Asbestos Training Given To Hygienists -- MesoLink.org -- 09-22-05

The US naval hospital at Camp Lester, Okinawa, has been providing training for hygienists to enable them to learn more about asbestos, how and where it is used, and how to identify its presence. This substance was once widely used in a wide range of applications, and often its safe removal is require in building and on ships.

The training course included showing the staff how to set up and use microscopy equipment in order to identify the presence of asbestos. Training was provided to some of the hygienists to show them how to determine whether material used in building contained asbestos.

The health director at the hospital stated: “The permissible exposure limit is low … that’s why we have labs to determine if samples have asbestos.” She also added that having this type of training in place “means the hospital now has first-hand knowledge, a jump start in terms of getting the training specific to the new Navy standards. We will now have resident- trained asbestos analyzers that can now support other bases.”

An abatement project is underway at the hospital already. The training provided to the staff means that some staff will already have a good knowledge of what to look out for and what the dangers and necessary safety measures are.