Monitored Asbestos Concentrations in Connecticut

An air asbestos survey was conducted between late 1974 and early 1977 to define the magnitude of the health hazard posed by airborne asbestos fibers in Connecticut prior to the promulgation of the State's proposed asbestos air quality standard (i.e., 30 ?g/m³ or 30,000 total asbestos fibers/m³, 30-day average). A newly developed low volume particulate sampler, which operates continuously for 30 days at an air sampling flow rate of 4 cfm, equipped with special membrane filters was used to collect ambient TSP samples for subsequent chrysotile asbestos electron microscopic determination by the Bat-telle-Columbus Laboratories and Walter C. McCrone Associates.

Approximately 40 monitoring sites were selected; ambient locations included "typical" urban sites removed from known stationary sources of asbestos emissions, rural-background sites, stations contiguous to 4 industrial users of asbestos (i.e., manufacturers of friction products, insulated wire and cable, ammunition and molding compounds), 3 toll plazas situated at various points along Interstate 95 and indoors at a swimming pool at the University of Connecticut (the ceiling over the pool was sprayed with an asbestos-containing insulating material). Ambient chrysotile asbestos levels removed from asbestos emission sources in both urban and rural locations were below 10 ?g/m³. However, asbestos concentrations above 30 ?g/m³ were measured near each of the industrial users of asbestos. Furthermore, asbestos levels adjacent to the toll plazas were also elevated (in the 10 ?g/m³ to 25 ?g/m³ range), implicating asbestos emissions from vehicle braking lining decomposition as a significant source of airborne asbestos fibers. Indoor air asbestos levels were below 1 ?g/m³ suggesting that the risk to public health associated with the deterioration of asbestos surface coatings applied indoors may not be as severe as previously thought.     

The implosion of the Calgary General Hospital: ambient air quality issues

This paper discusses the implosion of a large inner-city hospital in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, on October 4, 1998. Stationary and mobile air monitoring conducted after the implosion indicated there were several short-term air quality issues, including significant temporal increases in total suspended particles, particulate matter (PM) with aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 10 microm (PM10), PM with aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 2.5 microm (PM2.5), asbestos, and airborne and settled lead. In addition, the implosion created a dust cloud that traveled much further than expected, out to 20 km. The ability of an implosion to effectively aerosolize building materials requires the removal of all friable and nonfriable forms of asbestos and all Pb-containing painted surfaces during pre-implosion preparatory work. Public advisories to mitigate personal exposure and indoor migration of the implosion dust cloud constituents should extend to 10 or 20 km around an implosion site. These findings point to a number of complex and problematic issues regarding implosions and safeguarding human health and suggest that implosions in metropolitan areas should be prohibited. Further work to characterize the public health risks of conventional versus implosion demolition is recommended.     

Bench-Scale Investigation on Removing Sulfur Dioxide from Flue Gases

The relationship between asbestos consumption and mesothelioma incidence in Connecticut has been investigated.

Asbestos has many industrial applications; however, several of these result in the dissipation of this material (e.g., vehicle brake and clutch lining erosion). In Connecticut, asbestos manufacturing operations contribute approximately 10 tons of airborne asbestos fibers each year, while vehicle brake and clutch lining erosion add another 2 tons. The demolition, especially the “explosive demolition” of buildings which have been fireproofed and/or insulated with asbestos-containing materials may be the most significant future source of asbestos emissions unless adequate precautions are taken.

Occupational asbestos fiber exposure has been known to cause asbestosis, lung cancer, and cancer of the lining of the stomach and lung (mesothelioma) for some time. Recently, the previously rare mesothelial malignancy has been linked to nonoccupational asbestos fiber exposure as well.

