Asbestos-containing Materials Research Articles

Occupational exposure in the removal and disposal of asbestos-containing materials in Italy.

A great variety of asbestos-containing materials are present in both residential and work settings because of the widespread use made in the past, and many occupational activities still entail the risk of asbestos exposure in Italy, more than 2decades after the total national ban, mainly those involved in the removal and disposal of asbestos. The aim of the study was to evaluate the level and extent of asbestos exposure in Italy between the years 1996-2013 in the sector of asbestos abatement. Data were collected from firm registries of asbestos-exposed workers and descriptive statistics were calculated for exposure-related variables. Overall, 15,860 measurements of asbestos exposure were selected from the national database of registries, mostly referring to the construction sector (N=11,353). Despite the mean exposure levels are low, the air concentration of asbestos fibers measured during these activities may overcome the action level established by the Italian legislation and, in a limited number of cases, can exceed even the occupational limit value. Among occupations at higher risk, there are also garbage collectors and insulation workers. Starting from the analysis of the Italian database of occupational exposure registries, this study outlines the current levels of asbestos exposure in abatement-related sectors, discussing their possible implications for public health policies and surveillance programs.

ENVIRONMENTAL RELATIVE BURDEN INDEX: A STREAMLINED LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT METHOD FOR FACILITIES POLLUTION PREVENTION

This paper describes a new semi-quantitative streamlined life cycle assessment (SLCA) method, the Environmental Relative Burden Index (ERBI), for describing and ranking the relative environmental burdens associated with facility operations and maintenance options. The long-range goal is for this ERBI method to serve as a pollution-prevention decision support tool for facilities managers, when faced with competing operations and maintenance alternatives. The specific application presented in this paper evaluates asbestos-containing materials (ACM) and lead-based paint (LBP) management options in public school facilities. The ERBI methodology is adapted from previous streamlined semi-quantitative LCA methodologies and is described in detail. The ERBI is then employed to evaluate the relative environmental impacts of six management strategies for these hazardous building materials: management in-situ, encapsulation/containment, and full abatement/disposal, for both ACM and LBP. SLCA goal definition, system boundaries, ERBI matrix, and overall ERBI Ratings (RERB) for each material management strategy are presented. The ERBI can be a useful tool in prioritizing building maintenance alternatives, especially in cases where detailed quantitative data are unavailable.

SENTIERI - Epidemiological study of residents in national priority contaminated sites: incidence of mesothelioma

The purpose of SENTIERI-ReNaM Project is to describe mesothelioma incidence in the Italian National Priority Contaminated Sites (NPCSs). The present report deals with 39 NPCSs (20 in Northern Italy, 8 in Central Italy and 11 in Southern Italy). Asbestos is specifically mentioned in the regulatory acts of recognition for 10 NPCSs and it is the only agent that has determined environmental contamination in 3 of them (Casale Monferrato, Broni, and Bari). The timeframe of the study is 2000-2011 for 34 out of 39 sites. The corresponding reference periods for the sites of Latium, Campania, Umbria, and Bolzano Province are, respectively, 2001-2011, 2005-2011, and 2006-2011. Standardized Incidence Ratios (SIRs) for mesothelioma, with their corresponding 90% Confidence Intervals, have been estimated for all sites. The interpretation of the study findings has been based on anamnestic information made available by the Italian National Mesothelioma Registry (ReNaM), and completed thanks to knowledge derived from the international scientific literature. In men, mesothelioma incidence has shown excesses in 27/39 sites and defects in the remaining 12; in women, excesses have been reported in 20 sites, defects in 15, and no cases have been detected in the remaining 4 sites. The highest annual incidence rates have been observed in the sites characterized only by the presence of asbestos- cement factories (Broni and Casale Monferrato): respectively, 98.0 and 68.6 per 100,000 per year in men, 72.1 and 45.8 in women. Besides these two sites, the highest rates have been observed in the sites with naval shipyards: 13.2 in men and 2.5 in women. Excesses of mesothelioma incidence have been confirmed (with respect to previous observations) in the sites of Broni, Casale Monferrato, Balangero, and in the coastal areas of Trieste, La Spezia, Venice, and Leghorn. Balangero has been the major European chrysotile quarry, while the other sites are characterized by the presence of naval shipyards with demonstrated use of asbestos before it was banned in 1992. An excess of mesothelioma incidence has also been confirmed in the site of Biancavilla, characterized by the presence of the fluoro-edenite fibrous amphibole, classified as carcinogenic to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). An increased incidence of mesothelioma was also observed in the areas where no direct use of asbestos had previously been documented, like Cengio and Saliceto (chemical industry), Falconara on Sea (oil refinery), and Litorale Domizio Flegreo and Agro Aversano (a large area including multiple hazardous waste dumping sites). These findings show that a relevant proportion of Italian mesothelioma cases is concentrated in NPCSs. About 1,500 extra cases of mesothelioma have been estimated in the overall series of 39 sites (2000-2011), corresponding to 125 extra cases per year. The excess has concerned the sites with manufacture of asbestos-cement products, but also the areas with asbestos quarries, naval shipyards, illegal hazardous waste dumping sites with asbestos-containing materials, petrochemical industries, refineries and steel plants. In some sites, particularly Casale Monferrato and Broni, analytical epidemiological studies have shown the causal role of not only occupational, but also environmental exposures, with special reference to paving of gardens and courtyards with asbestos-cement industry by-products. The main novelty generated by the collaborative SENTIERI-ReNaM Project concerns the detection of significant mesothelioma excesses not only in sites where asbestos is explicitly reported as a source of contamination, but also in a number of areas defined "of national interest" for environmental cleanup due to other sources of pollution. This confirms that the range of economic activities and working and living environments affected by asbestos exposure is very wide and it is not restricted to the industrial sectors characterized by the direct use of this material.

