Exposure Control
The purpose of the SDSU Asbestos Management Program is to implement procedures for controlling potential exposure to asbestos in campus buildings. The principal elements of this program involve requirements and responsibilities for surveys, training and certification of workers, employee notifications, proper work procedures for activities that have the potential to disturb asbestos, and proper disposal of asbestos wastes.
Resources
Crystalline silica is a common mineral found in the earth's crust. Materials like sand, stone, concrete, and mortar contain crystalline silica. It is also used to make products such as glass, pottery, ceramics, bricks, and artificial stone.
Respirable crystalline silica consists of tiny particles, at least 100 times smaller than ordinary sand and typically found on beaches and playgrounds. These particles are created when cutting, sawing, grinding, drilling, and crushing stone, rock, concrete, brick, block, and mortar. Other activities that can expose workers to respirable crystalline silica dust include abrasive blasting with sand, sawing brick or concrete, sanding or drilling into concrete walls, grinding mortar, and manufacturing products like brick, concrete blocks, stone countertops, or ceramic products.
Inhaling these very small crystalline silica particles results in an increased risk of developing serious silica-related diseases, including:
- Silicosis, an incurable lung disease that can lead to disability and death
- Lung cancer
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Kidney disease
To protect personnel from exposure to respirable crystalline silica, SDSU has two crystalline silica standards below:
Lead is an ingredient used in thousands of industry products, including lead-based paints, lead solder, electrical fittings and conduits, tank linings, plumbing fixtures, and many metal alloys. Although many uses of lead have been banned, lead can be present in a wide range of materials, including paints and other coatings, lead mortars, and base metals to be welded on or treated with abrasive blasting. The Lead Exposure Management Plan applies to all SDSU employees who may be occupationally exposed to lead or lead compounds, with an emphasis on personnel that are involved in construction or maintenance activities. The elements of the Lead Exposure Management Plan involve requirements and responsibilities for surveys, training (and certification) of workers, notifications, engineering controls and proper practices for activities involving the removal or encapsulation of lead.
Radio Frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (EMF) are a form of non-ionizing radiation within the electromagnetic spectrum, spanning frequencies below 300 GHz. These invisible waves travel through space and interact with charged particles. RF waves have long been used for wireless communication, enabling the transmission of information between antennas and devices without the need for cables.
Radio frequency signals are transmitted from stations to radio receivers. For example:
- cell towers and mobile phones use radio frequencies to send and receive information, allowing users to make a call or to access the internet
- remote controls use radio frequencies to send signals to:
- a garage door to open it
- a car to unlock the doors
- a toy car to make it move
Radio frequency EMF can also be used in products that serve to heat things, such as microwave ovens.
For many years, scientists have studied the health effects of RF EMF exposure. Numerous international studies have shown that these effects differ depending on the frequency range. Higher frequencies, like ultraviolet radiation, can cause tissue heating, while short-term exposure to lower frequencies, such as those from TV broadcasts and mobile phones, may lead to nerve stimulation, like tingling sensations. Currently, no consistent evidence links any source of non-ionizing (lower frequency) EMF to cancer.