There were 133 Conneticut residents diagnosed with mesothelioma between 1935 and 1972. Although subject to diagnostic error, available statistics suggest that the combined sex age-adjusted mesothelioma incidence rate (AAR) per 100,000 Connecticut population has exhibited a possible 10-fold increase since 1935, rising from 0.02 during 1940 to 1949 to 0.25 from 1960 to 1969. The trends for both men and women also showed sharp increases over the same time period (1940 to 1970). The rapid rise in Connecticut's mesothelioma incidence rate closely follows the increase in the State's cumulative asbestos consumption and suggests a linearly increasing cause-effect relationship.     

Evaluation of vacuum and wet-wipe methods for removal of World Trade Center dust from indoor environments

The destruction of the buildings at the World Trade Center (WTC) complex dispersed dust and debris into the surrounding area. Pulverized building material made up most of the fallout and was intermixed with combustion byproducts of the aircraft and building contents. A study was conducted to confirm the effectiveness of several cleaning procedures in removing WTC-related contamination from lower Manhattan residences. The contaminants included asbestos, lead, dioxin/furans, synthetic vitreous fibers (fibrous glass), and crystalline silica. All cleaning procedures included the common elements of vacuuming and wet wiping with soap and water. This cleaning procedure combination is effective in reducing WTC-related contamination to below health-based benchmarks. Post-cleaning environmental test results suggested that airborne asbestos measurements can be used as a surrogate parameter in clearance determinations.     

The Sampling and Electron Microscopy of Asbestos Aerosol in Ambient Air By Means of Nuclepore Filters

Despite the fact that adverse health effects of asbestos have been known since shortly after the turn of the century,¹ there has been little progress in techniques for determining the mineral in the airborne state. This absence of sampling and analysis methods appears to derive from two main sources: (1) In the environments of the asbestos using industries, asbestos concentrations tend to be high relative to other particulate species, and especially compared with other fibrous species, making estimation of concentration by microscopy relatively easy. (2) The term "asbestos" describes a crystal habit, not a chemical compound; therefore there is no unique chemical property of asbestos that can be used as the basis for its measurement. Interestingly, there appears to be no basis for distinguishing the health effects of one type of asbestos over another;² the physiological response seems more dependent on crystal habit than on composition.     

Review of PCBs in US schools: a brief history,an estimate of the number of impacted schools,and an approach for evaluating indoor air samples

PCBs in building materials such as caulks and sealants are a largely unrecognized source of contamination in the building environment. Schools are of particular interest, as the period of extensive school construction (about 1950 to 1980) coincides with the time of greatest use of PCBs as plasticizers in building materials. In the USA, we estimate that the number of schools with PCB in building caulk ranges from 12,960 to 25,920 based upon the number of schools built in the time of PCB use and the proportion of buildings found to contain PCB caulk and sealants. Field and laboratory studies have demonstrated that PCBs from both interior and exterior caulking can be the source of elevated PCB air concentrations in these buildings, at levels that exceed health-based PCB exposure guidelines for building occupants. Air sampling in buildings containing PCB caulk has shown that the airborne PCB concentrations can be highly variable, even in repeat samples collected within a room. Sampling and data analysis strategies that recognize this variability can provide the basis for informed decision making about compliance with health-based exposure limits, even in cases where small numbers of samples are taken. The health risks posed by PCB exposures, particularly among children, mandate precautionary approaches to managing PCBs in building materials.     

Mold infestation of wet spray-applied cellulose insulation

Mold investigations were conducted in four buildings that had been insulated with wet spray-applied cellulose insulation (WSACI). Bulk WSACI samples were collected and analyzed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) methods. Airborne mold was evaluated using both Burkard total mold spore and Andersen culturable/viable sampling methods. Although reportedly treated with biocidal borates, QPCR analyses indicated that elevated concentrations of mold cells (reported as spore equivalents per gram) may be present in WSACI. QPCR analyses showed the following: (1) very high concentrations of Penicillium chrysogenum in samples from two of four buildings; (2) very high concentrations of Stachybotrys chartarum in samples from one building and a more moderate presence in a second; (3) moderately high concentrations of Aspergillus versicolor in samples from one building and more moderate concentrations in a second; (4) the presence of the opportunistic pathogen, Aspergillus fumigatus, in samples from three of the four buildings, and (5) the presence of 22 of 23 target mold species. Elevated airborne total mold spore concentrations were observed in all four of the buildings investigated. Culturable/viable airborne mold concentrations were moderately elevated in three of the four buildings. Mold genera/types present were relatively consistent among airborne mold samples collected by both methods and bulk sample analyses. Results of this study suggest that WSACI has the potential to cause elevated airborne mold levels in buildings where it has been applied and pose significant mold exposure and public health risks.     

