scope:

This document specifies a reference method using transmission electron microscopy for the determination of airborne asbestos fibres and structures in in a wide range of ambient air situations, including the interior atmospheres of buildings, and for a detailed evaluation for asbestos structures in any atmosphere. The method allows determination of the type(s) of asbestos fibres present and also includes measurement of the lengths, widths and aspect ratios of the asbestos structures. The method cannot discriminate between individual fibres of asbestos and elongate fragments (cleavage fragments and acicular particles) from non-asbestos analogues of the same amphibole mineral^[13].

^[13] Campbell W.J, Blake R.L., Brown L.L., Cather E.E., Sjoberg J.J. Selected silicate minerals and their asbestiform varieties. Mineralogical definitions and identification-characterization. Information circular 8751. United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, Washington, D.C., 1977