristics and dangers
anything. The Bureau of Labor Statistics of their products. While this info is ASBESTOS
estimates that nearly 70 percent of injuries often included with the initial purchase Asbestos exposure has been proven to cause
and illnesses never make it onto paper. of the materials, these data sheets can cancer of the lung or stomach, as well as
The obvious culprits are hazardous also be specifically requested directly. mesothelioma, which attacks the membranes

58 GREEN BUILDER May/June 2019 www.greenbuildermedia.com

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