SOME TESTING FOR ASBESTOS has been done at Mishkon over the years. (Some abatement work has also been done.)
This post now documents what I have learned from testing reports, our office computer records, and our inspector. It also gives some background information.…
Executive Summary
There is a need to know whether or not asbestos is present in our building materials and is friable (i.e., capable of being released into the air). This applies to surfaces that may be compromised either inadvertently (e.g., water intrusion) or by design (e.g., repair or restoration efforts).
There are two thresholds of interest. Friable asbestos at a level of 0.1% or greater is considered by Cal-OSHA to be hazardous to workers. Friable asbestos at a level of 1% or greater is considered by CARB (California Air Resources Board) and the federal EPA to be hazardous to everyone; and the regulations for that level are said to be quite onerous.
The testing results for various aspects of our buildings are catalogued below, followed by selected background information.
Inventory of Asbestos-Containing Materials
Here is the asbestos record according to six main locations on the premises: sanctuary, social hall, school/office, attics, basement heating system, and exterior stucco. It comes from 5 documents: 2014 OSHA Report; 2014 Supplementary Letter; and 2019 Social Hall Tests, and test reports in 2022–2024 for the sanctuary building and for the school building. Our certified asbestos consultant has usually been Murray Harreschou of Environmental Inspection Service.
Sanctuary
Walls
Upon noticing water-damaged plaster on the south wall, our inspector had it tested in two places (12/4/14). Asbestos was not detected.
Ceiling
Upon noticing water-damaged ceiling plaster in the southeast entryway (beside the bimah), our inspector had it tested (12/4/14). Asbestos was not detected.
According to verbal advice from a project manager at Terra Environmental (6/6/23), the above 2014 testing in two adjacent areas, on essentially the same plaster material, counts as doing the required 3 tests in one overall area.
Floor
Upon noticing damaged floor tiles in the southeast entryway (beside the bimah), our inspector recommended that they be tested (12/4/14). No follow-up testing was done.
Nonetheless, our inspector advises that removing seats from the sanctuary, which involves removing screws/bolts that anchor the seats to the floor, does not present an asbestos risk, unless we see dust being kicked up. In that case, use wet wipes and a HEPA vacuum to control the dust. Fill in the holes with (matching brown) caulk, to keep everything below in place. The holes remaining where seats have already been removed should be filled in, too.
Floor tiles were tested in June 2023; they contain 7–8% asbestos.
On 7/14/23, in preparation for a pending south-wall repair and painting project — to avoid disturbing the tile during that project — Alternative Technologies Inc. (an asbestos abatement firm) removed additional seats along the wall, removed the (remaining) baseboard, glued down loose pieces of floor tile along the edge at the wall, applied encapsulant where indicated, and vacuumed up thoroughly with a HEPA vacuum.
To refasten the seats to the floor (after the room is painted) is deemed a safe activity for our staff.
Mezzanine
Testing of the ceiling and wall surfaces in Sept. 2022 found no asbestos.
Upstairs Women’s Restroom
In the “women’s entry bathroom floor tile,” 5–6% asbestos was found in Sept. 2022. (This is the presumably original tile, rather than the vinyl sheet flooring that presently overlays it. That top layer, and the adhesive layers, are free of asbestos.) I.e., we now know that any renovation that disturbs that flooring (such as cutting a hole for a new toilet) will require the involvement of a certified asbestos abatement contractor. Our inspector believes that the overall least-cost approach is to engage the abatement contractor to remove the flooring for both the restroom (proper) and the lounge area. Then a regular contractor will be free to deal with the remainder of the renovation of the entire restroom area without concern.
Lobby: Door to stairwell
Social Hall
Walls and Ceiling
The wall plaster (and drywall around the recently flooded youth lounge) and the ceiling was tested at multiple locations around the Social Hall (2/7/19). Asbestos was not detected.
Wall plaster in the main corridor (and drywall around the recently flooded office = former youth lounge) was tested (6/23/23). Again, asbestos was not detected.
Floor
Vinyl sheet flooring underneath carpet in the recently flooded youth lounge was tested even though it was non-friable. Asbestos was not detected.
Separately, in Sept. 2013, Jeff Fleck arranged for testing of the vinyl floor tile in the main portion of the Social Hall. The results showed 4% asbestos. (That tile was then covered over with new flooring. Note that, based on appearance — that is, colors and pattern — as preserved in photographs, it is the same dark brown tile as used in the sanctuary.)
