Asbestos Exposure in Low-Middle Income Communities of Cartagena, Colombia: A Survey of Knowledge, Practices, and Environmental Contamination

Our plain-English summary of Asbestos Exposure in Low-Middle Income Communities of Cartagena, Colombia: A Survey of Knowledge, Practices, and Environmental Contamination, by G. Villamizar, A. Frank, P. Bizzi Junqueira, et al (Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2025).

The study

• Authors: G. Villamizar, A. Frank, P. Bizzi Junqueira, J.F. Villamizar, G. Camero
• Journal: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• Published: 2025;67(10):e708-e719
• Cited by: 1 article, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the study was to assess community knowledge, practices, and environmental risks associated with residential asbestos exposure in low-middle income neighborhoods of Cartagena, Colombia.

Methods: In a cross-sectional survey, 305 residents from 30 asbestos-affected neighborhoods completed questionnaires on asbestos knowledge and practices. Environmental samples (roofing, dust, and water) were analyzed for asbestos fibers.

Results: Asbestos-cement roofing was present in 87.5% of homes. While 55.8% recognized asbestos hazards, 52% routinely disturbed asbestos materials, and informal disposal was common. Socially embedded practices, such as repurposing asbestos sheets and improper disposal were common. Asbestos fibers were found in 90% of dust samples and 85% of rainwater samples.

Conclusions: Residential asbestos exposure remains a major health risk in these communities. Mitigation requires not only education but also improved policies for safe removal and replacement of asbestos materials.

Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

In plain English

This descriptive cross-sectional survey, part of a larger project led by the Colombia Asbestos Free Foundation and the University of Cartagena, questioned 305 residents of 30 low-middle income Cartagena neighborhoods. The neighborhoods were chosen by aerial mapping of asbestos-cement roofs. Participants were over 35 and had lived at least 10 years under asbestos roofing. Asbestos shingles were present in 87.5% of homes. Although 55.08% of respondents recognized asbestos, the authors reported that this did not translate into risk awareness. Over 52% cleaned their asbestos shingles annually, and 53.11% had seen asbestos tiles or tanks abandoned on streets. Laboratory analysis found chrysotile in 87% of 232 shingle samples and asbestos in 90% of 87 surface samples. Asbestos was found in 11% of 64 household tap-water samples and in 85% of 34 rainwater samples collected from shingles. Of 80 participants who used rainwater, 72 collected runoff from asbestos-cement tiles. This paper reported no health results. The authors concluded that awareness campaigns alone are insufficient to change entrenched practices without systemic support.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Descriptive and exploratory cross-sectional questionnaire survey with environmental sampling, part of a larger project that will later add clinical evaluations
• Who was studied: 305 residents of 30 neighborhoods in Cartagena, Colombia, with high concentrations of asbestos-containing materials, chosen by aerial mapping. Participants had to be over 35 years old and to have lived at least 10 years in a residence with asbestos roofing. 94.4% belonged to socioeconomic strata 1 and 2.
• Exposure: Residential (nonoccupational) exposure to asbestos cement in roofing shingles, water tanks and infrastructure, and to discarded asbestos materials. The fiber measured in samples was chrysotile.
• Main results:
  • Asbestos shingles were present in 87.5% of homes; fewer than 5% of houses had asbestos tanks, fences, downspouts, gutters or pipes.
  • 55.08% of respondents recognized asbestos; the authors reported that this knowledge did not translate into risk awareness.
  • Over 52% of residents cleaned their asbestos shingles annually, some more than three times a year.
  • 53.11% of respondents had seen asbestos tiles or tanks abandoned on streets, and 41.64% lived near demolition waste dumps.
  • Of 230 homes with asbestos shingles where installation dates were identified, 57.37% were installed between 1957 and 1999 and nearly 18% after 2000.
  • Other reported sources of exposure among participants: storing asbestos-containing materials at home (12.3%) and sharing a household with construction workers (29.97%).
  • Polarized light microscopy found chrysotile in 87% of 232 asbestos-cement shingle samples, with an average concentration of 36.51% chrysotile.
  • Of 87 surface samples, 90% contained asbestos; chrysotile concentrations ranged from 2778 to 34,321,834 fibers per square centimeter.
  • Of 64 household tap-water samples, 11% contained chrysotile, at 0.14 to 4.86 MFL (mean 1.01 MFL).
  • Of 34 rainwater samples collected from shingles, 85% contained chrysotile, at 0.56 to 14.29 MFL (average 3.33 MFL).
  • Of the 305 participants, 80 used rainwater for domestic tasks (3 for cooking); 72 of them (90.00%) collected runoff from asbestos-cement tiles.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that campaigns focused only on raising awareness are insufficient to change entrenched practices without systemic support, and that community engagement must be central to any national strategy for managing installed asbestos.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • Most participants were homeowners, which the authors said may introduce sampling bias.
  • Many respondents could not identify asbestos-containing materials, which the authors said complicates self-reported exposure histories.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Asbestos Exposure, Asbestos-Cement.

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