Indoor air quality and health

During the last two decades there has been increasing concern within the scientific community over the effects of indoor air quality on health. Changes in building design devised to improve energy efficiency have meant that modern homes and offices are frequently more airtight than older structures. Furthermore, advances in construction technology have caused a much greater use of synthetic building materials. Whilst these improvements have led to more comfortable buildings with lower running costs, they also provide indoor environments in which contaminants are readily produced and may build up to much higher concentrations than are found outside. This article reviews our current understanding of the relationship between indoor air pollution and health. Indoor pollutants can emanate from a range of sources. The health impacts from indoor exposure to combustion products from heating, cooking, and the smoking of tobacco are examined. Also discussed are the symptoms associated with pollutants emitted from building materials. Of particular importance might be substances known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which arise from sources including paints, varnishes, solvents, and preservatives. Furthermore, if the structure of a building begins to deteriorate, exposure to asbestos may be an important risk factor for the chronic respiratory disease mesothelioma. The health effects of inhaled biological particles can be significant, as a large variety of biological materials are present in indoor environments. Their role in inducing illness through immune mechanisms, infectious processes, and direct toxicity is considered. Outdoor sources can be the main contributors to indoor concentrations of some contaminants. Of particular significance is Radon, the radioactive gas that arises from outside, yet only presents a serious health risk when found inside buildings. Radon and its decay products are now recognised as important indoor pollutants, and their effects are explored. This review also considers the phenomenon that has become known as Sick Building Syndrome (SBS), where the occupants of certain affected buildings repeatedly describe a complex range of vague and often subjective health complaints. These are often attributed to poor air quality. However, many cases of SBS provide a valuable insight into the problems faced by investigators attempting to establish causality. We know much less about the health risks from indoor air pollution than we do about those attributable to the contamination of outdoor air. This imbalance must be redressed by the provision of adequate funding, and the development of a strong commitment to action within both the public and private sectors. It is clear that meeting the challenges and resolving the uncertainties associated with air quality problems in the indoor environment will be a considerable undertaking.     

Evaluating the capabilities of Aerosol-to-Liquid Particle Extraction System (ALPXS)/ICP-MS for monitoring trace metals in indoor air

This study investigates the application of the Aerosol-to-Liquid Particle Extraction System (ALPXS), which uses wet electrostatic precipitation to collect airborne particles, for multi-element indoor stationary monitoring. Optimum conditions are determined for capturing airborne particles for metal determination by inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), for measuring field blanks, and for calculating limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ). Due to the relatively high flow rate (300 L min^?1), a sampling duration of 1 hr to 2 hr was adequate to capture airborne particle-bound metals under the investigated experimental conditions. The performance of the ALPXS during a building renovation demonstrated signal-to-noise ratios appropriate for sampling airborne particles in environments with elevated metal concentrations, such as workplace settings. The ALPXS shows promise as a research tool for providing useful information on short-term variations (transient signals) and for trapping particles into aqueous solutions where needed for subsequent characterization. As the ALPXS does not provide size-specific samples, and its efficiency at different flow rates has yet to be quantified, the ALPXS would not replace standard filter-based protocols accepted for regulatory applications (e.g., exposure measurements), but rather would provide additional information if used in conjunction with filter based methods.