Both layers of floor tile in the Social Hall were tested (6/23/23). For the brown layer underneath, the results showed 3% asbestos.
Kitchen
Floor
Both layers of floor tile in the kitchen were tested (6/23/23). For the original “tan” layer, the results showed 2% asbestos.
Basement Corridors
Floor
It is unknown whether there is still original floor tile underneath the beige tile in the corridors. In the corridor to the men’s room, near the doorway, along the wall, where the seam between wall and floor was exposed after the June 2023 flood, there is merely a sliver (3" x ½") of what appears to be the original, dark brown tile.
School/Office
Walls
Three of the walls in the large office were tested (12/4/14). Testing was done apparently prior to undertaking the repair of water damage in the vicinity of an air-conditioning unit located in the exterior wall. The results found 0.1–0.2% asbestos in all 3 walls. (A certified asbestos abatement contractor was then engaged to do the wall repair.)
In Classroom 2 (west wall, where there seems to be a cracked vent pipe behind the wall) and in the divider wall in the smaller restroom, asbestos was detected but shown to be at a legally negligible level in Sept. 2022.
Ceiling
Asbestos was not detected during Sept. 2022 testing of the textured ceiling in the Rabbi's study, small office, large office, or library. (The hallway and classrooms were not tested.)
Attics
Detritus
Piping
In December 2014, in the attic above the bimah, our inspector noted a vertical flue pipe made of asbestos cement. (It runs from the inoperative basement furnace to the roof.) He said it poses no hazard because its asbestos is locked in the cement.
The 2021 termite inspection report noticed “what appears to be asbestos pipe” in the attic of the social-hall kitchen; it recommended that we engage such a contractor “to inspect and identify [problems] and give necessary correction measures.” I looked around from the entry hatch in August 2022; I see a flue pipe (which is not a hazard; see above), so I believe there is no need for follow-up. (The inspector explained to me that he was erring on the side of caution.)
Basement Heating System
This system seems to be nonfunctional and abandoned. Asbestos-containing material has been pointed out to us by an HVAC contractor, in the fabric that connects the blower to the vertical duct above it. He said that it could be removed safely by an HVAC contractor, without needing to involve an abatement company.
There may be more ACM around the furnace. Prior to any demolition or remodeling in that area, it needs to be inspected and tested.
Exterior Stucco
Sanctuary Building
School Building
Background
Where Asbestos May Lurk
- vinyl floor tiles,
- the backing on vinyl sheet flooring and adhesives,
- patching compounds used on walls and ceilings (“sheetrock mud”), and
- coverings of hot water pipes.
The use of asbestos in the manufacture of fire doors was particularly prevalent during the mid to late 20th century. It is common to find these fire doors in an older building’s fire escape routes or areas that lead into stairwells. Any remaining fire doors that date back to the 1960s or 1970s have a very high chance of containing asbestos.
How Much Asbestos Matters?
What Are the Basic Rules?
The Southern California Air Quality Management District, CAL-OSHA, and local building departments mandate asbestos testing before remodeling or demolition.
See https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/ACRU/ACRUinfo.htm See under “Building Owners.”
Two Levels of Testing
The initial round of testing uses a method of analysis (called PLM) that is less expensive but also not so accurate when a material contains less than 10% asbestos. Therefore, when a sample is tested positive for asbestos at 10% or less, a second round of testing is recommended (and in some cases required) that is more expensive but also highly accurate even at small concentrations.
On the other hand, in some cases it’s not worth doing further testing, because the likelihood of its changing the outcome is so small. For example, as our inspector noted regarding the restroom floor tile,
“In my experience vinyl floor tile this size and age has more than 1% asbestos most of the time. So to see 5 or 6% Chrysotile [a type of asbestos] in the 3 samples was expected. The extra cost of point counting [i.e., doing the more refined test] to try to prove less than 0.1% would not be worth it.”
A Division of Labor in the Asbestos World
Under state law, there are two categories of experts for dealing with asbestos: certified asbestos consultants and certified abatement contractors. They swim in their respective lanes, so to speak. The consultants cannot perform the removal of asbestos containing materials. Similarly, the abatement contractors are not allowed to comment on the presence of asbestos. This rule avoids potential conflicts of interest and is intended to ensure that asbestos testing and guidance is objective.
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