2014; 47(5): 497-505

Published online October 31, 2014

© THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGY

Size Distributions of Amphiboles in Soils from a Closed Asbestos Mine, Jecheon, Chungcheongbuk-do, Korea

Jiwoon Kwon1, Sung Won Choi2 and Hyunwook Kim2*

1Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute, Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency
2Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea

Received: September 1, 2014; Revised: October 16, 2014; Accepted: October 17, 2014

Abstract

This study is for discrimination between asbestiform and non-asbestiform based on size characteristics of tremolite- actinolite fibers in soils from a closed asbestos mine, Jecheon, Chungcheongbuk-do, Korea. Soils and tremolite asbestos rocks were collected from a closed asbestos mine area. The dimensions of fibers with minimum 5 μm in length and 3:1 in aspect ratio were measured using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and compared to the known tremolite populations ranging from asbestiform to non-asbestiform. The geometric means of width of soils, asbestos rocks and National Institute for Standard and Technology (NIST) and Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL) reference samples were 1.2 μm, 0.3-0.6 μm, 1.3 μm and 0.2 μm, respectively. The geometric means of aspect ratio of soils, asbestos rocks and NIST and HSL reference samples were 7.3, 13.7-30.1, 7.2 and 37.8, respectively. The population of tremolite-actinolite fibers from soils compared to known asbestiform and non-asbestiform tremolite was lack of thin and high aspect ratio fibers. Upper results suggest that tremolite-actinolite fibers in soils cannot be classified into a commercial grade asbestos. The tremolite-actinolite fibers do not mainly appear to be the result of contamination from distance asbestos sources by wind. For the management and control of asbestos in soils, size distributions of amphiboles should be incorporated into asbestos survey results of soils.

Keywords amphibole, tremolite, asbestos, asbestiform, soil

Article

2014; 47(5): 497-505

Published online October 31, 2014

Copyright © THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGY.

Size Distributions of Amphiboles in Soils from a Closed Asbestos Mine, Jecheon, Chungcheongbuk-do, Korea

Jiwoon Kwon1, Sung Won Choi2 and Hyunwook Kim2*

1Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute, Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency
2Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea

Received: September 1, 2014; Revised: October 16, 2014; Accepted: October 17, 2014

Abstract

This study is for discrimination between asbestiform and non-asbestiform based on size characteristics of tremolite- actinolite fibers in soils from a closed asbestos mine, Jecheon, Chungcheongbuk-do, Korea. Soils and tremolite asbestos rocks were collected from a closed asbestos mine area. The dimensions of fibers with minimum 5 μm in length and 3:1 in aspect ratio were measured using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and compared to the known tremolite populations ranging from asbestiform to non-asbestiform. The geometric means of width of soils, asbestos rocks and National Institute for Standard and Technology (NIST) and Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL) reference samples were 1.2 μm, 0.3-0.6 μm, 1.3 μm and 0.2 μm, respectively. The geometric means of aspect ratio of soils, asbestos rocks and NIST and HSL reference samples were 7.3, 13.7-30.1, 7.2 and 37.8, respectively. The population of tremolite-actinolite fibers from soils compared to known asbestiform and non-asbestiform tremolite was lack of thin and high aspect ratio fibers. Upper results suggest that tremolite-actinolite fibers in soils cannot be classified into a commercial grade asbestos. The tremolite-actinolite fibers do not mainly appear to be the result of contamination from distance asbestos sources by wind. For the management and control of asbestos in soils, size distributions of amphiboles should be incorporated into asbestos survey results of soils.

Keywords amphibole, tremolite, asbestos, asbestiform, soil

    KSEEG
    Dec 31, 2024 Vol.57 No.6, pp. 665~835

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