Asbestos in the ambient air from rural, urban, residential, baseball and mining areas in South Korea

Use of Lichens to Evaluate the Impact of Post-Earthquake Reconstruction Activities on Air Quality: A Case Study from the City of L’Aquila

“…Fortunately, scanning electron microscopy imaging did not reveal the presence of asbestos. Asbestos is an important contaminant of urban air [ 76 , 77 , 78 ], and we were concerned about the possibility of high levels of asbestos emitted by demolition and reconstruction works. The absence of asbestos in our samples might be due to the fact that the majority of the most severely damaged buildings were constructed before the widespread use of asbestos.…”

A critical review of asbestos concentrations in water and air, according to exposure sources

“…These advantages are due to its chemical structure, because it is a double-chain silicate compound, resistant to heat, fire, acids and friction, which, due to its high melting point, is an excellent insulator, [ 4 , [12] , [13] , [14] ]. It has been used mainly in construction materials (roofs, water tanks, pipes), thermal insulation and heat-resistant material in buildings, in industrial processes and in the manufacture of various products for domestic and environmental use, and in the automotive industry in automobile clutches, brakes and transmission parts, [ 1 , 7 , [15] , [16] , [17] , [18] ].…”

“…Despite all its many advantages [ 15 ], the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization (WHO) has categorized asbestos as a group I carcinogen [ 8 , [21] , [22] , [23] , [24] , [25] , [26] , [27] , [28] ]. That is, there is sufficient scientific evidence to confirm that it can cause cancer in humans.…”

“…The European Conformity Directive CE 2009/148 of the European Union, permissible exposure limits were defined for all types of asbestos at 0.1 f/cc, based on an 8-h cycle, weighted average. (TWA), [ 15 ]. However, in 2021 the European Parliament stated that, according to the latest research and scientific medical recommendations, there is no threshold below which the concentration of asbestos fiber in the atmosphere is harmless, [ 38 , 43 ].…”

“… Matrix Country/Organization Limit value Ref. Soil Italy 1.1–0.01 (%p/p) [ 19 ] Holland 1.1–0.01 (%p/p) Australia (West) 0.05–0.001 (%p/p) United States Based on site-specific risk assessment Air/Occupational Exposure World Health Organization 0,001–0,0001 f/cm 3 [ 15 ] Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 0.1 fibras/cm 3, TWA 8h [ 45 , 46 ] National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) 0.1 fibras/cm 3, TWA 10h [ 5 ] American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) 0.1 fibras/cm 3, TWA 8h [ 47 ] Water United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) 7 million fibers/liter (MFL) (fibers longer than 10 μm). [ 30 , 48 ] World Health Organization There is no consistent evidence that ingested asbestos is dangerous to health [ 31 , 49 ] %w/w: percentage weight on weight.…”