Cited by 14Occupational and environmental lung diseasesOccupational Health and Safety in WorkplacesIndoor Air Quality and Microbial Exposure

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 25 of the 26 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 41 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Measurements of airborne asbestos fibres during refurbishing

Open access

Abstract

Although the use of asbestos fibres in building materials has been prohibited in Norway since 1985, asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) are still found in many buildings. Lack of knowledge and awareness of these materials may lead to exposure during refurbishing. The aim of this study was to investigate the airborne fibre concentration and classify fibres found during the abatement of various ACMs. The release of fibres during short-term work tasks, such as drilling and sawing, was also investigated. Parallel air samples were collected during asbestos abetment of different building materials and analysed with scanning electron microscope (SEM) and phase-contrast microscope (PCM), respectively. Material samples were analysed with SEM. A real-time fibre monitor was used to measure asbestos during short-term work. The highest fibre concentrations were measured for samples collected during the removal of asbestos insulating boards (1.5–4.5 fibres/cm3 [f/cm3]), and the numbers were relatively similar for SEM and PCM. A large difference in asbestos concentrations was found between SEM and PCM when analysing floor materials, which were probably caused by a high number of gypsum fibres that the PCM operator counted. Thin fibres (<0.2 µm in width) were included in the SEM count and constituted up to 50% of the total fibre concentration for the asbestos cement materials. The presence of other inorganic and organic fibres on these samples probably led to similar results between SEM and PCM. Short-term work led to peak concentrations above 30 f/cm3.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

This study measured airborne asbestos fibres during refurbishing/abatement of various asbestos-containing materials using parallel SEM and PCM sampling, plus a real-time fibre monitor for short-term tasks. The highest concentrations occurred during removal of asbestos insulating boards, and thin fibres (<0.2 µm) made up a large share of asbestos cement releases.

Key findings

  • Removal of asbestos insulating boards produced the highest personal asbestos concentrations: median 2.6 f/cm³, range 1.5–4.5 f/cm³; SEM and PCM results were relatively similar (R² = 0.94 for SEM:PCM and 0.93 for SEM+<0.2:PCM).
  • For asbestos cement exterior wall/roof removal, personal asbestos medians ranged from 0.01 to 0.2 f/cm³; thin fibres (<0.2 µm) constituted up to 50% of the total fibre concentration, and the SEM+<0.2 vs PCM slope was 1.0 versus 0.72 for SEM vs PCM.
  • During indoor floor removal, all SEM asbestos samples were below LOD (0.04 f/cm³), while parallel PCM samples ranged from 0.4 to 2.1 f/cm³, probably because gypsum/calcium sulphate fibres were counted by the PCM operator.
  • Short-term drilling or bayonet sawing on roof slate shingles and other ACMs produced peak real-time fibre concentrations above 30 f/cm³; breaking or friction tasks gave peaks around 1.0 f/cm³.

Methods

  • Personal and stationary air samples were collected during abatement of interior ACMs (asbestos insulating boards, pipe insulation, vinyl tiles, corkboard) and exterior asbestos cement materials (wall shingles, corrugated roof sheets, slate shingles). A total of 57 SEM air samples were collected (41 personal, 16 stationary); 11 were rejected for overloading, leaving 35 personal and 11 stationary samples, with 27 parallel SEM/PCM samples.
  • SEM-EDX followed ISO 14966:2019 at 2000×, counting fibres >5 µm, diameter ≥0.2 µm, and length/diameter ≥3; thin fibres (<0.2 µm) were counted separately. PCM samples were analysed by NIOSH 7400. Material samples were analysed by SEM-EDX, and a real-time Fibre Monitor 7400 calibrated for chrysotile measured short-term work tasks.

