Occupational exposure to asbestos during renovation of oil-shale fuelled power plants in Estonia

Our plain-English summary of Occupational exposure to asbestos during renovation of oil-shale fuelled power plants in Estonia, by M. Kangur (International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, 2007).

The study

• Author: M. Kangur
• Journal: International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics
• Published: 2007;13(3):341-6
• Cited by: 5 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Many thousands of tonnes of asbestos were used in buildings in the past, especially for thermal insulation of pipes and boilers in power plants. Occupational exposure to asbestos dust now mainly occurs during demolition, renovation and routine maintenance activities. The objective of this study was to evaluate occupational exposure to airborne asbestos during renovation of solid oil-shale fuelled power plants carried out in 2001-2003. Air monitoring inside and outside of the renovation area was performed. The concentration of airborne fibres in the working environment increased during renovation but the valid limit value (0.1 fibres/cm(3)) was not exceeded.

In plain English

This study measured airborne fibre levels in two large oil-shale fuelled power plants in north-east Estonia, the Baltic and Estonian power plants, where asbestos-containing products had been used for thermal insulation. One energy block in each plant was renovated in 2001–2003. The author took area air samples, not personal samples worn by workers, during normal working activities and during the renovation, and counted fibres under a microscope. The article does not report which fibre types were present. Fibre levels fell with height, peaking at the main service levels. In plant 1 the average rose from 0.024 fibres/cm3 during normal work to 0.038 fibres/cm3 during renovation. In plant 2 it rose from 0.017 to 0.024 fibres/cm3. Turbine halls were generally lower than boiler-houses. The author reported that the limit value of 0.1 fibres/cm3 was not exceeded. The author concluded that, because there is no safe level of asbestos exposure, all workers of the plants could be assigned to the group at risk from asbestos-related diseases. The author cautioned that area samples are not recommended for measuring personal exposure.

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: Workplace air-monitoring (exposure measurement) study using area samples. The text states 138 samples were taken at different heights during normal working activities and 304 samples (2 to 4 hours each) during the renovation.
• Who was studied: Workplace air in two solid oil-shale fuelled power plants in north-east Estonia: the Baltic power plant (plant 1) and the Estonian power plant (plant 2), built in the 1960s–1970s. Measurements were taken during normal operation and during renovation carried out in 2001–2003. No workers were examined.
• Exposure: Airborne fibres in plants where asbestos-containing products had been used for thermal insulation. Fibres longer than 5 µm, thinner than 3 µm, with a length-to-diameter ratio over 3:1 were counted under a microscope at 500 times magnification, following Asbestos International Association guidelines. The fibre type (e.g., chrysotile) in the samples was not identified.
• Main results:
  • Fibre concentrations decreased with height in both plants. The highest levels were at the main service levels (8 m in plant 1, 10 m in plant 2): 0.034 plus or minus 0.011 fibres/cm3 in plant 1 and 0.023 plus or minus 0.007 fibres/cm3 in plant 2.
  • Plant 1 (boiler-house and turbine hall combined): mean 0.024 plus or minus 0.009 fibres/cm3 during normal working activities (84 samples) and 0.038 plus or minus 0.016 fibres/cm3 during renovation (76 samples).
  • Plant 2 (boiler-house and turbine hall combined): mean 0.017 plus or minus 0.005 fibres/cm3 during normal working activities (61 samples) and 0.024 plus or minus 0.014 fibres/cm3 during renovation (87 samples).
  • Fibre concentrations in the turbine halls were generally lower than in the boiler-houses.
  • Fibre concentrations increased during renovation but did not exceed the limit value of 0.1 fibres/cm3.
• The authors' conclusion: The author concluded that any level of asbestos exposure carries a health risk because there is no safe level. All workers of the power plants have therefore been exposed to asbestos at work and could be assigned to the group at risk from asbestos-related diseases.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • Only area samples were taken. The author notes these are not recommended for measuring personal exposure and must be interpreted with caution.

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Power plants and utilities.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Occupational Exposure, Thermal System Insulation (TSI), Air Sampling.

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• Malignant mesothelioma in thermoelectric power plant workers in Italy — P. Crosignani, F. Forastiere, et al. (1995)
• Asbestos related health hazards among power plant workers — Y. Lerman, A. Finkelstein, et al. (1990)
• Mortality among workers in the geothermal power plants at Larderello, Italy — E. Pira, M. Turbiglio, et al. (1999)
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