Outdoor fibres air pollution monitoring in the Crotone area (Southern Italy)

Abstract

This paper shows the results of a monitoring activity of airborne fibres in the central eastern edge of Calabria, including the cities of Crotone and Strongoli (South Italy). The investigated area is actually occupied by largely disused industrial settlements and areas adjacent to them, where activities related to biomass power plant and agricultural production are carried out. The aim is to ascertain whether such an use of the territory caused changes in the natural levels of fibres in the air and subsequently a risk of exposure for the population. Moreover, establish the average level of exposure to asbestos and consequently the background  environmental concentration of asbestos in air. The sampling was conducted on the air particulate of Strongoli and Crotone cities, industrial settlement of Strongoli Marina and disused industrial area of Crotone (ex Pertusola). Fibres had been collected for all the sites, from May to September 2012. For each investigated site (no. 8), areas potentially poor of pollutants had been selected as blank spots in order to appreciate the background environmental concentration of fibrous minerals in the air. The collection asbestos fibers was performed by using low-medium flow sampling systems, with cellulose filters of 25 mm in diameter over a short time period (6 or 8 h). The surprising outcome of this work is that, despite the high presence of asbestos roofings in the sampled areas, the level of dispersed asbestos fibers (chrysotile and tremolite) is very low.