ImplicationsThis study investigates the capability of the Aerosol-to-Liquid Particle Extraction System (ALPXS) for stationary sampling of airborne metals in indoor workplace environments, with subsequent analysis by ICP-MS. The high flow rate (300 L/min) permits a short sampling duration (< 2 hr). Results indicated that the ALPXS was capable of monitoring short-term changes in metal emissions during a renovation activity. This portable instrument may prove to be advantageous in occupational settings as a qualitative indicator of elevated concentrations of airborne metals at short time scales.     

Strategies for reducing airborne pesticides under tropical conditions

Brazil is currently one of the largest pesticide consumers worldwide. However, a lack of scientific information regarding airborne pollution is still an issue, with tragic consequences to human health and the environment. To reduce pollution of the lower air layers, where pesticide spraying occurs, green barriers that filter the air could be an effective mitigation procedure. Modifying pulverization habits, by pulverizing in the late afternoon instead of in the morning could also reduce pesticide volatilization, while other recommendations with the purpose of lowering the pesticide amounts currently applied are likewise pursued. Data obtained about volatilization have demonstrated that, in order to reduce air pollution risks, one of the most effective preventive strategies is to ban products with high vapor pressure. Global/local stakeholders need to assume the responsibility to find the best way to reduce airborne pesticide pollution, which has increasingly shown disastrous effects as major poisons to human health and the environment.     

Rapid Screening and Identification of Airborne Carcinogens of Greatest Concern in California

This paper describes a method for establishing a priority list of airborne carcinogens within a state Jurisdiction. In this case it was necessary to identify, from among hundreds of potential candidates, the five to ten materials of greatest potential concern in California as airborne carcinogens.

Because no previous inventory of carcinogens in California existed, published lists, rankings, and assessments of national scope were used to identify candidates. By systematic manipulation and comparison of these data sources, 47 materials of some notoriety were chosen for closer scrutiny. This selection was pared to 22 candidates largely by eliminating those which had very little production and use in California. (Substances primarily used as pesticides were excluded from the scope of this study.) The remaining candidates were then ranked by additive . and multiplicative algorithms and by a panel of experts. The results of these rankings were combined to produce a single selection of 11 priority candidates. In alphabetical order, they are arsenic, asbestos, benzene, cadmium, carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, ethylene dibromide, ethylene dichloride, N-nitrosoamines, perchloroethylene, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In continuing studies, a baseline emissions inventory is being prepared, and a source testing program is being designed.     

Combustion sources of particles. 1. Health relevance and source signatures

Combustion processes result in generation of a large number of particle and gaseous products that create health and environmental risks. Of particular importance are the very small particles that are emitted in large quantities from all the combustion sources, and that have been shown to be potentially more significant in terms of their impact on health than larger particles. To control and mitigate the particles with a view of health and environmental risk reduction, a good understanding is necessary of the relative and absolute contribution from the emission sources to the airborne concentrations. This understanding could only be achieved by developing source signature libraries through direct emission measurements from the sources on one hand, and by measuring particle concentrations in the air, and apportioning them to the specific local and distant sources using the signatures, on the other hand. This paper is a review of particle characteristics that are used as source signatures as well as their general advantages and limitations. The second part of the paper reviews source signatures of the most common combustion pollution sources.     

Monitoring and identification of airborne asbestos in unorganized sectors, India

Rajasthan state in India is credited to cater more than 90% of total production of asbestos in this country, of which around 60% is processed there in unorganized sectors including milling and manufacturing of asbestos-based products. Unorganized asbestos units particularly mills showed unhealthy occupational conditions, therefore industrial hygiene study was carried out focusing on the prevalence of asbestos fibres in air at work zone area of asbestos milling units. Fibre levels were in the range of 2.00-5.09f/cm(3) and 4.07-15.60f/cm(3) in unorganized asbestos mills of Rajasthan located at Beawer and Deogarh districts, respectively. Like asbestos concentration, fibre type and length are also vital factors in the health risk assessment of industrial workers. Phase contrast and polarized light microscopic study of asbestos fibres showed their amphibole nature registering about 90% as tremolite and rest as anthophyllite. Fibre length measured micrometrically were sub-grouped in <10microm, 11-20microm, 21-30microm and >30microm. About 30-40% fibres belonged to sub-group <10microm. It is concluded that unorganized asbestos mills bear poor industrial unhygienic conditions reflected specifically from their manyfold higher fibre concentrations than the Indian and International standards. Poor industrial unhygienic conditions are attributable to obsolete milling technology, lack of pollution control devices and escape from regulatory control.     

