The risks to human health of asbestos fibres in the air are well known, but through the last century, up until the 1960s asbestos was a commonly used building material and in places the landscape contains many structures.
The material is relatively inert and can support vegetation – I used to work in a hut with an asbestos roof that had a lawn of mosses and saxifrages. Has anyone looked at the vegetation associated with asbestos huts? Also what are the ecological and environmental implications of removal? If the material is buried is there any leachate or similar emissions?
Dear Howard, asbestos inhalation is dangerous, as dust, so if it is the the earth it should not be dangerous for humans. The exception is In areas of the world like Cappadocia in Turkey or Da-Yao in China people have environmental exposure and get cancer because the asbestos or erionite is on the surface, and is used as well for house building and whitewashing..
Thanks Oluf, I was thinking more of the ecological effects of the presence of asbestos as a structural component of buildings (i.e. walls and roofs). For example, ae there specific lichens associated with asbestos walls or species that avoid it, My interest is from the removal from the landscape to know if specific habitats will be lost and, if when burried it has known impacts on soil organisms or watercourses.
As far as I am aware of asbestos is carcinogenic to several types of mammals when inhaled, but not so much is known about the impact on the flora.
Waterpipes in many places are made of asbestos, but humans using water from those have not shown a clear relation to cancer.
Asbestos sheets are a good habitat for many crustose lichens in urban areas, even those with fairly high air pollution that otherwise would be a 'lichen desert'.
Dear David, Asbestos materials should be buried in appropriate landfill, no leachate is produced, the problem is to avoid any mechanical impact to avoid fiber emission in the air.
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