Monitoring of airborne asbestos fibers in an urban ambient air of Mashhad City, Iran: levels, spatial distribution and seasonal variations

Our plain-English summary of Monitoring of airborne asbestos fibers in an urban ambient air of Mashhad City, Iran: levels, spatial distribution and seasonal variations, by A. Moteallemi, M. Minaei, M. Tahmasbizadeh, et al (Journal of Environmental Health Science & Engineering, 2020).

The study

• Authors: A. Moteallemi, M. Minaei, M. Tahmasbizadeh, S. Fadaei, K. Masroor, F. Fanaei
• Journal: Journal of Environmental Health Science & Engineering
• Published: 2020;18(2):1239-1246
• Cited by: 14 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Asbestos, as with other pollutants in the air, has adverse effects on the health of human beings and animals. Today, the relationship between presence of asbestos fibers in the air breathed by humans and developing serious diseases such as lung cancer (asbestosis) and mesothelioma has been proven. The objectives of this study were to monitor the levels of asbestos fibers in ambient air of Mashhad, Iran during 2018, and to draw its Geographic Information System (GIS) distribution map for the city. In this descriptive study, 13 sampling points in Mashhad city were chosen. Sampling of asbestos was carried out for 3 hour during summer and winter at 2018. Sampling of asbestos was performed using MCE (Mixed Cellulose Ester) membrane filters (pour size 0.45 µm; diameter: 25 mm) and cassette holder and peripheral pump. The samples were the analyzed by the phase contrast microscopy (PCM) method (NIOSH7400). Also, to investigate the type of asbestos and for more accurate counting of fibers, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis was utilized. Meteorological parameter were recorded through portable devices. To draw the graphs, Excel, R and Arc GIS software were used. Results showed that the mean asbestos fiber concentrations were equal to 11.40 ± 2.14 and 14.38 ± 2.52 f/L in summer and winter, respectively. The maximum level of asbestos fiber was detected in the station of Baitolmoghaddas square by 26.64 ± 2.14 and 19.3 SEM f/L in winter and summer, respectively. High concentration of asbestos fiber observed in this study can be attributed to the heavy traffic, the presence of prominent industries in the vicinity of the study area, and topographic features. The results from this research recommends that suitable controlling policies should be regulated to reduce both ambient air asbestos and its adverse health endpoints in Mashhad.

© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020.

In plain English

This cross-sectional study measured asbestos fibers in the outdoor air of Mashhad, Iran, in summer and winter 2018. The authors chose 13 sampling stations based on traffic and nearby emission sources. They sampled air for 3 hours at a time and identified and counted fibers by scanning electron microscopy with X-ray analysis. Mean concentrations were 0.0114 fibers per millilitre (f/mL) in summer and 0.0143 f/mL in winter. Stations S11 (0.0266 f/mL) and S3 (0.0243 f/mL) had the highest levels, and S1 (0.0051 f/mL) the lowest. About 78% of detected fibers were asbestos. The most common type at the two high-traffic stations was a fiber the article calls "Thermolite". Concentrations were above the WHO recommended level at most stations in both seasons. Temperature, wind speed and humidity showed no statistically significant association with fiber levels. The authors linked the high levels to commercial buildings and hotels in central Mashhad causing heavy traffic. They concluded there is a potential health risk to occupational groups, especially traffic police.

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: Cross-sectional (descriptive) ambient air monitoring study with GIS mapping of spatial distribution
• Who was studied: Outdoor air at 13 sampling stations in Mashhad, Iran, chosen at high-traffic points near the industrial town and inhabited areas, in summer and winter 2018
• Exposure: Airborne asbestos fibers in urban ambient air, sampled on MCE filters for 3 hours at 8.5 L/min, 160 to 180 cm above ground. Counted fibers were longer than 5 µm, narrower than 3 µm, with a length-to-diameter ratio of at least 3:1, identified by SEM with EDXA.
• Main results:
  • Mean asbestos fiber concentration across stations was 0.0114 f/mL in summer and 0.0143 f/mL in winter
  • Highest concentrations were at station S11 (0.0266 f/mL) and station S3 (0.0243 f/mL); lowest at station S1 (0.0051 f/mL)
  • In summer the highest monthly level was in August (0.0139 f/mL) and the lowest in June (0.0097 f/mL)
  • In winter the maximum was in February (0.0171 f/mL) and the minimum in December (0.0117 f/mL)
  • 78% of detected fibers were asbestos; the rest were non-asbestos fibers
  • At high-traffic stations S11 and S3, the most common fiber type was one the article calls "Thermolite"
  • Asbestos fiber concentrations exceeded the WHO recommended standard level in the majority of stations in both seasons
  • No statistically significant association was found between meteorological parameters (temperature, wind speed, humidity) and asbestos concentration (p greater than 0.05, r less than 0.2)
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that asbestos fiber concentrations were higher than the WHO recommended level at all sampling stations. They attributed this to many commercial buildings and hotels in central Mashhad causing heavy traffic, and saw a potential health risk to occupational groups, especially traffic police.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Lung Cancer, Mesothelioma, phase contrast microscopy (PCM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM).

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