Evaluation of asbestos dispersion during laser ablation of rocks containing Naturally Occurring Asbestos (NOA)
Andrea Bloise,
Francesco Parisi,
Mauro Francesco La Russa,
Carmine Apollaro,
Nicolas Godbert,
Iolinda Aiello,
Eugenia Giorno,
Alessandro Croce,
Laura Cagna,
Ana Jesús López,
Alberto Ramil,
Dolores Pereira
Affiliations
Andrea Bloise
Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036, Rende, CS, Italy; University Museum System – SiMU, Mineralogy and Petrography Section, University of Calabria, 87036, Rende, CS, Italy; Corresponding author. Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036, Rende, CS, Italy.
Francesco Parisi
Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036, Rende, CS, Italy
Mauro Francesco La Russa
Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036, Rende, CS, Italy
Carmine Apollaro
Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036, Rende, CS, Italy
Nicolas Godbert
MAT_InLAB (Laboratory of Inorganic Molecular Materials), Center of Excellence CEMIF.CAL, LASCAMM CR-INSTM of Calabria, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technologies, University of Calabria, 87036, Rende, CS, Italy; LPM-Materials Preparation Laboratory, STAR-Lab, University of Calabria, Via Tito Flavio, 87036 Rende, CS, Italy
Iolinda Aiello
MAT_InLAB (Laboratory of Inorganic Molecular Materials), Center of Excellence CEMIF.CAL, LASCAMM CR-INSTM of Calabria, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technologies, University of Calabria, 87036, Rende, CS, Italy; LPM-Materials Preparation Laboratory, STAR-Lab, University of Calabria, Via Tito Flavio, 87036 Rende, CS, Italy
Eugenia Giorno
MAT_InLAB (Laboratory of Inorganic Molecular Materials), Center of Excellence CEMIF.CAL, LASCAMM CR-INSTM of Calabria, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technologies, University of Calabria, 87036, Rende, CS, Italy; LPM-Materials Preparation Laboratory, STAR-Lab, University of Calabria, Via Tito Flavio, 87036 Rende, CS, Italy
Alessandro Croce
Department of Science and Technological Innovation, University of Eastern Piedmont, Viale Teresa Michel 11, 15121, Alessandria, Italy; Research Laboratories, Research, Training and Innovation Infrastructure, Department of Integrated Research and Innovation Activities (DAIRI), SS. Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo University Hospital, Via Venezia 16, 15121, Alessandria, Italy
Laura Cagna
Department of Science and Technological Innovation, University of Eastern Piedmont, Viale Teresa Michel 11, 15121, Alessandria, Italy
Ana Jesús López
Ferrol Industrial Campus, University of A Coruña, 15471, Ferrol, Spain
Alberto Ramil
Ferrol Industrial Campus, University of A Coruña, 15471, Ferrol, Spain
Dolores Pereira
Department of Geology, University of Salamanca, 37008, Salamanca, Spain
Health risks are often overlooked when the short-term consequences are not immediately apparent. During restoration work, cleaning actions can generate particles that pose health risks to workers through inhalation. This is particularly true in the case of asbestos fibres that might be spread out from the laser cleaning of buildings or heritage artifacts made of stone, such as serpentinite and other ultramafic rocks, that have a high probability of containing asbestos (e.g., chrysotile, tremolite asbestos, actinolite asbestos). To show workers the importance of wearing proper protection to prevent health injuries, several serpentinite samples, ascertained to contain asbestos minerals by specific investigations, have been laser ablated using ad hoc modified equipment in order to collocate a HEPA filter prone to collect all dust emitted during ablation. The powder deposited on the surface of these filters after laser ablation was analyzed, by Powder X -ray Diffraction (PXRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy combined with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (TEM/EDS), micro-Raman spectroscopy (μ-Raman) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR/ATR). The results confirmed the presence of asbestos fibres during the laser ablation of rocks containing Naturally Occurring Asbestos (NOA), emphasizing the importance of wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) during these procedures. Noteworthy, approximately 33 % of the analyzed fibres met the WHO criteria in size for respirable fibres. Furthermore, through our experiments, we also demonstrated that using tools that integrate filters into working tools would definitively further decrease the risk of fibres inhalation to workers.
