In 2007, research was carried out to determine the type and amount of ASBESTOS fibers in a Croatian factory with a long history of making ASBESTOS-containing products.Since the 1970s, ASBESTOS fibres have been considered carcinogenic in humans i.e as a known cancer-causing agent. In the environment, ASBESTOS fibres are inactive and naturally resist biodegradation.In time, fibres can only be ground into smaller particles by mechanical force.These small particles in the air present a health hazard. Because of their small size, shape and durability, ASBESTOS fibres can easily be inhaled and stick to the lung tissue, causing serious respiratory problems. Among these are diseases with long latency periods of 10 to 40 years such as: ASBESTOSis, mesothelioma and lung cancer. ASBESTOS is the generic, industrial name for a group of six minerals determined by common size and inherent physical properties. Crocidolite, amosite, anthophyllite, tremolite and actinolite are all ASBESTOS minerals from the amphibole mineral group. The sixth mineral, chrysotile, is a mineral from the serpentine mineral group.ASBESTOS fibres are particles longer than, or equal to, five mm with a length to width ratio greater than or equal to 3:1; however, the ratio can be higher than 20 or even 1000. They are inflammable, thermally stable, resistant to biodegradation, chemically inert to most chemicals and have low electrical conductivity. Because of these attributes, ASBESTOS was heartily embraced in industrial production.Different methods are used to determine the type and quantity of ASBESTOS fibres in the air. Some of the most common methods and instruments are: polarizing light microscopy (PLM), phase contrast optical microscopy (PCM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), analysis with electron diffraction spectra (SAED) with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDS), powder X-ray diffraction technique (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Some of above-mentioned methods (PCM, PLM, XRD) are currently popular due to their low cost, but using these methods exclusively could lead to false estimates of ASBESTOS levels. It is hard to distinguish ASBESTOS fibres from certain other fibres like artifacts, organic or inorganic.Therefore, it is important to observe not only the habit of minerals, but also the chemical composition of them. A combination of SEM and EDS gives information about both the habit and the chemical composition of the observed fibers, and so is suitable for ASBESTOS analysis. Different methods of analysis are displayed and compared in this paper.Analyses were made using SEM with EDS and XRD. All samples were collected in working areas of a factory which used ASBESTOS in production.Presence of different types of ASBESTOS was confirmed.

This study was performed during the abatement of two ASBESTOS-containing materials (ACM): baumlite board (cement flat board) and ceiling textile. The concentrations of total dust for personal sampling were 0.28 and 1.70 mg/m3 during baumlite board and ceiling textile abatements, respectively, when calculated with 8-hr time-weighted average (TWA). The geometric mean (GM) ASBESTOS concentrations were 0.005±1.9 and 0.007±1.6 f/cc for personal sampling and 0.004±1.1 and 0.008±1.6 f/cc for area sampling with 8-hr TWA, respectively. ASBESTOS exposure concentrations were not significantly different during abatement of the two materials (p>0.05). Further, no statistical difference existed between personal and area samples during the two abatements (p>0.05). The concentrations of personal and area samples during both abatements were below the occupational exposure limit (OEL: 0.1 f/cc) of the Korean Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL). The correlation between total dust and ASBESTOS concentrations was low throughout both abatements.

Although the ASBESTOS application is band in most developed countries but it is still used in many developing countries, escalating the mortality rate due to cancer among the workers exposed to ASBESTOS fibers. In the present work, occupational exposure to airborne ASBESTOS fibers in production line of an ASBESTOS-cement products manufacturing factory were assessed, using OSHA method ID-160. For this purpose, 106 personal air samples were collected from breathing zones of workers in various processes of the factory. Cancer-related mortalities were also predicted by extrapolation of OSHA risk assessment data to the data obtained from the factory in question. The results revealed that physically disturbing processes such as mills, drilling and cutting are the most deadly processes. It was also shown that mills have the highest mortality rate due to ASBESTOS fibers exposure, expecting 1198 deaths per 100,000 workers after one year exposure and 14665 deaths per 100,000 workers after 20 years occupational exposure. Relative risk (RR) of lung cancer after 1, 20 and 45 years working in the factory in question versus public community of Iran would be 11.6, 206.5 and 324, respectively. Cancer-related mortality predicted for dry cutting process was more than wet cutting process(RR=3.6). Finally it was recommended that job rotation and isolation of high risk operations could lead to lower cancer-related mortality due to occupational exposure to ASBESTOS airborne fibers.

ASBESTOS applications were limited during past two decades in developed nations due to its debilitating health problems, while in developing countries it’s various usages continues. The main goals of present study were evaluation of ASBESTOS concentrations in ambient outdoor and indoor air and occupational exposure, as well as exposure effects on pulmonary function. Sampling procedure was carried out during May and June 2010 at four outdoor and seven indoor air sampling stations. Ten persons were selected based on their exposure limits including high, moderate and low exposure. Also to assess pulmonary function of workers, 42 spirometry cases were tested. Samples were analyzed by SEM with EDXA. Obtained results revealed that average concentrations of ASBESTOS fibers were 1.885×10-5 f/mL and 0.065 f/mL in outdoor and indoor air, respectively. Occupational exposure contents were between 1.5 ×10-5 – 0.2 f/mL (based on exposure limits). Spirometry tests showed that 28% of workers had impaired lung functions. Lung restrictive pattern in workers were 2% severe, 12% moderate and 14%. Results showed pattern of fibrous particles as actinolite> termolite> chrysotile in indoor air. Generally, it is clear that there is positive meaningful relationship between more than ten occupational ages and malfunction of lungs in studied workers due to ASBESTOS effects.