The Phylmar Group, Inc.
The Phylmar Group, Inc. designed and conducted several statistically based exposure monitoring programs for the utility, mining, chemical, and automotive industries to evaluate worker exposures to metals, asbestos, noise, and solvents. These evaluations were performed to assess compliance with occupational health regulations and, where appropriate, California’s Proposition 65. In one example, a client who manufactured brake shoes wanted to assess employee exposure to asbestos that had collected on various building surfaces as the result of prior use of the fiber in production. The objective of the evaluation was to identify areas within the plant exceeding an ambient asbestos concentration in excess of the criterion level of 0.1 fibers/cubic centimeter of air. The air monitoring plan was designed to identify, at the 95% confidence level, areas exceeding the criterion level. More than 600 air samples were collected throughout the facility and analyzed first using phase contrast microscopy (PCM). Samples exceeding the criterion level using PCM were subjected to transmission electron microscopy to identify the presence of asbestos fibers. No areas exceeding the criterion level were exceeded. By demonstrating that employees working under routine conditions are not exposed to excessive concentrations of asbestos fibers the client was able to save over one million dollars in unnecessary abatement costs while reassuring employees they work in a healthful environment.
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