Distinguishing asbestos cement from fiber-reinforced cement through portable µ-Raman spectroscopy and portable X-ray fluorescence

It is now widely acknowledged that asbestos can adversely affect human health; accordingly, in recent decades, fiber-reinforced cement (FRC) has been used as a substitute for asbestos cement (AC). This manuscript focuses on portable micro-Raman spectroscopy coupled with portable microscopy (p-µR) and portable X-ray fluorescence (p-XRF) as a means to identify chrysotile fibers in AC (Eternit) and fibers present in the asbestos-free FRC used as a substitute. Our results show that the simultaneous use of portable devices such as p-µR and p-XRF may be useful in quickly identifying fibrous chrysotile asbestos in Eternit, as well as polyvinyl fibers in new material FRC used as substitutes for Eternit. Chrysotile shows bands in the 800–200 cm−1 range, whereas polyvinyl alcohol fibers show bands in the 3000–800 cm−1 range. The p-XRF data on the two types of cement could possibly be used as a chemical fingerprint for the two different materials. Given that exposure to asbestos is a serious health hazard, its rapid and reliable detection in situ on residential buildings is important both for citizens and for administrative bodies charged with safeguarding public health. We believe that our study provides valuable insight into the potential use of portable devices for identifying asbestos and asbestos-free materials.