Use of Probabilistic Methods to Understand the Conservatism in California’s Approach to Assessing Health Risks Posed by Air Contaminants

Many state and federal agencies have prepared risk assessment guidelines, which describe methods for quantifying health risks associated with exposure to vapors and particulates emitted from point and area sources (e.g., California Air Pollution Control Officers Association [CAPCOA] under the Air Toxics “Hot Spots” Act [Assembly Bill 2588] and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] under the Clean Air Act). In general, these guidelines recommend or require the use of upper bound “point” estimates for numerous exposure parameters. This methodology yields a single risk estimate, which is intended not to underestimate the true risk and may significantly overstate it. This paper describes a risk assessment of a facility’s airborne emissions using a probabilistic approach, which presents a range and distribution of risk estimates rather than a single point estimate. The health risks to residents living near a food processing facility, as estimated using techniques recommended by California AB2588, are compared to the results of a probabilistic analysis. Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) were identified as the emitted chemicals of concern. The point estimate method recommended by CAPCOA resulted in estimates that were greater than the 99.99th percentile risk predicted by the probabilistic analysis. As shown in other assessments of persistent airborne chemicals, secondary or indirect exposure pathways (i.e., ingestion of beef, ingestion of cow’s milk, and ingestion of mother’s milk) rather than inhalation, were the greatest contributors to risk. In this analysis, the probability distributions for the cancer potency factor and ingestion of cow’s milk had the largest impact on the results of the 33 exposure factors considered.     

空气微生物研究方法进展与展望

着重论述了空气微生物气溶胶的研究方法,主要有培养基法和非培养基法。培养基法是传统的微生物研究方法,需要花费大量的时间和劳动力,只能够检测活的能够在培养基上生长的微生物,可以大致反映空气中的微生物气溶胶。非培养基法,主要是PCR法,具有敏感性高、快速、特异性强等特点,能够检测出环境样品中绝大多数的微生物,是一种微生物气溶胶检测的有效途径。最后指出实时持续的监测是将来空气微生物研究的努力方向和发展趋势。     

空气微生物研究方法进展与展望

着重论述了空气微生物气溶胶的研究方法，主要有培养基法和非培养基法。培养基法是传统的微生物研究方法，需要花费大量的时间和劳动力，只能够检测活的能够在培养基上生长的微生物，可以大致反映空气中的微生物气溶胶。非培养基法，主要是PCR法，具有敏感性高、快速、特异性强等特点，能够检测出环境样品中绝大多数的微生物，是一种微生物气溶胶检测的有效途径。最后指出实时持续的监测是将来空气微生物研究的努力方向和发展趋势。     

Wind Tunnel Testing of Open Top Field Chambers for Plant Effects Assessment

ABSTRACT

This study reports the first field measurements of airborne exavalent chromium (Cr(vi)) in southwestern Ontario. Hexavalent chromium was identified as an inhalation carcinogen and an air toxic of concern during the 1991-93 Windsor Air Quality Study. The results of that study indicated that approximately 20% of the routinely monitored ambient airborne chromium (Cr) was in the hexavalent form. In addition, the range of carcinogenic health risks attributable to airborne Cr(vi) was determined to be between 1.4 x IO⁶ and 3.0 x 10^-4 for people living in the Windsor area. During the summer of 1993, analyses of concurrent indoor and outdoor 24-hour air quality samples taken at 33 residences in Hamilton resulted in geometric mean Cr(vi) concentrations of 0.20 r|g/m³ and 0.55 r|g/m³, respectively, and little or no relationship between the indoor and outdoor sample sets. During the summer of 1994, an airborne Cr(vi) size-fractionation study was conducted in Hamilton, the results of which suggested that the majority of the Cr(vi) was in the inhalable fraction.     

