Airborne Asbestos Fiber Concentration in Buildings: Surveys Carried Out in Latium (Central Italy)

Abstract

In Italy, use and production of asbestos and asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) were banned in 1992, however, the risk of exposure to asbestos still exists, because most ACMs are located in industrial and public buildings. A total of 111 Italian buildings with friable and non-friable ACMs were surveyed; 500 air samples were collected in the areas where contamination might have occurred. Airborne asbestos fiber concentration calculated from air samples was averaged for each building. Statistical analysis of the data showed no significant differences between the mean concentration measured in buildings with friable and non-friable ACMs (p = 0.258). The concentration values were below 2 f/L, the value stated by Italian regulation to ensure that the area is safe to reoccupy after asbestos removal. Samples of settled dust were also collected. The presence of asbestos fibers in the dust showed the occurrence of a release of asbestos from the material. Although the airborne asbestos fiber concentrations measured were low, current Italian regulation requires an asbestos management program. The Public Institution to which the authors of this work belong encourages asbestos removal as the preferred abatement method, in line with the asbestos-free future approach proposed by the European Commission.