[Asbestos in indoor areas]

In 1994 the FRG will probably be the first country with a complete ban on asbestos. But it will take until the next century before all the buildings are free from asbestos contamination. The Public Health Services is urged to keep a close watch on asbestos removal operations. The costs will amount to several thousand million DM in Germany. Planning and implementation of all renovation should be carried out on the basis of the asbestos guidelines. A previous measurement program to identify and count the fibres is usually not necessary. The guidelines, discussed in this article, allow to assess the urgency of the renovation operations. Special attention is paid to the six million night-storage heaters in the Federal Republic of Germany. Drinking water contaminated with asbestos is less important for the asbestos concentration of the aerosol in buildings. After a comprehensive synopsis on the so far mostly unpublished fibre concentrations in buildings, comments on the risk assessment concerning the residence in asbestos-contaminated buildings are made.