ABSTRACT
Asbestos has been widely used on ships as an insulating material due to its fire-resistant and sound-absorbent properties. It was therefore deemed appropriate to measure the concentrations of airborne asbestos fibres on two ferries in regular service on the Civitavecchia-Golfo Aranci route. Decontamination work had been carried out on these vessels in order to remove, as far as possible, or to confine asbestos. Between 1994 and 1998, the Ultrastructures Laboratory of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità analysed 123 samples via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with elementary dispersion X spectroscopy (EDXS). The results showed that in 98.4% of the samples concentrations in the air were below 2 fibres/litre, which is the value set by Ministerial Decree of 6/9/94 for buildings to qualify for effective decontamination status. Concentrations above this value, between 2 and 10 fibres/litre, were found in one ferry engine room, where workers were not continuously present since a remote control box was installed there. The results show that there is no environmental dispersion of asbestos fibres in usual navigation conditions; the situation is comparable to that in buildings where asbestos-containing safety materials have been used and that are subject to period checks in accordance with the guidelines included in Ministerial Decree of 6/9/94. Legislation is deemed necessary to make law 257/92 applicable to naval vessels in order to define univocal criteria for risk evaluation, checking, maintenance and custody procedures of asbestos-insulated vessels, and procedures for each job on board involving handling or removal of asbestos-containing material.
