THE PRESENCE OF FLUORO-EDENITE IN THE VOLCANIC AREA OF BIANCAVILLA: Environmental Monitoring

Marco Venturi 1, Sabrina Chiavetta 1, Lucia Serraglio 1, Federica Paglietti 2, Sergio Malinconico 2, Vincenzo Di Molfetta 2, F. Sallusti 2

1 SIDERCEM s.r.l., Construction Materials Research and Testing Institute, Caltanissetta, 2 ISPESL, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Prevention, Italy.

1. MODERNISATION WORK ON THE PATERNÒ- RURAL RAILWAY LINE

Fluoro-edenite was identified during the excavation of two railway tunnels under construction in the borough of Biancavilla. This work was being carried out in order to complete the Circumetnea orbital rail link, with one tunnel 1,288m in length in the North- Western area and the other 268m long in the South-East of the borough, directly under the environs of Monte Calvario. This discovery, in 1999, led to the immediate suspension of the Biancavilla Tunnel excavation work. The Circumetnea Railway (FCE) subsequently carried out a number of investigations aimed at characterising the soil along the sections of the route which were yet to be excavated. These examinations indicated the presence of heterogeneously distributed fluoro-edenite fibres in varying concentrations. Given the strategic importance of completing the orbital rail link, the Ministry for the Environment and Protection of Land and Sea authorised the resumption of work (the only such case in Italy for sites of national interest requiring decontamination) solely under the condition that a Safety Operational Plan (SOP) specific to asbestos fibres would be drawn up and the central bodies specialised in this field would guarantee continual monitoring of the sites. The Circumetnea Railway therefore asked ISPESL, with whom it has a current agreement, to draft the afore-mentioned plan and to check its proper execution. The approval of this SOP by the responsible bodies led to work being resumed in the Autumn of 2007. The plan, which is extremely comprehensive, provides directions on the management of the risks connected with the presence of fluoro-edenite fibres at the construction site and stipulates monitoring operations by both a private company, engaged to make checks on a daily basis, and ISPESL, with periodic inspections in the tunnels and nearby inhabited areas. This report outlines the results obtained by both SIDERCEM, the contracted private company, and ISPESL. In conformance with the requirements of the plan, SIDERCEM: - Carried out environmental monitoring, 15 days prior to the recommencement of work, in order to establish the base airborne environmental level of fluoro-edenite fibre concentration in the borough of Biancavilla - Undertakes environmental monitoring in the area of the construction sites (currently in progress) - Monitors personal exposure of the site workers (currently in progress) - Will again carry out environmental monitoring of the air in the borough once the work has finished in order to check that the airborne concentration of fibres has returned to a level within the prescribed limits. In conformance with the requirements of the plan, ISPESL: - Carried out environmental monitoring, 15 days prior to the recommencement of work, in order to establish the base airborne environmental level of fluoro-edenite fibre concentration in the borough of Biancavilla - Monitors personal exposure of the site workers in the tunnels on a two-monthly basis - Carries out three-monthly environmental checks in urban areas - Performs rechecks on 10% of the samples taken and analysed by SIDERCEM.

2. SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS PROCEDURE

The technical standard in Italy governing the management of risks associated with the presence of asbestos in the indoor working environment, together with the sampling and analysis methodologies for aerodispersed fibres present in the environment, is the Ministerial Decree of 06/09/1994. This decree applies to construction sites for civil, commercial, or industrial use to which the public may be exposed and where the construction includes working with goods and/or materials containing asbestos from which there may be exposure to aerodispersed fibres. In the case under study the normal industry regulations were not applicable and it was therefore necessary to provide a new test procedure (for sampling and analysis) which adapted the stipulations of the regulations in force to meet the requirements of an atypical construction site.

3. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING PRIOR TO THE COMMENCEMENT OF EXCAVATION WORK

During this first phase, lasting 15 days, 10 locations in total were measured by SIDERCEM and ISPESL, of which 5 were in an urban area, 1 in the area of the disused quarry at Monte Calvario and 4 in the site areas at the entrances to the tunnels. The mean concentration was measured at 0.048 fibres/l, as indicated in Table 1.

4. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING DURING THE EXCAVATION WORK

The second phase commenced in January 2008 and is currently still in progress. The locations subject to monitoring were increased in number and in addition the exact positions were moved in some cases due to the needs of the construction sites and the analytical results obtained. The current measurement stations are as follows: • Entrance to the tunnel at Site 1, at chainage 8 + 869.84m (on the side) • Area of the disused quarry at Monte Calvario • Entrance to the tunnel at Site 2 (Gangway Biancavilla Central Station) • Tunnel face at Site 2, at chainage 9 + 418.32m • Entrance to the tunnel at Site 3, at chainage 12 + 035.63m (on the Adrano side) • Air extraction system at Site 1 • Air extraction system at Site 2 • Air extraction system at Site 3 (active since 21/04/2008) • Piazza del Comune • Via dell'Edera • 9 Via dell'Oste • 151 Via F. Turati • 19 Via Norvegia

The sampling frequency is weekly at the first 5 of the above locations, daily for the extractors and every three months in the town. The analytical results are summarised in Table 2.

