Exposure to MMVF in residential and commercial buildings: A literature review and quantitative synthesis

Abstract

Man-made vitreous fibers (MMVF) are a class of inorganic fibrous materials that include glass and mineral wools, continuous glass filaments, and refractory ceramic fibers valued for their insulative properties in high temperature applications. Potential health effects from occupational exposure to MMVF have been investigated since the 1970s, with focus on incidence of respiratory tract cancer among MMVF-exposed production workers. The general population may experience exposure to MMVF in residential and/or commercial buildings due to deterioration, construction, or other disruption of materials containing these fibers. Numerous studies have characterized potential exposures that may occur during material disruption or installation; however, fewer have aimed to measure background MMVF concentrations in residential and commercial spaces (i.e., non-production settings) to which the general population may be exposed. In this study, we reviewed and synthesized peer-reviewed studies that evaluated respirable MMVF exposure levels in non-production, indoor environments. Among studies that analyzed airborne respirable MMVF concentrations, 110-fold and 1.5-fold differences in estimated concentrations were observed for those studies utilizing phase contrast optical microscopy (PCOM) versus transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. A positive correlation was observed between respirable air concentrations of MMVF and total surface concentrations of MMVF in seldom-cleaned areas. Ultimately, available evidence suggests that both ambient air and surface concentrations of MMVF in indoor environments are consistently lower than exposure limits developed to prevent negative health outcomes among sensitive populations.