Measurement and Removal of Asbestos in Residential Dwellings to be Demolished - Urban Transformation Experience in Izmir-Turkey

Abstract

Asbestos has been used extensively in the construction industry for its superior insulation properties before its health hazards were discovered and eventually getting banned. It would not be wrong to assume all residential buildings built before the 2000s in Turkey contain asbestos. Therefore, it is important to raise awareness of the potential danger of asbestos exposure during demolition work and to identify asbestos-containing materials and ensure their safe removal and disposal. This study summarizes the efforts being made in the “Asbestos Free Demolition” EU project, which is executed to determine the residential dwellings containing asbestos in Izmir. The project included field study to determine asbestos presence in the buildings that were damaged during the 2020 earthquake. 505 bulk samples were taken from 50 buildings that would go through the demolition process. 11 buildings were found to contain asbestos. This rate corresponds to 22%. In addition to asbestos removal processes in these buildings containing asbestos, air measurements were taken from each building. The detected asbestos type was 60% chrysotile (white asbestos). The concentration of asbestos in the air is ignorable also personal exposure did not exceed the permissible exposure limit (PEL) for 0.1 fiber/cm3. Results demonstrate the findings of asbestos-containing materials and suggestions before demolition work. Also, it is expected that the database created for this study could be useful in other studies involving Turkey, where accurate statistical data related with asbestos measurements is still difficult to obtain.