Naturally Occurring Asbestiform Minerals in Italian Western Alps and in Other Italian Sites

Abstract

The natural occurrence of asbestos (NOA) in rocks and soil has been known for many years in several areas of the world, differently from the natural presence of asbestiform minerals. In Italy, the mapping of NOA is mandatory according to the 2001 and 2003 regulations. An investigation, not yet concluded, has revealed that in Italy, NOA is represented by chrysotile and tremolite asbestos with minor amounts of actinolite asbestos and anthophyllite asbestos. A field survey conducted in the Italian Western Alps (IWA), dealing with the natural occurrence of asbestiform minerals non-asbestos classified and not regulated, started many years ago and is still ongoing. It revealed that the following kinds of asbestiform silicates are present (in decreasing order of frequency): asbestiform polygonal serpentine and asbestiform antigorite, asbestiform diopside, asbestiform carlosturanite, asbestiform forsterite, asbestiform sepiolite, asbestiform balangeroite, and asbestiform talc. The asbestiform non-silicates brugnatellite and brucite have been rarely detected. Outside the IWA, asbestiform zeolite (erionite and offretite), asbestiform sodium amphibole (fluoro-edenite), and a few other asbestiform silicates have been also detected. For some asbestiform minerals, the identification is problematic and needs the use of transmission electron microscopy combining imaging at high magnification and electron diffraction and chemical data. This investigation is particularly important to distinguish four kinds of asbestiform minerals (antigorite, polygonal serpentine, carlosturanite, and balangeroite) from chrysotile since only the last one is regulated. The issue is much more complicated by the intergrowth of different fibrous species on the submicrometer scale.

Waterborne asbestos: Good practices for surface waters analyses

“…Furthermore, the necessity to include a wider set of minerals within the group of investigated fibres clearly emerged when the focus shifted from industrially produced to environmentally occurring asbestos (e.g. Buck et al, 2013 ; Erskine and Bailey, 2018 ; Bloise et al, 2019 ; Belluso et al, 2020 ; Berry et al, 2022 ).…”

Identification of iron compounds in chrysotile from the Balangero mine (Turin, Italy) by micro‐Raman spectroscopy

“…[7,[34][35][36] Chrysotile asbestos from Balangero belongs to the Balangero serpentinite of the Lanzo Ultramafic Massif, [26] has a typical crystal-chemical formula (Mg 5.81 Fe 2+ 0.15 Al 0.27 Fe 3+ 0.09 Cr 0.01 ) 6.33 (OH) 7.11 Si 3.97 O 10 , [25] and forms bundles of flexible fibrils with splayed ends. [37,38] Pollastri and coworkers [39] found that Fe is mainly substituent for Mg in the octahedral sites, with possible minor tetrahedral Fe. Furthermore, Fe is a constitutive component in balangeroite, a fibrous inosilicate with a gageite-like structure and chemical formula (Mg,Fe 2+ ,Fe 3+ ,Mn 2+ ) 42 O 6 [Si 4 O 12 ] 4 (OH) 40 , which occasionally intergrows with chrysotile from Balangero, accounting for 0.2-1 wt% of the chrysotile extracted.…”

Natural occurrence of asbestos in serpentinite quarries from Southern Spain

“…Therefore, greenstone rocks have been intensively mined worldwide and trade for international commerce (Kazan-Allen, 2005) since the past. Nevertheless, since ophiolite rocks represent a main source for asbestos minerals, many studies have pointed out that the substantial exploitation of greenstones could represent a risk to the human health related to the inhalation of potentially containing asbestos fibres (Belluso et al 2020). The term "asbestos" (regulated-asbestos) refers to a group of six fibrous silicate minerals belonging to serpentine (i.e.…”