Limitations

  • Stated: enclosed negative-pressure areas may underestimate fibre concentrations, especially stationary samples collected 2–3 m from the activity; the fibre monitor was calibrated for chrysotile and may have counted non-asbestos fibres; SEM at 2000× may miss short fibres <0.5 µm if covered by particles; several floor and corkboard samples were rejected due to overloading; material fibre content was not quantified.
  • Evident: several exposure categories had very small sample sizes (e.g., n = 1 for pipe removal, cleaning, and grinding; n = 2–3 for some floor/cork tasks), and no TEM confirmation was used, while organic fibres were removed by ashing and therefore not characterized in the SEM counts.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1093/annweh/wxad041

Cites

25 of 25 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Figures

Fig. 1. SEM measurements of fibre width (a) and length (b) for chrysotile and amphibole asbestos fibres collected when interior wall boards were removed.
Fig. 1. SEM measurements of fibre width (a) and length (b) for chrysotile and amphibole asbestos fibres collected when interior wall boards were removed.CC BY-NC · PubMed Central
Fig. 2. SEM secondary electron images of a cross-section of a vinyl asbestos floor (a) remnant of mastics on floor tiles (b) surface of vinyl tiles (c) image field at 2,000× magnification. A calcium sulphate fibre is identified by the white arrow (d).
Fig. 2. SEM secondary electron images of a cross-section of a vinyl asbestos floor (a) remnant of mastics on floor tiles (b) surface of vinyl tiles (c) image field at 2,000× magnification. A calcium sulphate fibre is identified by the white arrow (d).CC BY-NC · PubMed Central
Fig. 3. SEM secondary electron image of short asbestos structures lying on a larger particle released during sawing of a floor tile with a handheld tool. Measures of fibre length are marked in the image.
Fig. 3. SEM secondary electron image of short asbestos structures lying on a larger particle released during sawing of a floor tile with a handheld tool. Measures of fibre length are marked in the image.CC BY-NC · PubMed Central
Fig. 4. SEM measurements of fibre width (a) and length (b) for chrysotile and amphibole asbestos fibres collected when exterior wall shingles, corrugated roof sheets and roof slate shingles were removed.
Fig. 4. SEM measurements of fibre width (a) and length (b) for chrysotile and amphibole asbestos fibres collected when exterior wall shingles, corrugated roof sheets and roof slate shingles were removed.CC BY-NC · PubMed Central
Fig. 5. Comparison between SEM and PCM, and SEM+<0.2 and PCM for removal of asbestos insulating boards (a) and asbestos cement materials (b). The 1:1 line is added in both graphs. The R2 values for asbestos insulating boards are 0.94 and 0.93 for SEM: PCM and SEM+<0.2: PCM, respectively. The R2 values for asbestos cement samples are 0.77 and 0.84 for SEM: PCM and SEM+<0.2: PCM, respectively.
Fig. 5. Comparison between SEM and PCM, and SEM+<0.2 and PCM for removal of asbestos insulating boards (a) and asbestos cement materials (b). The 1:1 line is added in both graphs. The R2 values for asbestos insulating boards are 0.94 and 0.93 for SEM: PCM and SEM+<0.2: PCM, respectively. The R2 values for asbestos cement samples are 0.77 and 0.84 for SEM: PCM and SEM+<0.2: PCM, respectively.CC BY-NC · PubMed Central
Fig. 6. Real-time fibre concentration during different work tasks, (I) drilling and (II) sawing with bayonet saw on (a) roof slate shingles (b) wall shingles, and (c) corrugated roof sheets. The concentration is given as average fibre concentration in air over 60 s marked as points.
Fig. 6. Real-time fibre concentration during different work tasks, (I) drilling and (II) sawing with bayonet saw on (a) roof slate shingles (b) wall shingles, and (c) corrugated roof sheets. The concentration is given as average fibre concentration in air over 60 s marked as points.CC BY-NC · PubMed Central

Verification

Claims the paper makes

47 Own result · 32 Own interpretation · 13 Own method · 11 Sources not found · 10 No full text of the sources · 9 No basis given · 7 Check pending · 3 Not checked yet

Verify all 8 references — free account

Show all 84 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 27
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 30
  • The quote only partly states this claim. 1
48 of 48
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Asbestos-containing materials are still frequently found in buildings and houses built between the 1930s and the mid-1980s in Norway.

