Asbestos dust in Bari collapse

A study conducted by the University of Bari and authored by Pasquale Acquafredda, a professor in the Department of Earth and Geoenvironmental Sciences, has detected traces of asbestos fibres in a dust sample extracted from the balcony floor of a property situated in a building that overlooks the street where a recent collapse occurred. Media sources have reported that the study was commissioned by local residents. This request followed the results of analyses carried out by the environmental protection authority (ARPA Puglia), which had ruled out the presence of asbestos fibres in the air near the collapsed building. Fabrizio Protti, president of the ‘Sportello Amianto Nazionale’ organisation, has clarified that the anomaly in the results could be only apparent. The quantity of asbestos that may be hazardous to public health may be below the threshold of detection. It is therefore recommended that the official results of the final report by ARPA Puglia be awaited.