Influence of the type of pre-calcined asbestos containing wastes on the properties of sintered ceramics

The paper presents the issue of using asbestos-containing materials as well as one of the possible methods that allows to change the dangerous properties of asbestos in cement-asbestos (“eternit”) to a harmless material that can be used in further applications. The article presents the experimental results in which the possibility of cement-asbestos use as a secondary raw material for the manufacture of sintered ceramics (clinker ceramics) as well as the influence of the pre-calcined cement-asbestos type were studied. Three variants of cement-asbestos waste were used: raw, without any thermal treatment or after previous calcination at selected temperatures (700 and 1200°C). These materials were added (0–10wt%) to commercial mixtures (ceramic mass) to produce sintered ceramics. Green compacts were formed from dry ceramic masses (with a limited amount of mixing water) and were then sintered. After the firing cycle, ceramic properties such as linear shrinkage, water absorption, open porosity, apparent density, compressive strength and freeze resistance were determined.The results of the study show that cement-asbestos material can be used as an interesting secondary raw material to produce sintered ceramics. The obtained ceramics samples were characterised by low water absorption, high compressive strength and full frost resistance. The type of introduced cement-asbestos material had an influence on the ceramic properties.

Chrysotile asbestos detoxification with a combined treatment of oxalic acid and silicates producing amorphous silica and biomaterial

This study was primarily imposed by the ever increasing need for detoxification of asbestos and asbestos containing materials (ACM), with potential application onsite. The present work investigates potential detoxification of pure chrysotile (Chr) asbestos via a combined treatment of oxalic acid dihydrate (Oxac) (Η2C2Ο4·2Η2Ο) with silicates, such as tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) (SiH20C8O4) and pure water glass (WG) (potassium silicate) (K2SiO3). These reagents used in the experimental procedure, do not cause adverse effects on the environment and are cost effective. The results of FTIR, XRD, optical and scanning microscopy coupled with EDS analyses indicated that all of the applied treatments destructed the Chr structure and yielded silica of amorphous phase and the biomaterial glushinskite from the Oxac reacted with brucite [Mg(OH)2] layer. Each of the proposed formulations can be applied for the detoxification of asbestos, according to priorities related to the specific products of the recovery treatment. Therefore, Oxac acid leaching followed by the TEOS addition is preferred in cases of glushinskite recovery; TEOS treatment of asbestos with subsequent Oxac addition produced amorphous silica production; finally Oxac acid leaching followed by WG encapsulated the asbestos fibers and can be used in cases of onsite asbestos and ACM detoxification.

Comparison of Risk Assessment Criteria and Distribution of Asbestos-Containing Materials in School Building

We investigated the distribution of Asbestos containing materials(ACMs) in Korea for 15 school buildings built before and after 1990, including elementary schools, middle schools and high schools. In order to perform risk assessments of samples gathered from the buildings, the study used four different rules as the criteria: results from the AHERA rule, the HSE rule and the ASTM rule on ACMs were measured against the available risk assessment of asbestos in Korea, a rule was proposed based on schools environment and background. In the ACMs aging of the samples before 1990, chrysotile and amosite in the ceiling samples were detected 2-5 % and 2-3 %, respectively. Overall, a higher detection rates was found in samples emanating in baumlight (chrysotile 5-8 %) used in a cubicle partition in the bathroom more than ceiling samples (chrysotile 2-5 %) taken from classrooms. As a result of air samples of asbestos, most of the samples had concentration levels below of Indoor Air Quality Management Standards (0.01 fiber/cc), except for two samples in the kindergarten and elementary school. Risk assessment and evaluation of ACMs indicated the similar results in AHERA rule, HSG264 rule and ASTM rule and proposed the new assessment(available risk assessment of asbestos in Korea) was made based on the Korea background.

