A study of fibrous aerosols in the home environment in Sosnowiec, Poland

This work constitutes the first report on the concentration of airborne res pirable fibers, and their length distribution in different groups of homes in Sosnowiec, Poland. The measurements have been made by using the MIE Lase r Fiber Monitor FM-7400. Mean concentration level of the respirable fibers, longer than 5 mu m, ranged from 350 m(-3) through 910 m(-3) up to 1020 m(- 3) in the homes located in suburban areas, near the busy streets, and in th e buildings covered with asbestos-cement sheets, respectively. These result s indicate the outdoor asbestos-containing materials as the main sources of airborne fibers inside the Sosnowiec dwellings. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.