Monitoring the presence of asbestos in a residential apartment building

Our plain-English summary of Monitoring the presence of asbestos in a residential apartment building, by F. Curtis (Environmental Pollution, 1991).

The study

• Author: F. Curtis
• Journal: Environmental Pollution
• Published: 1991;71(1):69-81
• Cited by: 1 article, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Asbestos was once frequently used in building materials, but airborne fibres are now associated with serious health risks. This paper discusses the properties of asbestos and the ways in which certain forms can cause disease. Risks to the health of residents of asbestos-containing building are also explored. The detection, measurement and control of airborne asbestos demands careful monitoring. A case study is presented which describes the various procedures used to investigate the potential risks to residents of an asbestos-containing apartment building. Based on this investigation, recommendations are outlined for precautionary measures, mitigation techniques and further monitoring.

In plain English

This paper gave a short general overview of asbestos, based on other sources, and a case study of one 12-storey building with 122 apartments in Regina, Saskatchewan, completed in 1972. Sprayed-on material on the apartment ceilings and in the boiler room contained chrysotile asbestos. In a 1987 consultant investigation, ceiling material was sampled from two randomly chosen apartments per floor, giving 22 samples from the suites, and from the multipurpose room, lounge and boiler room. Indoor air was also sampled. Friable asbestos-containing material was found on all surfaces inspected. Its chrysotile content was given as an average of 20% in one place and 29% in another. No asbestos fibres were seen on the air filters. A 1989 follow-up sampled three hallways and two apartments and detected no chrysotile. One sample held a very short fragment that might have been asbestos, but it was too small to identify positively. The 1989 investigation found no evidence of risk to residents from airborne chrysotile. The author concluded that asbestos-containing building materials are unlikely to threaten residents' health if the materials are maintained in good condition so that asbestos fibres are not released into the indoor air.

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: General overview of asbestos drawn from other sources, plus a case study describing consultant investigations (1987 and a 1989 follow-up) of one apartment building, using bulk material sampling and indoor air sampling
• Who was studied: One 12-storey apartment highrise in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, with 122 apartments on 11 floors, completed in 1972; investigated in 1987 and 1989
• Exposure: Sprayed-on ceiling material containing chrysotile asbestos and a binder in the apartments, multipurpose room and lounge; chrysotile asbestos mixed with glass fibres on the boiler room walls and ceiling
• Main results:
  • In 1987, ceiling material was sampled from two randomly selected apartments per floor; 22 samples were collected from the suites
  • Friable asbestos-containing material was found on all surfaces inspected
  • The ceiling material contained an average of 20% chrysotile asbestos, with fibreglass and cellulose (elsewhere the article gives the average as 29%)
  • 1987 air sampling: no asbestos fibres were seen on the air filter samples
  • 1989 follow-up: air monitoring of three hallways and two apartments did not detect chrysotile asbestos
  • 1989 follow-up: one sample contained a very short fragment that might have been asbestos
  • White dust some residents saw on surfaces was judged probably to be latex paint particles from the ceiling
• The authors' conclusion: The 1989 investigation found no evidence of risk to residents from airborne chrysotile. The author concluded that asbestos-containing building materials are unlikely to threaten residents' health if the materials are maintained in good condition so that asbestos fibres are not released to the indoor environment.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • Because no asbestos was detected in indoor air, published fibre-release exposure indices could not be usefully applied
  • A possible asbestos fragment in one 1989 sample was too small to be positively identified

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