abstract
Asbestos fibers have been used in a wide variety of products and numerous studies have shown that
exposures from the use or manipulation of these products can vary widely. Jet engines contained various
components (gaskets, clamps, o-rings and insulation) that contained asbestos that potentially could
release airborne fibers during routine maintenance or during an engine overhaul. To evaluate the potential
exposures to aircraft mechanics, a Pratt & Whitney JT3D jet engine was obtained and overhauled by
experienced mechanics using tools and work practices similar to those used since the time this engine
was manufactured. This study has demonstrated that the disturbance of asbestos-containing gaskets,
o-rings, and other types of asbestos-containing components, while performing overhaul work to a jet
engine produces very few airborne fibers, and that virtually none of these aerosolized fibers is asbestos.
The overhaul work was observed to be dirty and oily. The exposures to the mechanics and bystanders
were several orders of magnitude below OSHA exposure regulations, both current and historic. The data
presented underscore the lack of risk to the health of persons conducting this work and to other persons
in proximity to it from airborne asbestos.