Asbestos fibres introduce trace metals into streamwater and sediments

Our plain-English summary of Asbestos fibres introduce trace metals into streamwater and sediments, by H. Schreier (Environmental Pollution, 1987).

The study

• Author: H. Schreier
• Journal: Environmental Pollution
• Published: 1987;43(3):229-42
• Cited by: 7 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Based on a case study in the Sumas River, it is demonstrated that asbestos fibres, which were introduced by a massive landslide, have altered the water quality and sediment conditions in the downstream section of the river. Asbestos fibres, because of their small size, are readily transported and resuspended i in stream systems. Associated with the fibres are high quantities of Ni, Cr, Co and Mn which occur as contaminations and isomorphic substitutions in most asbestos materials. A direct link between discharge, asbestos fibre and Ni concentrations was demonstrated in the water. Trace metal values in the sediments decrease with distance from the point source but the concentrations 20 km downstream of the slide are still significantly higher than levels at a control station unaffected by the slide. Asbestos fibres leach in acid media, and Mg and trace metals are removed. The process and rates were illustrated on the basis of laboratory experiments using organic acids. Since the pH in the streamwater is decreasing from 8.4 to 7.1 in the downstream direction, trace metals release is of concern.

In plain English

This field study examined the Sumas River, where a large landslide near Everson, Washington, exposed asbestos-rich serpentinitic rock. Over the 1983-1984 hydrological cycle, water and bed sediment were sampled at three stations below the slide and at one control station unaffected by it. The fibres were identified as chrysotile asbestos. Fibre and nickel concentrations in the water were highest in the sampling period with the highest discharge. In six of seven sample sets, downstream fibre levels exceeded those at the control station. At high discharge, nickel and manganese in the water near the source area were above drinking water standards. Sediment magnesium, chromium, cobalt and nickel decreased with distance from the slide, but at the lowest station they were still statistically significantly higher than at the control. In laboratory leaching tests, cold citric acid removed 50% of the magnesium and nickel from sediment. The author concluded that the landslide sediments had a significant impact on the river's water and sediment chemistry. The author also concluded that trace metal leaching might become a problem because the streamwater becomes more acidic downstream.

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: Environmental field study of river water and bed sediments at sampling stations below a landslide plus a control station, with laboratory sediment leaching experiments
• Who was studied: Water and bed sediment of the Sumas River (headwaters near Everson, Washington, flowing into British Columbia), sampled on seven occasions over the 1983-1984 hydrological cycle at three downstream stations and one control station; also bedrock and 1975, 1983 and 1984 flood deposits on agricultural fields
• Exposure: Chrysotile asbestos fibres and associated trace metals (nickel, chromium, cobalt, manganese) introduced into the river by a landslide exposing asbestos-rich serpentinitic rock
• Main results:
  • In streamwater, the highest asbestos fibre concentrations and highest nickel values were found during the sampling period with highest discharge
  • In six out of seven sample sets, downstream asbestos fibre concentrations were higher than at the control station unaffected by the landslide
  • The fibres were very small (average size 1.7 micrometres), and fibre dispersion was observed all the way to the mouth of the river
  • At high discharge levels, manganese and nickel values in the water were above drinking water standards near the source area
  • In bed sediments, total magnesium, chromium, cobalt and nickel decreased with distance from the asbestos point source
  • For magnesium, cobalt, chromium and nickel, sediment concentrations at the lowest station were still significantly higher than at the control station (Mann-Whitney U-test, alpha 0.05)
  • No difference was observed in the chemistry of the 1975, 1983 and 1984 flood deposits
  • Streamwater pH fell from alkaline to neutral (pH 7.1) in the downstream direction
  • In laboratory leaching of sediments, cold citric acid was the most effective treatment, removing 50% of magnesium and nickel
• The authors' conclusion: The author concluded that asbestos-rich sediments from the landslide had a significant impact on the water and sediment chemistry of the Sumas River, and that trace metal leaching might become a problem as the water becomes more acidic downstream
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The link between discharge and fibre concentration did not hold in every case
  • At the high fibre concentrations found, the accuracy of the asbestos counting method decreases
  • Inconsistencies in the downstream fibre trend were probably due partly to analytical difficulties
  • Without a detailed loading study, the author could not conclusively show that dilution by unpolluted tributaries explains why water data did not show a dramatic increase in trace metals

Related studies

• Asbestos fibers and trace metals in the blood of cattle grazing in fields inundated by asbestos-rich sediments — H. Schreier, J.A. Shelford, et al. (1986)
• Wide Riparian Zones Inhibited Trace Element Loss in Mining Wastelands by Reducing Surface Runoff and Trace Elements in Sediment — J. Deng, Z. Li, et al. (2024)
• Simple quantitative analysis of asbestos body using the sediment of formalin injected into surgically resected lung cancers — Y. Sakai, C. Ohbayashi, et al. (2010)
• Some observations on the distribution of trace metals in chrysotile asbestos — A. Morgan, A.E. Lally, et al. (1973)
• Assessment of both environmental cytotoxicity and trace metal pollution using Populus simonii Carr. as a bioindicator — V. Sluchyk, I. Sluchyk, et al. (2014)
• Trace elements in hazardous mineral fibres — A. Bloise, D. Barca, et al. (2016)

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