Civil Engineering Department, Federal University of Santa Catarina - UFSC, Brazil.
Civil Engineering Department, Federal University of Santa Catarina - UFSC, Brazil.
J Environ Manage. 2022 Oct 1;319:115716. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115716. Epub 2022 Jul 18.
Asbestos has been used by automobile, construction, manufacturing, power, and chemical industries for many years due to its particular properties, i.e. high tensile strength, non-flammable, thermal and electrical resistance and stability, and chemical resistance. However, such a mineral causes harmful effects to human health, including different types of cancer (e.g., mesothelioma). As a result, the use of asbestos has been banned since the 1980s in many countries. Nonetheless, asbestos is still part of the daily life of the population as asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) are still present in many buildings constructed and renovated before the 1990s. This work aims to present a current literature review about asbestos. The literature review was composed mainly of research articles published in international journals from the medical and engineering disciplines to provide an overview of asbestos use effects reported in interdisciplinary areas. The literature review comprised asbestos characteristics and its relationship to the risks of human exposure, countries where asbestos use is permitted or banned, reducing asbestos in the built environment, and environmental impact due to use and disposal of asbestos. The main findings were that ACMs are still responsible for severe human diseases, particularly in areas where there is a lack of coordinated asbestos management plans, reduced awareness about asbestos health risks, or even a delay in the implementation of asbestos-ban. Such issues may be more prevailing in developing countries. The current research in many countries contemplates several methodologies and techniques to process ACMs into inert and recyclable materials. The identification and coordinated management of ACM hazardous waste is a significant challenge to be faced by countries, and its inadequate disposal causes severe risk of exposure to asbestos fibres. Based on this work, it was concluded that banning asbestos is indicated in all countries in the world.
由于具有高强度、不燃、耐热、耐电和耐腐蚀等特殊性能，石棉多年来一直被汽车、建筑、制造、电力和化工等行业使用。然而，这种矿物对人类健康造成有害影响，包括各种癌症（例如间皮瘤）。因此，自 20 世纪 80 年代以来，许多国家已经禁止使用石棉。尽管如此，由于在 20 世纪 90 年代之前建造和翻新的许多建筑物中仍然存在含石棉材料（ACM），因此石棉仍然是人们日常生活的一部分。本工作旨在对石棉进行文献综述。文献综述主要由发表在国际期刊上的研究文章组成，这些文章来自医学和工程学科，旨在概述跨学科领域报告的石棉使用影响。文献综述包括石棉的特性及其与人类暴露风险的关系、允许或禁止使用石棉的国家、减少建筑环境中的石棉以及使用和处置石棉造成的环境影响。主要发现是 ACM 仍然是严重人类疾病的原因，特别是在缺乏协调的石棉管理计划、对石棉健康风险认识不足甚至延迟实施石棉禁令的地区。此类问题在发展中国家可能更为普遍。目前，许多国家的研究都考虑了将 ACM 加工成惰性和可回收材料的多种方法和技术。对 ACM 危险废物进行识别和协调管理是各国面临的重大挑战，其处置不当会严重增加暴露于石棉纤维的风险。基于这项工作，可以得出结论，全世界所有国家都应禁止使用石棉。
