With increasing numbers of communities harmed by exposures to toxic substances, greater understanding of the psychosocial consequences of these technological disasters is needed. One community living the consequences of a slow-motion technological disaster is Libby, Montana, where, for nearly 70 years, amphibole asbestos-contaminated vermiculite…

As a means to involve the public in research, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) established the Partners in Research Program and solicited research grant applications from academic/scientific institutions and community organizations that proposed to forge partnerships: (a) to study methods and strategies to engage and inform the public…

A series of studies in New Jersey schools documented asbestos abatement and management activities in 17 schools representing 20 abatement sites. Findings demonstrate that school officials must increase their awareness of asbestos issues, improve the oversight of asbestos abatement and management programs, and improve lines of communication among…

This study determined, by means of a random sample, how many of Colorado's public schools have asbestos materials and estimated the potential risk of exposure presented by these materials. Forty-one schools were surveyed. Bulk samples of possible asbestos materials were collected and analyzed using the K-squared Asbestos Screening Test to…

To determine how school districts are handling the problems of asbestos in their schools, the General Accounting Office (GAO) conducted interviews and asked standarized questions of officials at 6 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regional offices, 12 state offices, and 36 school districts in 12 states. This report presents information on the…

Addressed to the members of the general assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia, this report summarizes the surveys for asbestos of all state-owned buildings and all public schools as required by state code. The survey of state-owned buildings was carried out by a consulting firm. Over 5,900 buildings were surveyed, representing approximately 65…

The role of news media as gatekeepers controlling the flow of information that the public receives was explored during the 1978 Asbestos Awareness campaign conducted by the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW). In an effort to inform high risk workers and the general public about the health hazards associated with asbestos exposure,…

An inspection of 138 New Jersey school buildings revealed that a significant percentage of school officials do not have a good understanding of their asbestos management plan and, therefore, are failing to meet all of the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act's requirements. (MLF)

Examines the role of the media gatekeeper--reporter, editor, or news manager--and the effect of this role on public service announcements. Discusses the Asbestos Awareness campaign and its effectiveness in demonstrating the importance of the media gatekeeper. (JMF)

A House of Representatives subcommittee convened to consider legislation (H.R. 3677) to reauthorize the Asbestos School Hazard Abatement Act of 1984 (ASHAA) that provides financial assistance to needy school districts in the form of loans and grants for asbestos-related activities. The hearing record contains the text of H.R. 3677, testimony, and…

The purpose of this study is to evaluate existing manual methods for analyzing asbestos, beryllium, lead, cadmium, selenium, and mercury, and from this evaluation to provide the best and most practical set of analytical methods for measuring emissions of these elements from stationary sources. The work in this study was divided into two phases.…

This report is a comparative analysis of K-12 school planning and design criteria. A state-by-state survey was conducted to evaluate the degree of state government involvement and the differences in each state. A questionnaire sought information on funding, state planning requirements, site and building sizes, pupil/teacher ratios, building design…

Presents evaluation of state-certified asbestos abatement training program to evaluate appropriateness and effectiveness of training against actual work experiences. Survey administered to trainees (n=114) indicates most (78 percent) passed retest on course content, the course received an average effectiveness rating of 92 percent, and actual work…

Presents research findings regarding the susceptibility of young children to various indoor environmental pollutants including cigarette smoke, heating and cooking equipment, art supplies, lead, and asbestos. Discusses assessment, management, and prevention of environmental hazards to provide guidelines for achieving a safe child care environment.…

Describes the methodology and results of a study comparing the overlap of Enviroline, Pollution, and the Environmental Periodicals Bibliography files through searches on acid rain, asbestos and water, diesel, glass recycling, Lake Erie, Concorde, reverse osmosis wastewater treatment cost, and Calspan. Nine tables are provided. (RBF)