Development and Application of a Framework to Examine the Occurrence of Hazardous Components in Discarded Construction and Demolition Debris: Case Study of Asbestos-Containing Material and Lead-Based Paint

Abstract

Regulations that dictate the management of asbestos-containing materials (ACM) and lead-based paint (LBP) debris in the United States require these materials to be managed in a specific manner at the job site to reduce potentially hazardous exposure to site workers, and the disposal of the materials is regulated through notification and special handling requirements. However, management of ACM and LBP from residential projects are afforded some exemptions in U.S. regulations; thus, some quantity of these materials may be delivered to a disposal facility, thus representing a potential exposure concern for landfill workers because ACM and LBP cannot be detected through visual inspection. A novel characterization framework was developed to quantify the occurrence of ACM and LBP in discarded construction and demolition (C&D) debris. A total of 266 loads of debris and 307 samples of potential ACM were collected from 10 landfills in Georgia with a total of four detections of asbestos (frequency of 1.3%). A total of 487 painted surfaces of incoming waste were analyzed for lead using a handheld X-ray fluorescence device, with a total of 70 positive detections (defined as a concentration greater than 1 mg/cm2). The mass of debris corresponding to the positive lead detections comprised a mass fraction of 1.4% of all waste that was sampled. The results represent the most extensive sampling and analysis of ACM and LBP in discarded C&D debris, demonstrating that the U.S. federal regulatory scheme for management of ACM and LBP are generally effective at limiting indiscriminate disposal of ACM and LBP. The results were also likely impacted by the timeframe of ACM and LBP use in the United States and the typical service life of construction materials that used ACM and LBP. The framework developed in this study can be applied at other disposal and recycling facilities to characterize other waste streams of interest that are difficult to assess through visual approximation such as specific metal alloys.