US EPA

6874316 

Book/Book Chapter 

Concentration and type of asbestos fibers in air inside buildings 

Nolan, RP; Langer, AM 

2001 

Yes 

Mineralogical Association of Canada 

Ottawa, ON 

The health effects of chrysotile asbestos: Contribution of science to risk-management decisions 

39-51 

English 

WOS:000169543300006 

Concern has been widely expressed about the possible increase in asbestos-related cancer due to airborne asbestos in buildings. The risk of cancer would increase to the extent that exposure in buildings is higher than levels in ambient outdoor air. The concentration and type of asbestos fiber in indoor air were determined at twelve sites where friable grunerite-asbestos ("amosite") fireproofing was present. Such asbestos-containing building materials are useful to study because background levels of grunerite-asbestos ("amosite") are very low compared to chrysotile asbestos and at the sites selected, the fireproofing was in generally poor condition. The concentrations of grunerite-asbestos ("amosite") in indoor air were found to be indistinguishable from those in outdoor air. At a worst-case site where the fireproofing had fallen off the ceiling and littered the floor, the indoor and outdoor levels remained identical. No evidence of episodic release of asbestos fiber was observed. However, if the fireproofing was knocked out of the ceiling and allowed to fall to the ground, airborne asbestos levels increased for brief period of time but did not exceed the United States Occupational Health and Safety Administration occupational exposure level for asbestos. 

Nolan, RP; Langer, AM; Ross, M; Wicks, FJ; Martin, RF 

Canadian Mineralogist, special issue 5 

9780921294412 

International Workshop on the Health Effects of Chrysotile Asbestos 

Montreal, QC 

September 14-16, 1997