Scarlett Henroy P, Postlethwait Edward, Delzell Elizabeth, Sathiakumar Nalini, Oestenstad R Kent
University of the West Indies, Mona, Clarendon, Jamaica, WI, USA.
J Environ Health. 2012 Jan-Feb;74(6):22-6.
Asbestos is an established human carcinogen. Asbestos-containing building materials (ACBM) are used in surfacing materials, thermal system insulation (TSI), and miscellaneous materials, and they have been used in buildings in Jamaica in the past. The objective of the study described here was to identify ACBM, its characteristics, and its determinants in Jamaican hospitals. A walk-through survey of all hospitals was undertaken and 152 bulk samples were collected from 26 public and private hospitals. The samples were analyzed using polarized light microscopy. Sixteen (61.5%) hospitals had ACBM used mainly as TSI. The ACBM in most cases was friable and in a poor condition indicative of fiber release and contained the fibers chrysotile, amosite, and crocidolite. The age of hospitals was not associated with the presence of ACBM. Results indicated potential risk of asbestos exposure in hospitals. The hospital authorities should formulate and implement an asbestos policy for hospitals and undertake proper management of asbestos in all hospitals.
石棉是一种已确定的人类致癌物。含石棉建筑材料（ACBM）用于表面材料、热系统绝缘材料（TSI）和其他材料，过去曾在牙买加的建筑物中使用。本文所述研究的目的是确定牙买加医院中的含石棉建筑材料、其特性及其决定因素。对所有医院进行了实地调查，并从26家公立和私立医院收集了152个散装样本。使用偏光显微镜对样本进行了分析。16家（61.5%）医院使用了含石棉建筑材料，主要用作热系统绝缘材料。大多数情况下，含石棉建筑材料易碎且状况不佳，表明有纤维释放，并且含有温石棉、铁石棉和青石棉纤维。医院的年限与含石棉建筑材料的存在无关。结果表明医院存在石棉暴露的潜在风险。医院当局应制定并实施医院石棉政策，并对所有医院的石棉进行妥善管理。