The joint effect of asbestos exposure, tobacco smoking and alcohol drinking on laryngeal cancer risk: evidence from the French population-based case–control study, ICARE

ObjectiveThe objective of the study was to investigate the joint effect of occupational exposure to asbestos, and tobacco and alcohol consumption, on the risk of laryngeal cancer among men.MethodsWe used...

Utilisation of cement-asbestos wastes by thermal treatment and the potential possibility use of obtained product for the clinker bricks manufacture

The aim of this study was to investigate the thermal behaviour of cement-asbestos wastes and to determine whether it is possible to use them in the production of building ceramics, e.g. clinker bricks. In the first part of the research, the process of cement-asbestos thermal decomposition was studied. This asbestos material contained the chrysotile and crocidolite variety of asbestos. The results of this study allowed to determine the lowest temperature of thermal treatment that provides asbestos detoxification. The second part of the paper presents the results of a preliminary study on using previously calcined cement-asbestos wastes as an additive to ceramic masses typical for clinker bricks. Green compacts containing various amounts of cement-asbestos wastes were sintered and then ceramic properties were determined. The results of the study indicate that calcined asbestos-containing materials can be used as one of the secondary raw materials in the production of clinker ceramics.

석면함유 건축물의 관찰조사를 통한 실내공기 중 섬유 농도 변화 요인 추정

Objectives: The objective of this study is the estimation of factors influencing airborne fiber concentrations by means of an observation survey of asbestos-containing materials in buildings. Methods: Forty-five samples were collected from four commercial buildings by NIOSH Method 7400 and classified according to current condition, potential activity, construction year, and operations and maintenance(O&M). Results: Airborne fiber concentrations by current condition(classified as good, fair and poor) were significantly different(p 0.05). Conclusions: Airborne fiber concentrations in asbestos-containing buildings had weak relationships with current condition and potential activity.

대학캠퍼스 내 석면함유자재의 사용실태 분석을 통한 효율적 처리방안에 관한 연구 - 대구 소재 K 대학을 중심으로 -

If inhaled in human body, asbestos fibers could cause serious diseases. Still asbestos-containing materials(ACM) have been much used in structures including school buildings. However, as of now, there has been no asbestos management plan for university buildings. This study, against this backdrop, seeks to analyze the status quo of asbestos application in university buildings and present effective method to dispose of ACM. To this end, the solid samples of suspicious ACM were collected from 103 building structures in the university K in Daegu Metropolitan City, South Korea for analysis herein. As a result, of the total 1,548 specimens, 401 were found to have asbestos. The ACM have four different types - tex, bamlite, gasket and slate. Of the total <TEX>$127,846.67m^2$</TEX> ACM, tex was found to account for <TEX>$125,730.41m^2$</TEX> (98.3%), the largest part. According to the purpose of use, lecture buildings were found to have 50.7% share of tex areas among the total floor area of buildings, topping the list. When considering all of the factors including building usage purpose, construction year, building use ratio, asbestos area ratio, etc. it was found herein that lecture buildings, research buildings and dormitories were the first to remove ACM.

Exposure to airborne asbestos in thermal power plants in Mongolia.

Coal-fired thermal power plants (TPPs) in Mongolia use various types of asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) in thermal insulation of piping systems, furnaces, and other products. To investigate the occupational exposure of insulation workers to airborne asbestos in Mongolian power plants. Forty-seven air samples were collected from four power plants in Mongolia during the progress of insulation work. The samples were analyzed by phase contrast microscopy (PCM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The average phase contrast microscopy equivalent (PCME) asbestos fiber concentration was 0·93 f/cm(3). Sixteen of the 41 personal and one of the area samples exceeded the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (US OSHA) short-term exposure limit of 1·0 f/cm(3). If it is assumed that the short-term samples collected are representative of full-shift exposure, then the exposures are approximately 10 times higher than the US OSHA 8-hour permissible exposure limit of 0·1 f/cm(3). Power plant insulation workers are exposed to airborne asbestos at concentrations that exceed the US OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit. Action to mitigate the risks should be taken in Mongolia.

