Indoor airborne asbestos pollution: from the ceiling and the floor

Electron microscopic measurements of the concentrations of airborne asbestos were carried out inside and outside an office building having ceilings sprayed with a crocidolite-containing material and floors covered with vinyl-chrysotile tiles. Under normal conditions in this building, constructed 10 years ago, the two asbestos-containing materials released fibers into the air. This is the first measurement of elevated (up to 170 nanograms per cubic meter) concentrations of indoor airborne asbestos associated with the weathering of asbestos floor tiles during their service life. Asbestos flooring is used in a large number of buildings and represents the third largest use of asbestos fibers in the United States and in Europe, ranking after roofing and asbestos-cement pipe.