By: Wayne Litke

Judging from air and dust tests conducted at Maple Creek Hospital, it appears airborne asbestos  never posed a risk and registered 0.0012 fibres per cubic centimetre of air (f/cc). That sample came from the “fan room between air handling units” which I believe is the ventilation unit that housed the asbestos.

To put a concentration of 0.0012 in context, no respiratory protection is required if the asbestos level is less than 0.01 fibres per c.c., according to Saskatchewan  Occupational Health and Safety. The highest level of asbestos found at the hospital was approximately one-eighth of the level at which OHS recommends using respiratory protection.
Furthermore, OHS does not make respiratory protection mandatory until the asbestos level reaches 0.1 f/cc. Personally, I would wear a respirator as a safeguard if the concentration reached 0.01, but I would not wear the apparatus at the levels that were confirmed in our hospital. Furthermore, the air samples were taken 1 1/2 days after the hospital had been shut down–totally closed up–which prevented the release of fibres to the outside atmosphere through open doors and windows and may have actually caused the asbestos concentration to be a little higher than normal.
The test results do not indicate the amount of asbestos that was removed from the ventilation room. Health region officials indicated it would be a small amount, and stated it was confined to one pipe that had been repaired. It was referred to as exposed asbestos, a trace amount and photographing the decontaminated area was not permitted. Unfortunately, we do not know the asbestos level in that room after the clean-up occurred because a worker knocked the air monitor pump off the wall which caused it to shut off.
From the air sample collected, it is apparent the asbestos fibre concentration decreased from 0.006 to 0.003 f/cc in three locations after the asbestos was removed. However, for some reason the fibre level almost doubled in A-Ward 14-18 and increased from 0.003 to 0.005 f/cc.
Dust samples that were also collected on Feb. 27 and analyzed did not contain asbestos. Ten samples were taken at various locations in the hospital, but the sampling did not include the suspected hot spot, the “fan room between air handling units.”
The abatement company conducted 10 initial air tests on Sat., Feb. 27 and seven follow-up tests on Tues., March 2 after the clean-up had been completed to ensure the air was safe.
On the afternoon of Sun., Feb 28, CHR communication officer Bryce Martin said the preliminary test results looked promising. A letter from the abatement company dated that same day confirmed that and stated, “The Maple Creek Hospital is deemed safe for re-occupancy based on the air monitoring results recorded at the time of our site visit Feb., 27, 2010.”
Employees returned to work at the hospital at 7 p.m. on Mon., March 1. The asbestos abatement work was concluded the next day.
Here are few things I learned from this process: 1 - At the local level, identifying asbestos, collecting a sample and having a lab analysis performed can take a week. An on-sight abatement company can perform the same task in one day. 2 - An asbestos-coated pipe that could pose a possible hazard can be forgotten for a year and then cause the sudden shut down of a hospital within one hour without an air or dust test being conducted. 3 - CHR can respond quickly and effectively to a potential crisis. 4 – We all (including myself) miscalculate and make errors, and need to learn from such shortcomings and not go on a head-hunting expedition. 5 - I have more to say, but (for now) it’s time I bite my tongue.