5. THE PROBLEM OF HIGH DUST LEVELS

The initial faces excavated were F1 and F2 of the 268m tunnel, this being the route closest to Monte Calvario. The sampling techniques specified by the ministerial decree, whilst having functioned well during the pre-excavation phase, from the first week of working proved to be totally inadequate for the environment of the construction sites. The key issue, which became immediately evident, was the high levels of dust arising from the excavation work, leading to excessive dust accumulation in the filters which then rendered them unreadable. In conjunction with the main contractor (FCE s.a.r.l.), the managing body (FCE), the Ministry of the Environment Quality of Life Department and ISPESL of Rome, a solution was sought to this problem in order to guarantee the safety of both workers and residents in the borough of Biancavilla. The following procedures were adopted: - The use of larger diameter filters, 47mm instead of 25mm, giving a four-fold increase in surface area - Where previous analyses indicated problems with reading the filters, the number of filters was increased to greater than 2 - An increased distance between the sampling location and the exit point of the extraction system, where applicable. A more effective water spray system for dust control was also stipulated for all areas of the construction site. Increasing the distance from the sampling location to the point of exit from the extractors was possible once it was established that the outlet flow from the ventilator equipment remained linear for a distance of around 16m; the samplers were then placed at a distance of approximately 10 to 12m from the outlets.

6. FURTHER PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS ADOPTED

The analytical results obtained during the construction work revealed that at the outlet point of the air extraction system at Site 2, the concentrations of fluoro-edenite were approaching the maximum values permitted by the Ministry of the Environment (1.841 fibres/l versus 2 fibres/l). In addition it was evident that in the interior of the tunnel the filters were also excessively loaded with dust and therefore unreadable. The critical nature of the situation was exacerbated by the fact that Site 2 was situated within an urban area. The contractor and ISPESL were advised forthwith of the tendency of the fibre concentration levels to increase, leading to the immediate closure and sealing of the excavation face of the tunnel. The subsequent securing of the area at ISPESL’s request, by bituminising the road surface inside the tunnel along with all open areas and access roads to the site, had the effect of immediately containing the risk. Closing off the excavation face reduced the fibre concentration by around 2/3 while the ensuing decontamination operation of the surfaces decreased the level to zero.

In order to avoid any repetition of this situation at the other tunnel entrances, ISPESL requested that the bituminising operation be extended to all sites of the project and that appropriate products be used to encapsulate the fibres on all road and pathway surfaces. Finally a filtering system was specified, in conformance with a dedicated procedure drawn up for the purpose, for the air exiting from the extractors. Another important precaution taken was the regulation of the ventilation system at the tunnel face. The extraction airflow was kept higher than the incoming airflow in order to guarantee a constant negative pressure throughout the tunnel. Analysis of the measured data revealed that whilst there was some variation in concentration, the levels always remained within the prescribed limits.

CONCLUSIONS The excavation of the two tunnel routes is still in progress. The problems encountered were atypical and variable, requiring innovative solutions in some cases. ISPESL, in association with SIDERCEM and the Circumetnea Railway, drafted specific procedures for the project which were subsequently discussed with and approved by the Ministry of the Environment. The constant interaction between the concerned parties facilitated the preparation and adoption of effective technical procedures in a timely manner, maintaining the protection of the local population and workers as a top priority within the timing constraints of a major infrastructure project.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Roberto Pasetto, Biagio Bruni, Caterina Bruno Claudio D’Antona, Paola De Nardo, Giuseppe Di Maria, Rino Di Stefano, Carla Fiorentini, Antonio Gianfagna, Achille Marconi, Luigi Paoletti, Maria Grazia Putzu, Morando Soffritti e Pietro Comba Health problems from amphibole fibres in Biancavilla. Epidemiological, clinical and experimental aspects. Rome: National Health Institute (ISS); 2004 ISS Newsletter No.17. 2. Natural asbestos contamination: Biancavilla’s case , F.Paglietti, F. Damiani, S.Malinconico, P. De Simone, ASTM Johnson Conference, 14-18 July 2008, Critical Issues in Monitoring Asbestos , Burlington, Vermont. 3. A. Gianfagna S. Mazziotti Tagliani, A. Pacella, B. Bruni , L. Paoletti Fibrous and asbestos-like minerals in the volcanic area of Biancavilla (, , Italy): identification, classification and environmental impact assessment. Rome: La Sapienza Study University, Department of Earth Sciences. 4. F. Paglietti, V. Di Molfetta, S. Malinconico, P. De Simone Aerodispersal pollution in the area requiring decontamination at the Biancavilla construction site, before and after the emergency safety operations, Palermo: Geologists of Sicily, 1-2009. 5. Giuseppe Di Pisa Safety Operational Plan – Protection from Potential Exposure to Carcinogenic Agents Biancavilla Borough Council, Catania (CT). 6. Characterisation Plan Catania: Circumetnea Railway Management, 2004 7. Marco Venturi, Sabrina Chiavetta, Lucia Serraglio The presence of aerodispersed fluoro-edenite in the volcanic area of Biancavilla: environmental and human monitoring Palermo: 5th Regional Congress of the Order of Geologists, June, 2009.

Fotografia n.1 – Fotografia al SEM di un filtro carico di pulviscolo e pertanto non leggibile

Fotografia n.2 – Fotografia al SEM di una fibra di fluoroedenite con relativo spettro EDS

Anno 2008

Piazza del Comune Via Norvegia – Via dell’Oste Via Turati – Via dell’Edera – Zona A Zona B Zona C Zona D Zona E MEDIA MAX % MEDIAMAX % MEDIAMAX % MEDIA MAX % MEDIA MAX % feb-08 0,07 0,21 33% 0,49 0,63 100% 0,44 0,55 100% 0,1 0,2 67% 0 0 0% mag-08 0,45 0,94 100% 0,54 0,95 100% 0,18 0,31 67% 0,11 0,13 100% 0,13 0,24 67% set-08 0,45 0,63 100% 0,63 1,04 100% 0,67 0,94100% 0,13 0,2 100% 0,28 0,21 67% nov-08 0,23 0,49 67% 0,180,23 100% 0,44 1,11100% 0,18 0,21 100% 0,23 0,49 67%