Asbestos and other fibre levels in buildings

Our plain-English summary of Asbestos and other fibre levels in buildings, by S. Altree-Williams, J.S. Preston (The Annals of Occupational Hygiene, 1985).

The study

• Authors: S. Altree-Williams, J.S. Preston
• Journal: The Annals of Occupational Hygiene
• Published: 1985;29(3):357-63
• Cited by: 14 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

In plain English

This article described an air-sampling method and reported airborne fibre levels in buildings. The authors used Nuclepore polycarbonate filters and a scanning electron microscope with X-ray analysis. Unlike the standard membrane filter and optical microscope method, this approach could identify each counted fibre. They reported a practical detection limit of 1 fibre per litre of air for duplicate samples, at least 10 times better than the optical method. They collected 193 fixed-point air samples in occupied areas of 22 buildings (19 office, 3 plant). Most buildings contained chrysotile, amosite or crocidolite sources that had been in place for at least 10 years. Three were sampled after asbestos removal, and two had no known source. No asbestos fibres were counted in 162 samples. Twenty-two samples showed 1 fibre per litre, five showed 2, three showed 3, and one showed 22. That highest reading came from a room with a manhole to a roof space where loose amosite insulation lay on top of the ceilings. Organic fibres ranged from 0 to 63 per litre (median 4). Non-asbestos mineral fibres ranged from 0 to 13 per litre (median 1).

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Air-monitoring survey of buildings, using a scanning electron microscope counting and identification method developed and described by the authors (fixed-point air samples)
• Who was studied: 22 buildings (19 office, 3 plant), 193 air samples taken in occupied areas. Three buildings were monitored after asbestos removal and two had no known asbestos source. The location and dates of sampling are not stated; the authors were based in Canberra, Australia.
• Exposure: Asbestos sources installed when the buildings were built and in place for at least 10 years. As printed: chrysotile in 9 buildings, amosite in 9, crocidolite in 2. Sources included fire-proofing on steel members, spray insulation, asbestos-cement board, fire doors, pipe and plant insulation, and loose amosite insulation in a roof space. Counted fibres were longer than 5 micrometres, narrower than 3 micrometres, with an aspect ratio above 3:1.
• Main results:
  • Asbestos fibre concentrations across the 193 samples: 162 samples at 0 fibres per litre, 22 samples at 1, 5 samples at 2, 3 samples at 3, and 1 sample at 22
  • The single 22 fibres per litre result came from a room with a manhole access to a roof space where loose amosite insulation was spread on top of the ceilings
  • Organic fibre levels ranged from 0 to 63 fibres per litre, median 4
  • Mineral (non-asbestos) fibre levels ranged from 0 to 13 fibres per litre, median 1
  • The method gave a practical detection limit of 1 fibre per litre of air (0.001 fibre per millilitre) for duplicate samples
• The authors' conclusion: The authors stated that their method improved the detection limit by at least 10 times compared with the membrane filter and optical microscope method. They also stated that it identifies counted fibres. They judged the Asbestos International Association's RTM2 method less suited to measuring asbestos in office and plant buildings. The article draws no conclusions about health risk.

Related studies

• Statistical analysis of data on airborne asbestos levels collected in an EPA survey of public buildings — K.S. Crump, D.B. Farrar (1989)
• Airborne concentrations of asbestos in 71 school buildings — M. Corn, K. Crump, et al. (1991)
• A task-based assessment of parental occupational exposure to organic solvents and other compounds and the risk of childhood leukemia in California — C. Metayer, G. Scelo, et al. (2016)
• Size distributions of occupational airborne asbestos textile fibres as determined by transmission electron microscopy — A.P. Rood, R.R. Streeter (1984)
• A comparison of light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy results in the evaluation of the occupational exposure to airborne chrysotile fibres — A. Marconi, E. Menichini, et al. (1984)
• Worker exposure to asbestos during removal of sprayed material and renovation activity in buildings containing sprayed material — N.W. Paik, R.J. Walcott, et al. (1983)

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