A Study on the Asbestos Risk Assessment with Usage of Building

Asbestos collectively refers to a set of naturally existing silicate minerals with fibrous structures, and is a natural mineral in fibrous forms that was originally serpentines or amphiboles. Because of its properties such as resistance to heat, chemical resistance and corrosion; tensile strength; sound absorption; and affordable prices, it had been widely used as building materials, fire resistant and retardant, thermal and heat insulation, sound absorbent, and electrical insulation. Since the prolonged inhalation of asbestos can cause serious illnesses such as lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis after an incubation period of 20 to 40 years, the mineral was classified as Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. In Korea, asbestos-containing construction materials had been widely used until asbestos was added to the hazardous substance requiring permission for use by the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and use of asbestos was totally banned in February 2009. This survey was conducted with 45 buildings to assess asbestos-containing materials used by usage of building. It was found that asbestos-containing construction materials were used in 27 buildings out of 45 buildings surveyed.

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

AbstractRegulations 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%)...

Climate Change Highlights a Potentially Dangerous Trade-off.

Climate Change Highlights a Potentially Dangerous Trade-off.

The concept of ‘end of waste’ and recycling of hazardous materials: in depth characterization of the product of thermal transformation of cement-asbestos

AbstractSelected samples of asbestos-containing material (ACM) with different Ca/Si ratios have been treated thermally at 1200°C for 15 min to obtain an ‘end of waste geo-inspired material’. Before and after treatment, micro-Raman spectroscopy allowed the investigation of both powdered and massive samples by directing the laser beam onto crystals with elongated morphology, thin fibres and the matrix. In the raw samples, chrysotile and/or crocidolite were detected. After the thermal treatment, no asbestos phases were identified in the Raman spectra collected on fibrous or fibre-like morphologies. The scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectroscopy investigations confirmed the onset of a pseudomorphic process during annealing, leading to the complete transformation of asbestos minerals into non-hazardous magnesium or calcium magnesium silicates such as forsterite, monticellite, a˚kermanite and merwinite.The identification of such mineral assemblages was inspired by the close inspection of a natural counterpart, the high-temperature contact metamorphic imprint due to the intrusion of a sill into carbonate rocks. The process turned out to occur largely at the solid state and involved substantial mobilization of Ca and Mg to form a spinel phase (namely MgFe2O4) which was recognized in the matrix and within, or close to elongated morphologies.

Study on the concentration of airbone respirable asbestos fibres in rural areas of the Lublin region in south-east Poland.

The objective of the study was measurement of the concentrations of airborne asbestos fibres in the rural environment of the Lublin Region in south-east Poland. Measurements of concentrations of respirable asbestos fibres were carried out in the rural areas of the Lublin Region (Lublin and Włodawa counties) for a period of 24 months. The studies were conducted on 3 farms with various technical conditions of asbestos-containing materials: Farm A - good technical condition of asbestos products, Farm B - poor technical condition, and Farm C - with no asbestos containing products and no such products in its direct vicinity (up to 500 m). On the selected farms, 3 samples on each were simultaneously collected at 3 measuring sites. During the period 2009-2011, a total number of 216 samples were collected on all farms. Sampling was performed using JSH 16,000 stationary aspirators, with air flow velocity of 16 l/min. and sampling time 60-80 minutes. The number of fibres on filters was determined using an optical phase contrast microscope. The study showed that the mean concentration of respirable asbestos fibres on the farms examined was 296 fibres•m (-3). The highest concentrations were noted on Farm B was 529 fibres•m (-3), on average; on farm A the mean concentration of respirable fibres was 328 fibres•m (-3), whereas the lowest mean concentration of airborne respirable asbestos fibres was noted on farm C, where there were no asbestos products (30 fibres•m(-3)).

Application of microwave radiation in innovative process of neutralising asbestos-containing wastes

Presented are results of a research on a possibility to use innovative microwave heating for thermal neutralisation of asbestos-containing wastes. In comparison to traditional heating, the innovative process is characterised by up to a hundred times reduced energy consumption and two hundred times shorter processing time. Parameters of effective disposal, i.e. microwave radiation power and heating time, as well as kind and quantity of the wetting agent necessary in the microwave heating process that intensifies the process and ensures uniform heat distribution in the heated charges, were determined for five most commonly used products containing various fractions of asbestos fibres. It was demonstrated that the presented innovative and eco-minded technology of disposing asbestos-containing materials is a quick, cheap, economical and effective solution guaranteeing complete degradation of the hazardous fibres.

Quantification of short and long asbestos fibers to assess asbestos exposure: a review of fiber size toxicity.

