Asbestos containing materials in schools of Rome and surrounding area (Italy)

Our plain-English summary of Asbestos containing materials in schools of Rome and surrounding area (Italy), by A. Campopiano, A. Cannizzaro, A. Olori, et al (Industrial Health, 2021).

The study

• Authors: A. Campopiano, A. Cannizzaro, A. Olori, F. Angelosanto, D. Ramires, F. Basili, G. Gargaro, S. Massera, G. Novembre, F. Cavariani, F. Brizi, M.D. Francesco, G. Castri, A. Chiodo, B. Bruni, S. Iavicoli
• Journal: Industrial Health
• Published: 2021;59(6):436-448
• Cited by: 4 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Despite Italy banning use and production of asbestos in 1992, it continues to represent a risk to human health due to its permanence in the places where it was located. The aim of this work is to estimate how many schools in Rome (Italy) have asbestos containing materials (ACM), and to assess whether the location, condition and nature of ACM can influence the level of risk for student health. 3,672 schools were contacted and 1,451 participated to asbestos survey. 692 bulk samples were collected and analyzed by optical and electron microscope and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. About 16% of the surveyed schools had ACM. Most of the ACM were not accessible to students (water tanks, boiler thermal insulations). Asbestos-cement materials and vinyl floor tiles were the most common non-friable materials found in schools and equipment insulation linings and Bunsen burner gauze mats were the friable ACM found in science laboratories. Measures to prevent or reduce asbestos hazards were applied where necessary. This study allowed to develop the awareness of the asbestos health hazard among headteachers and the need to manage these hazards appropriately. It represents the beginning of a larger study leading to ACM national mapping in schools.

In plain English

This field report described an asbestos survey of school buildings in Rome and the surrounding area of Italy. In 2015, 3,672 school buildings were contacted, and headteachers returned 1,451 questionnaires. The team collected 692 bulk samples and identified the asbestos type in 333. Of the 1,451 participating schools, 15% (219 schools) had asbestos containing materials (ACM), 1% had presumed ACM and 84% had none. All 219 had non-friable ACM, mostly asbestos-cement water tanks, flues and chimneys, roofs, and vinyl floor tiles. Forty also had friable ACM, such as boiler insulation, linings of laboratory ovens and centrifuges, and Bunsen burner gauze mats. Crocidolite with chrysotile was found in about 80% of roofing samples, and vinyl tiles contained only chrysotile. No intact asbestos-cement material was found. Twenty-five air samples taken in classrooms with deteriorated vinyl tiles were all below the detection limit of 0.3 fibres per litre. Settled dust showed few asbestos fibres in two schools with severely damaged tiles. The authors concluded the survey raised headteachers' awareness and called for a government timetable for asbestos removal.

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: Field report: questionnaire survey of school buildings followed by site inspections, bulk material sampling and analysis, and limited air and settled dust sampling
• Who was studied: School buildings (preschool, primary, secondary and high school) in Rome and the surrounding area, Italy. 3,672 were contacted in 2015 and 1,451 questionnaires were completed (26% preschool, 24% primary, 50% secondary school buildings).
• Exposure: Asbestos containing materials in school buildings, both non-friable (asbestos-cement water tanks, flues and chimneys, roofs, downpipes and gutters, acoustic panels, vinyl floor tiles) and friable (boiler lagging, laboratory equipment linings, Bunsen burner gauze mats, fire-rated door lining). Fibre types identified were chrysotile, crocidolite and amosite.
• Main results:
  • Of the 1,451 participating schools, 15% (219 schools) had ACM, 1% had presumed ACM and 84% had no ACM.
  • All 219 schools with ACM had non-friable ACM, and 40 of them also had friable ACM.
  • Of the 692 bulk samples, asbestos was found and its type identified in 333.
  • A total of 275 non-friable ACM were counted. By the article's bar chart, these were water tanks 44%, flues and chimneys 22%, roofs 13%, vinyl floor tiles 9%, downpipes and gutters 7%, acoustic panels 4% and others 1%.
  • 199 non-friable ACM contained chrysotile and crocidolite, about 72% of the non-friable ACM collected.
  • 47 friable ACM samples contained chrysotile and amosite.
  • Vinyl-asbestos floor tiles contained only chrysotile. About 10% of surveyed school buildings had vinyl-asbestos floor tiles.
  • No intact asbestos-cement material was found. All water tanks, flues and chimneys found were damaged.
  • The most common friable ACM was thermal insulation on pipes and boilers, in rooms accessible only to technical personnel. Laboratory ovens and centrifuges had asbestos insulation, and Bunsen burner gauze mats contained chrysotile.
  • In classrooms with deteriorated vinyl-asbestos floor tiles, during normal school activity, all 25 air samples from 5 schools were below the detection limit of 0.3 fibres per litre.
  • Settled dust (12 samples from 3 schools) showed few asbestos fibres in two schools with severely damaged vinyl floor tiles.
  • Afterward, the schools with friable laboratory ACM removed the old ovens and gauze mats, 5 schools removed damaged vinyl floors, and no school had removed tanks or roofing.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that the survey raised headteachers' awareness of the asbestos hazard and represented the beginning of a larger national mapping study. They stated that the government needs to set a timetable and priorities for removing asbestos from all schools.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • Many presumed ACM were inaccessible and were not sampled or analysed.
  • Flues and chimneys were left out of the estimated ACM amounts, so the totals are underestimated.
  • Air sampling reflects only current conditions, not past or future fibre release.
  • No outdoor ambient air sampling was done near asbestos-cement roofs.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Thermal System Insulation (TSI), Asbestos-Cement, Friable.

Related studies

• Occupational exposure in the removal and disposal of asbestos-containing materials in Italy — A. Scarselli, M. Corfiati, et al. (2016)
• Airborne asbestos levels in school buildings in Italy — A. Campopiano, S. Casciardi, et al. (2004)
• Malignant mesothelioma in Rome, Italy 1980-1995. A retrospective study of 79 patients — V. Ascoli, C.C. Scalzo, et al. (1996)
• Mineral particles in the lungs of subjects resident in the Rome area and not occupationally exposed to mineral dust — L. Paoletti, D. Batisti, et al. (1987)
• 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)
• Asbestos release from whole-building demolition of buildings with asbestos-containing material — R.A. Perkins, J. Hargesheimer, et al. (2007)

Browse more research in Industrial Health, or return to medical research.