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Industrial Evidence Stream · Vehicle Maintenance

What did NIOSH measure during New York City municipal brake servicing in 1979?

NIOSH surveyed sanitation, traffic and police vehicle repair facilities in Queens and reported personal asbestos measurements that varied substantially by shop and work practice.

Primary-source reconstructionUpdated September 26, 2026
How to use this record. Read the documented evidence first, then open the evidence boundary for the limits of the specific source and period.

Documented evidence

  • NIOSH surveyed New York City sanitation, traffic and police brake-servicing facilities in Queens in January 1979.
  • The report described personal asbestos measurements ranging from 0.12 to 0.54 fibers/cc in the sanitation repair station, 0.15 to 2.62 fibers/cc in the traffic repair station, and 0.03 to 0.81 fibers/cc in the police repair station.
  • NIOSH noted that exposure varied with work practices and time spent in brake servicing areas, and identified cleaning of brake shoes and backing plates as operations capable of generating significant concentrations.

What we can investigate from here

If you or a family member worked here, details such as the approximate years, job, department, building or type of work may help us investigate the history further. You do not need to know the asbestos product or how the exposure occurred.

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Workplace Evidence Pathway

From this workplace to the next useful question

This pathway separates what public sources document about New York City Municipal Brake Servicing — Queens from what still must be established for a particular person.

PlaceYearsJob / areaTask / equipmentSourceLimitationNext question

Documented here

  • EVD-IND-020-01 — NIOSH surveyed New York City sanitation, traffic and police brake-servicing facilities in Queens in January 1979.
  • EVD-IND-020-02 — The report described personal asbestos measurements ranging from 0.12 to 0.54 fibers/cc in the sanitation repair station, 0.15 to 2.62 fibers/cc in the traffic repair station, and 0.03 to 0.81 fibers/cc in the police repair station.
Next useful questions
  • What exact years place the person at New York City Municipal Brake Servicing — Queens?
  • What job title, department, contractor, crew or work area can narrow the history?
  • Which remembered detail best fits: sanitation, traffic or police repair shop, brake-shoe cleaning, time spent in brake-service areas?
  • What employment, union, coworker, maintenance, specification or other record can connect the person to the correct time and place?

Primary source

Primary source record Primary / authoritative source

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Occupation, task and equipment research paths

These links are suggested from the public metadata attached to this H&S workplace record and from general category research. They help organize questions; they are not proof that any listed trade, equipment or material was present for a particular person.

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