Occupational risk resulting from exposure to mineral wool when installing insulation in buildings.

Mineral wool is widely used for thermal and sound insulation. The subject of the study is to identify hazards for employees resulting from exposure to mineral wool, when it is used to insulate buildings, and to assess the risk arising from this exposure. When installing mineral wool insulation, respirable mineral fibers, dust, and volatile organic compounds may pose a hazard at workplaces. Based on the results of concentration measurements, it was assessed that the probability of adverse health effects related to the work of insulation installers, resulting from exposure to mineral wool fibers, is low, but for dust associated with exposure, an average health risk was estimated. An additional threat may be the sensitizing effect of substances used as binders and additives improving the utility properties of mineral wool, for example, phenol formaldehyde resins. The paper also contains some information on the labeling of mineral wool; this is very important because the label allows downstream users to recognize mineral wools, the composition and properties of which cause that they are not classified as carcinogens. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2020;33(6):757-69.

Identification and enumeration of asbestos fibers in the mining environment: mission and modification to the Federal Asbestos Standard.

Since the promulgation of the first Federal Asbestos Standard by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in 1972, other federal agencies have modified the standard to better carry on their own unique missions. The instruments used to identify and measure asbestos, the sampling protocol, and the criteria used to define asbestos, have been modified to some degree. The Mine Safety and Health Administration regulates and controls asbestos dust in the mining and mineral commodity industries. However, crushed stone and processed ores contain mineral fragments that are frequently difficult to distinguish from asbestos. Mineral nomenclature, instruments for particle analysis, and sampling strategy must be accommodated to some degree to make asbestos control workable and meaningful. Precedent in other agencies has made consideration of these changes possible. Newly identified amphibole asbestos minerals have further complicated the agency's regulatory charge. Changes in its Asbestos Standard are now being considered. Crushed taconite ore in the Eastern Mesabi highlights many of these issues.

Reliability of fibres in solid-phase microextraction for routine analysis of the headspace of aromatic and medicinal plants.

This article evaluates the HS-SPME recovery repeatability, intermediate precision and their performance over time when applied to HS-SPME sampling for quality control of medicinal and aromatic plants. Experiments were carried out on two sets of fibres coated with two different coatings and belonging to different lots (i.e 100 microm polydimethylsyloxane (PDMS) and Carboxen/divinylbenzene/PDMS 50/30 microm, l: 1 cm (CAR/DVB/PDMS)) and on chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.), sage (Salvia lavandulifolia Vahl.) and a standard solution containing 3-hexanol, isoamyl acetate, 1,8-cineole and menthol in diisobutyl phthalate. The performance of each set of fibres was evaluated by determining a group of complementary statistical parameters including: (i) repeatability of the absolute areas of each marker from each matrix with each fibre; (ii) intra-fibre repeatability of the total absolute areas of the markers of each matrix obtained with each fibre of each set; (iii) inter-fibre intermediate precision of the total absolute areas of the markers of each matrix obtained with all fibres of each set; and (iv) analysis of variance by one-way ANOVA with Fisher and Tukey tests. The influence of the number of analyses on fibre effectiveness (fibre life-time) was studied by linear regression analysis (LRA). The results proved that HS-SPME can successfully be used for routine control analysis of aromatic ad medicinal plants since both types of fibres showed good repeatability and intermediate precision of analytes recovery and consistency over time. Unlike data previously reported by other authors, CAR/DVB/PDMS coated fibres gave better results than those coated with PDMS. The fibre-life seemed mainly to be influenced by the number and conditions of samplings and nature of the matrix investigated.

[Regulations of controlled use of asbestos-containing materials in construction industry]. / Normativnoe obespechenie kontroliruemogo ispol'zovaniia asbestosoderzhashchikh materialov v stroitel'stve.

The article deals with analysis of Russian Federation Law on safety concerning use of asbestos and asbestos-containing materials in construction of nonindustrial objects. The authors present recommendations on the law improvement for implementation of ILO Convention No. 162 on safety of work with asbestos in Russia.

Asbestos an important insulating material; its varieties, properties and safe uses.

Asbestos, a naturally occurring mineral, has been widely utilized in industries producing cement, pipes, roofing sheet and insulating materials. In spite of sharp decrease in the production of asbestos worldwide, the use of asbestos in various products is increasing in the developing countries of Asian-African region, due to their magical properties of commercial importance. This paper describes the various physical & chemical properties, health hazards of the asbestos fibre and its utilization in various product development.

[Content of asbestos fibers in water sources of the Bazhenovo deposit]. / Soderzhanie volokon asbesta v vodoistochnikakh Bazhenovskogo mestorozhdeniia.

The paper provides preliminary measurements of asbestos levels in water sources from an area of the Bazhenovo chrysotile-asbestos deposit. All study water samples have been found to contain chrysotile-asbestos fibers at concentrations one-three orders less that the values standardized in the USA (7 x 10(6) vol/l). The authors consider it advisable to continue studies to measure asbestos levels in the water sources in the areas in vicinity of other Russian deposits.

[Man-made vitreous fibers: current state of knowledge]. / Le fibre vetrose artificiali: evoluzione delle conoscenze.

Artificial vitreous fibres have been used as thermal insulation since the 1930's. Experimental studies on possible pathogenic, fibrogenic or carcinogenic effects did not produce any clear results until the 1970's, when Stanton demonstrated the carcinogenic effect of these and numerous other fibrous materials after direct inoculation in the pleural cavity. In subsequent years epidemiological and experimental studies multiplied: the epidemiological investigations did not show any evident pathogenic effects on very large cohorts of workers, and experimentally the carcinogenic effect was confirmed only by inoculation of high doses of fibres, while negative results were reported in inhalatory experiments. In view of the considerably long time that has elapsed since these materials were first used, the low biopersistence of the fibres and the now consolidated results of a large amount of reliable research, it is today possible to affirm that artificial vitreous fibres are not a hazard for the workers who produce and use them. Since current production in Europe involves mostly large diameter, non respirable fibres or fibres with extremely low biopersistence, in accordance with precise European Union recommendations, we may look to the future without undue concern.

[Environmental and occupational exposure to vitreous fibers: the initiatives of the European Commission]. / Esposizione ambientale e occupazionale a fibre vetrose: iniziative della Commissione Europea.

The recent classification of a certain number of glass fibres by the European Commission within the framework of the Council Directive 67/548/CEE has reopened the debate on the carcinogenicity of these fibres at the level of the European Union. There is the risk of a law suit being field before the Court of Justice in Luxembourg against Germany, "guilty" of not having observed Community regulations. As regards worker protection, the recent Council Directive on chemical agents reviews the legal aspects concerning both preventive measures and the setting of limit values of occupational exposure.