Comparison of the effects of use, protection, improper renovation and removal of asbestos products on the example of typical old office buildings in Poland

The study focused on old, German building types “LIPSK” and “BERLIN” used in Poland, since the 1960s in Eastern Europe. The different operations on buildings were analysed: protection and maintenance of asbestos products, asbestos removal and inadvertent damage to asbestos as a result of building renovation. Measurements of respirable (countable) asbestos fibres in the air were carried out using the PCOM + PLM method and SEM–EDS. In the case of the accidental destruction of products, initial contamination was ≈7000 f/m(3). After 16 weeks from the end of the activity and 20 days of extreme ventilation, contamination decreased to about 500 f/m(3). At the same time, in similar rooms, without extreme ventilation, the pollution was above 4000 f/m(3). The average increase in pollution in a dozen or so similar buildings, after asbestos removal in places beyond the work zones, ranged from ≈ 1700–2700 f/m(3) and lasted for one or two years. These buildings, used without ACM destruction or after product impregnation, have maintained low asbestos contamination < 300 f/m(3) for more than 10–20 years. So, due to the easy release of asbestos that occurs with any ACM removal and the increased risk of occupant exposure, these works are often inappropriate for the buildings in question.