    “ACMs are still frequently found in buildings and houses built in this period, even though it is more than 30 years since the use of these materials was prohibited in Norway.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The presence of asbestos in buildings in Norway is not fully mapped.

    “As in many other countries, the presence of asbestos in buildings in Norway is not fully mapped.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Construction workers are especially at risk of exposure to asbestos during refurbishment or demolition of buildings containing asbestos-containing materials.

    “Construction workers are especially at risk of exposure to asbestos in these cases.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Lack of knowledge and awareness of asbestos-containing materials may lead to exposure during refurbishing.

    “Lack of knowledge and awareness of these materials may lead to exposure during refurbishing.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Little information about asbestos release from corkboard is reported in the literature.

    “To our knowledge, little information about asbestos release from corkboard is reported in the literature.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    For pipe asbestos removal, asbestos fibres are not released into the workplace atmosphere since the pipe section is covered in plastic before sawing and dismantling.

    “For pipe asbestos removal, it is generally assumed that asbestos fibres are not released into the workplace atmosphere since the pipe section is covered in plastic before sawing and dismantling.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Exterior asbestos abatement is usually not performed in an enclosure.

    “Exterior asbestos abatement is usually not performed in an enclosure”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Thin fibres (<0.2 µm) are less frequent when amphibole asbestos types dominate.

    “Thin fibres (<0.2 µm) are known to be less frequent when amphibole asbestos types dominate”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    If only asbestos fibres were present on the filters, PCM and SEM should have a 1:1 correspondence, and a steeper slope may be expected for SEM + <0.2 and PCM depending on the number of thin fibres.

    “Theoretically, if only asbestos fibres were present on the filters, PCM and SEM should have a 1:1 correspondence, whereas a steeper slope may be expected for the relationship between SEM + <0.2 and PCM, depending on the number of thin fibres.”
9 of 9

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

2 of 2

Citations

Cites

Research works printed but not linked: 8

  1. Anderson, 1982, Analysis of fiber release from certain asbestos products
  2. HSE, 2012, Asbestos: The Survey Guide HSG264,
  3. ISO, 2012, 22262-1 Air quality-Bulk materials- Part1: Sampling and qualitative determination of asbestos in commercial bulk materials
  4. ISO, 2019, 14699 Ambient air- Determination of numerical concentration of inorganinc particles - Scanning electron microscopy method
  5. MAK, 2005, Sampling and determining aerosols and their chemical ­components [Air Monitoring Methods, 2005], in The MAK-Collection for Occupational Health and Safety, 4
  6. NIOSH, 2019, Asbestos and other fibres by PCM
  7. Stanton, 1981, Relation of particle dimension to carcinogenicity in amphibole asbestoses and other fibrous minerals, J Natl Cancer Inst, 67, 965
  8. WHO, 1997, Determination of airborne fibre number concentrations

Cited by

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Metadata

Authors
Ervik, T. K., Hammer, S. E., Skaugset, N. P., & Graff, P.
Affiliations
National Institute of Occupational Health (NO)
Corresponding author
Hammer, Stine Eriksen
Venue
Annals of Work Exposures and Health
Published
2023-07-22
Volume
67
Issue
8
Pages
952-964
ISSN
  • 2398-7308 (ISSN-L)
  • 2398-7316
OpenAlex
W4385071495
Cited by
14
References
26
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 4
FWCI
2.37
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Annals of Work Exposures and Health (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • NORA - Norwegian Open Research Archives (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
  • Regional Safety Representatives Foundation
  • Building and Construction Industry
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine › Occupational and environmental lung diseases
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Occupational Health and Safety in Workplaces
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Indoor Air Quality and Microbial Exposure
Keywords
asbestos-containing materials, building renovation, asbestos removal, fiber concentration, asbestos cement, occupational exposure, floor materials
MeSH terms
Asbestos, Construction Materials, Humans, Norway, Occupational Exposure

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