Predicting and Managing the Health Risks of Sour-Gas Wells

The development of sour-gas resources in Canada and the United States has prompted concerns about the public health risks of accidental releases of gas contaminated with hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) from wells. This paper focuses on methods for improving the prediction and management of those risks. Data associated with the health effects of hydrogen sulfide are examined, and it is suggested that sublethal effects should be addressed in risk assessments of sour-gas wells along with the life-threatening effects normally considered. The demarcation of hazard zones around wells can be improved by using a statistical approach for estimating an upper-bound H₂S release rate; this rate can then be used in an atmospheric dispersion model to estimate maximum distances to downwind concentrations for lethal (300 ppmv) and sublethal (50 ppmv) effects resulting from an accidental release. A vertical release is found to have little impact, especially under stable atmospheric conditions; horizontal releases, on the other hand, result in the greatest downwind distances for health impacts. Management of health risks depends on a mix of safety technologies and contingency actions, such as well-ignition options and provision for post-release monitoring and assessment of ambient H₂S concentrations.     

Effects of a constructional intervention on airborne and deposited particulate matter in the Portuguese National Tile Museum, Lisbon

In the 1970s, a large ambulatory of the National Tile Museum, Lisbon, was closed with glass panes on both ground and first floor. Although this design was meant to protect the museum collection from ambient air pollutants, small openings between the glass panes remain, creating a semi-enclosed corridor. The effects of the glass panes on the indoor air quality were evaluated in a comparative study by monitoring the airborne particle concentration and the extent of particle deposition at the enclosed corridor as well as inside the museum building. Comparison of the indoor/outdoor ratio of airborne particle concentration demonstrated a high natural ventilation rate in the enclosed corridor as well as inside the museum building. PM₁₀ deposition velocities on vertical surfaces were estimated in the order of 3?×?10^?4 m s^?1 for both indoor locations. Also, the deposition rates of dark-coloured and black particles in specific were very similar at both indoor locations, causing visual degradation. The effectiveness of the glass panes in protecting the museum collection is discussed.     

Slightly acidic electrolyzed water for reducing airborne microorganisms in a layer breeding house

Reducing airborne microorganisms may potentially improve the environment in layer breeding houses. The effectiveness of slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW; pH 5.29–6.30) in reducing airborne microorganisms was investigated in a commercial layer house in northern China. The building had a tunnel-ventilation system, with an evaporative cooling. The experimental area was divided into five zones along the length of the house, with zone 1 nearest to an evaporative cooling pad and zone 5 nearest to the fans. The air temperature, relative humidity, dust concentration, and microbial population were measured at the sampling points in the five zones during the study period. The SAEW was sprayed by workers in the whole house. A six-stage air microbial sampler was used to measure airborne microbial population. Results showed that the population of airborne bacteria and fungi were sharply reduced by 0.71 × 10⁵ and 2.82 × 10³ colony-forming units (CFU) m^?3 after 30 min exposure to SAEW, respectively. Compared with the benzalkonium chloride (BC) solution and povidone-iodine (PVP-I) solution treatments, the population reductions of airborne fungi treated by SAEW were significantly (P < 0.05) more, even though the three disinfectants can decrease both the airborne bacteria and fungi significantly (P < 0.05) 30 min after spraying.

Implications: There are no effective methods for reducing airborne microbial levels in tunnel-ventilated layer breeding houses; additionally, there is limited information available on airborne microorganism distribution. This research investigated the spatial distribution of microbial population, and the effectiveness of spraying slightly acidic electrolyzed water in reducing microbial levels. The research revealed that slightly acidic electrolyzed water spray was a potential method for reducing microbial presence in layer houses. The knowledge gained in this research about the microbial population variations in the building may assist producers in managing the bird housing environment and engineers in designing poultry houses.