Environmental pollution as a result of a vacuum deficit in the working areas during asbestos removal work.

Abstract

The paper presents examples of the consequences of the lack of negative pressure in the work zone during asbestos removal. The results obtained for dust concentrations generated during these works in the work zone were relatively low compared to the literature data. This was due to the leakage of barriers restricting the work zone and the 'leakage' of dust. Therefore the asbestos content in the outdoor air in the vicinity of the renovated rooms was increasing. In the discussed cases, those works polluted the outdoor air for up to 15 m. The risk of asbestos dust content in the cleaned building outside the work area also increased. Those places often are not well controlled. Therefore, this may lead to long-term retention of asbestos dust in the facility despite the completion of the process of removing asbestos products from it. For example, non-friable asbestos- cement sheets removal in those work conditions increased contamination up to 3000 f/m3 outside the work zone. In the case of work with friable asbestos in building type “LIPSK”, contamination locally was up 21 000 f/m3. These values are above the average concentration of asbestos fibres in buildings of this type normally used and after works to correct asbestos removal (< 300–400 f/m3). Reported indoor air research results from the work zone in the case of the lack of negative pressure, without documented sampling conditions and contractor working methods, can falsely suggest a high standard of work quality.