Products containing asbestos and man-made mineral fibers (MMMF) are widely distributed in the building stock. This paper reviews the known health effects of these materials and evaluates the health risks of exposures resulting from residence inside buildings in the United Kingdom. It includes a description of sampling methods for fibers and of the relative exposure resulting from occupancy of different buildings and from various activities within dwellings. The overall conclusions are that exposure to fibers inside most dwellings is not significantly different from background, and this small burden seems to be well tolerated. However, where fibrous materials are in poor condition (in the case of asbestos) or are disturbed, higher fiber levels can be generated and exposures will be greater. Such elevated exposures are probably not significant in health terms, although some uncertainty remains with regard to amphibole asbestos. A number of specific recommendations are made.

Paper from IAQ 1997 -- Design, Construction, and Operation of Healthy Buildings: Solutions to Global and Regional Concerns