The fibrogenicity and carcinogenicity of asbestos fibers are dependent on several fiber parameters including fiber dimensions. Based on the WHO (World Health Organization) definition, the current regulations focalise on long asbestos fibers (LAF) (Length: L ≥ 5 μm, Diameter: D < 3 μm and L/D ratio > 3). However air samples contain short asbestos fibers (SAF) (L < 5 μm). In a recent study we found that several air samples collected in buildings with asbestos containing materials (ACM) were composed only of SAF, sometimes in a concentration of ≥10 fibers.L−1. This exhaustive review focuses on available information from peer-review publications on the size-dependent pathogenetic effects of asbestos fibers reported in experimental in vivo and in vitro studies. In the literature, the findings that SAF are less pathogenic than LAF are based on experiments where a cut-off of 5 μm was generally made to differentiate short from long asbestos fibers. Nevertheless, the value of 5 μm as the limit for length is not based on scientific evidence, but is a limit for comparative analyses. From this review, it is clear that the pathogenicity of SAF cannot be completely ruled out, especially in high exposure situations. Therefore, the presence of SAF in air samples appears as an indicator of the degradation of ACM and inclusion of their systematic search should be considered in the regulation. Measurement of these fibers in air samples will then make it possible to identify pollution and anticipate health risk.

시야평가법과 포인트계수법에 의한 석면정량평가 연구

세계적으로 석면분석방법에 관한 다양한 연구사례가 발표되고 있는 가운데, 분석방법의 차이에 따른 석면함유물질(ACM, Asbestos Containing Material) 결과에 대한 관심이 대두되고 있다. 본 연구에서는 균질성이 확보된 ACM 시료를 시야평가법(visual estimation method)과 포인트계수법(point counting method)의 분석결과에 대한 비교 평가를 통하여 분석기관 및 분석자의 신뢰성 향상과 더불어 편광현미경 분석의 기초자료를 확보고자 하였다. 석면분석은 정성분석과 정량분석으로 구분하였으며, 석면정량을 위한 방법은 EPA 600-R-93-116의 시야평가법과 포인트계수법으로 총 400지점을 계수하는 방법으로 실시하였다. 먼저 준비된 시료의 균질성을 분산분석을 이용하여 확인한 결과 이상이 없음을 확인하였다. 정성분석의 결과는 백석면과 갈석면으로 확인되었고 정량분석결과는 포인트계수법이 시야평가법과 비교하여 전체적인 석면함유량이 저평가되는 경향과 함께 포인트계수법은 분석과정이 조금 복잡하고 분석시간이 많이 소요되었다. While variety of cases of studies about asbestos analysis methods are released internationally, the results of Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM) according to differences in the method of the analysis is becoming an issue. In this study, homogeneity ensured ACM samples were analyzed by visual estimation method and point counting method, and the result cound be used not only to improve the reliability on asbestos analysis of the institutions and analysts but also to obtain the basic data of Polarizing Light Microscope (PLM) analysis by comparing and evaluating. Asbestos analysis were divided into qualitative and quantitative analysis method. The quantitative analysis was performed by visual estimation method and point counting method (total 400 points) of EPA 600-R-93-116 method by using PLM. Firstly, The following was the result of homogeneity of the samples by ANOVA (Analysis of variance) and the results were satisfied. The results of qualitative analysis showed that the samples were chrysotile and amosite, and about the results of quantitative analysis, asbestos concentration determined by point counting method tend to be lower than concentrations determined by visual estimation method and also, pont counting method was a little more complicated and time-consuming.

Microwave-driven asbestos treatment and its scale-up for use after natural disasters.

Asbestos-containing debris generated by the tsunami after the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011, was processed by microwave heating. The analysis of the treated samples employing thermo gravimetry, differential thermal analysis, X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy, and phase-contrast microscopy revealed the rapid detoxification of the waste by conversion of the asbestos fibers to a nonfibrous glassy material. The detoxification by the microwave method occurred at a significantly lower processing temperature than the thermal methods actually established for the treatment of asbestos-containing waste. The lower treatment temperature is considered to be a consequence of the microwave penetration depth into the waste material and the increased intensity of the microwave electric field in the gaps between the asbestos fibers resulting in a rapid heating of the fibers inside the debris. A continuous treatment plant having a capacity of 2000 kg day(-1) of asbestos-containing waste was built in the area affected by the earthquake disaster. This treatment plant consists of a rotary kiln to burn the combustible waste (wood) and a microwave rotary kiln to treat asbestos-containing inorganic materials. The hot flue gas produced by the combustion of wood is introduced into the connected microwave rotary kiln to increase the energy efficiency of the combined process. Successful operation of this combined device with regard to asbestos decomposition is demonstrated.