Analysis of Asbestos in Building Materials – Case in Town Skopje

Asbestos has been extensively researched as one of the most hazardous materials to human health in the past century. Despite its universal recognition as a challenging problem, the topic is unfortunately not widely discussed in our country. However, the city authority of Skopje has undertaken a significant campaign focused on identifying and removing asbestos-containing materials from various buildings in the city. This initiative represents the largest effort of its kind in the country thus far. The campaign involved the development of methodologies and the analysis of samples collected from different buildings in Skopje. A systematic analysis was conducted on 50 samples collected from 21 public buildings in Skopje, utilizing techniques such as optical microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results revealed the presence of asbestos in 33 of the analyzed samples. Notably, asbestos was not detected in only two buildings. These findings indicate that asbestos is present in the building materials of practically all the inspected structures, suggesting its likely presence in many other buildings within the city and throughout the country. Of particular concern is the confirmed presence of asbestos in kindergartens, as this exposes the young population to potential asbestos-related health risks.