Contamination of the air with mineral fibers following the explosive destruction of buildings and fire

Our plain-English summary of Contamination of the air with mineral fibers following the explosive destruction of buildings and fire, by J.A. Hoskins, R.C. Brown (Drug Metabolism Reviews, 1994).

The study

• Authors: J.A. Hoskins, R.C. Brown
• Journal: Drug Metabolism Reviews
• Published: 1994;26(4):663-73
• Type of article: Review
• Cited by: 3 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Mineral fibers, including asbestos, are ubiquitous contaminants of the environment. Asbestos fibers are generally present at levels below 1 fiber/L in air though 10 fibers/L may be found in cities; these levels do not appear to be high enough to present a hazard to health. These fibers come mostly from the use of fibrous materials as thermal and acoustic insulation in buildings, and their use as friction materials. Historically, occupational air levels were often very high and as a result there was a high incidence of fibrosis and also cancer in exposed workers, mostly among those in the industries concerned with the winning or processing of asbestos fiber. Levels high enough to produce disease have also occurred paraoccupationally in the families of asbestos workers. The effect of fire and explosion in a building is to disrupt its structure and vastly increase the level of airborne fiber for a considerable distance (kilometers) around it. Air levels of fiber can remain high for months, and as a result the earliest occupational experiences are likely to be repeated. The greatest danger is from exposure to blue and brown asbestos, and it is known that even a single high exposure can be responsible for the development of a tumor decades later.

In plain English

This article was a review, presented in part at a workshop on the environmental effects of military activities. It reported no new measurements and no study of people. The authors described how asbestos and man-made mineral fibers are used in buildings and what happens to them in fire and explosion. They stated that asbestos in air is generally below 1 fiber per liter, with up to 10 fibers per liter in cities, and that these levels do not appear high enough to be a health hazard. They wrote that explosive destruction produces very high airborne fiber levels and that air levels can stay high for months. Citing earlier work, they wrote that a single acute exposure to amphibole asbestos can be followed by tumors 20 to 50 years later. They also wrote that mesothelioma and possibly lung cancer had occurred from domestic exposure or working near crocidolite mines or factories, but this had not been observed for chrysotile or amosite. The authors concluded that vastly increased ambient levels can match past occupational exposures, and that this should be heeded after hostilities.

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: Narrative review of published information, presented in part at a workshop on the environmental effects of military activities; no original data
• Who was studied: No people were studied. The authors discussed those they considered particularly at risk: people sheltering during hostilities and, later, people doing clearance work.
• Exposure: Asbestos (chrysotile, crocidolite, amosite, anthophyllite, tremolite, actinolite) and man-made mineral fibers (glass, rock and slag wools, ceramic fibers) in building materials, released by fire or explosion
• Main results:
  • The authors stated that asbestos in general air is usually below 1 fiber per liter, with up to 10 fibers per liter in cities, and that these levels do not appear to be a health hazard.
  • The authors wrote that explosive destruction of buildings produces very high airborne fiber levels.
  • The authors wrote that fiber levels in air can remain high for months after fire or explosion.
  • The authors stated that chrysotile starts to break down at 450°C and the amphiboles at 400-600°C in a fire.
  • Citing earlier work, the authors stated that a single acute exposure to amphibole asbestos can be followed by tumors 20 to 50 years later.
  • Summarizing earlier epidemiological evidence, the authors stated that mesothelioma and possibly lung cancer can occur from domestic exposure or working near crocidolite mines or factories, but that this had not been observed for chrysotile or amosite.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that when ambient fiber levels are vastly increased, exposure can reach levels once known occupationally, and that the resulting hazard should be heeded after hostilities.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The authors noted that only isolated reports of cleanup after fire were available, with no other readily available information.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Mineral Fiber, Fibrosis.

Related studies

• Relative congener scaling of Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans to estimate building fire contributions in air, surface wipes, and dust samples — J.D. Pleil, M.N. Lorber (2007)
• A probability model for evaluating building contamination from an environmental event — R.C. Spicer, H.J. Gangloff (2000)
• Asbestos exposure and fire fighting — S.B. Markowitz, K. Garibaldi, et al. (1991)
• Community health risk assessment after a fire with asbestos containing fallout — S. Bridgman (2001)
• The contamination of Lake Superior with amphibole gangue minerals — A.M. Langer, C.M. Maggiore, et al. (1979)
• Exposure of employees to man-made mineral fibers: mineral wool production — N.A. Esmen, Y.Y. Hammad, et al. (1978)

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