High tremolite asbestos content in urine related to dispersion from NOA rocks: a case study

The naturally occurring asbestos (NOA) and naturally occurring of asbestiform minerals non asbestos classified (NONA) in North Western Italian Alps is known since many years and described in a few papers (e.g., Belluso et al., 1995; ARPA Piemonte, 2008). Whereas the noxiousness due to professional exposure to asbestos is well known, there are few information dealing with natural environmental exposure as that occurring to general population living closeness to NOA (and NONA) in outcropped rocks.

The investigation of inorganic fibres content in urine may understand if people respired them in the latest period (from several days to some months: e.g., ATSDR, 2001).

In this study we present a case of a very high and abnormal content of tremolite asbestos detected in urine of a young girl during a survey of several toxic contaminants respired from young students in a Turin province school (NW Italy).

The absence of asbestos revealed by further investigation carried out in urine sample of girl’s parents and in other samples from the girl, showed that the high asbestos content previously detected was due to an exposure occurrence limited in time and related only to the girl.

The investigation carried out on the lifestyle of the girl in the year preceding the urine analysis allowed to suppose that the detected high content of tremolite asbestos might be due to a specific environmental exposure. Indeed, the girl spent a holiday period away from her habitual home, where there were excavation works in NOA rocks spotty containing important amount of tremolite asbestos. Therefore, the asbestos detected in the urine is probably connected to those dispersed from NOA rocks.

This finding focuses on the need to evaluate the risk of asbestos air dispersion from NOA rocks before carrying out excavation works.

 

ARPA PIEMONTE (2008) Amianto naturale in Piemonte. Agenzia Regionale per la Protezione Ambientale del Piemonte, ARPA Piemonte, Ed. L’Artistica Savigliano (CN), I

ATSDR, Agency for Toxic substances and Disease Registry (2001). U.S., Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service. Atlanta, GA, USA

BELLUSO E, COMPAGNONI R, FERRARIS G. (1995) Occurrence of asbestiform minerals in the serpentinites of the Piemonte Zone, Western Alps. In: Giornata di studio in ricordo del Prof. Stefano Zucchetti, Politecnico di Torino, 57-64. Ed. Politecnico di Torino, I