Direct and indirect assessment of the amount of naturally occurring asbestos in fractured rocks (original) (raw)

Characterization of Natural Materials Containing N.O.A. (Naturally Occurring Asbestos): The Problem of Quantification

2017

The quantification of NOA (Naturally Occurring Asbestos) in a rock or soil matrix is complex and subject to numerous errors. Current legislation in Italy (DM 6/9/94) defines the threshold of 1000 mg/kg of asbestos fibers on the total of the material, beyond which the material is considered as hazardous waste. The objective of this study is to compare two fundamental techniques for analysis: the first one is based on analysis with a Phase Contrast Optical Microscope (PCOM) while the second one requires the use of a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). In order to provide a sufficiently reliable uncertainty of the PCOM methodology, 10 repetitions of the analysis by two different operators on two selected samples were carried out. Another important part of this study is the comparison between SEM and PCOM analysis. Over 100 tests have been performed to date on natural samples from both cores and from excavation materials with the use of the two techniques. A good correlation between the...

Quantitative geomorphic analysis of asbestos dispersion and pollution from natural sources: the case-history of the Pollino National Park, southern Italy

Geografia Fisica e Dinamicca Quaternaria

BENEDUCE P., DI LEO P., GIANO S.I. & SCHIATTARELLA M., Quantitative geomorphic analysis of asbestos dispersion and pollution from natural sources: the case-history of the Pollino National Park, southern Italy. (IT ISSN 0391-9838, 2012) - A multidisciplinary study has been carried out on the dispersion modalities of asbestos minerals from ophiolites outcrops in the area of the Pollino National Park (Calabria-Lucania border, southern Italy) by integrating geological and geomorphological mapping, quantitative geomorphic analysis, petrological and mineralogical analyses of outcropping crystalline-metamorphic rocks, aerosol analyses, and remote sensing investigations. Large amount of asbestos minerals have been recognized in the ophiolitic suites outcropping at the Calabria-Lucania border. Specifically, tremolite-actinolite and chrysotile have been recognized in the metabasite and serpentinite samples by means of thin sections analyses and X-ray powder diffraction. Asbestos fibres have b...