Asbestos Exposures From Large Scale Fires, UK

Main Category: Asbestos / Mesothelioma
Also Included In: Lung Cancer;  Respiratory / Asthma
Article Date: 09 Nov 2007 - 3:00 PDT

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The Health Protection Agency has published a report about the potential health impact and levels of asbestos exposures from large scale fires.

Asbestos causes a number of diseases and, in particular, is linked to the development of mesothelioma and lung cancer. The import, supply and use of asbestos was banned in 1999, but due to its extensive use in the building industry it is still found in many locations. Large scale fires involving materials containing asbestos are relatively common in the UK and can cause significant public concern. This report explores the potential public health consequences of such incidents by reviewing the available evidence.

Professor Gary Coleman, Head of the Agency's Chemical Hazards and Poisons Division said "The available evidence was reviewed and this indicates that the levels of exposure to asbestos experienced by members of the public, following fires involving materials containing asbestos, will be very small. There is no direct evidence of long-term health risks, such as development of mesothelioma and lung cancer, from fires involving materials containing asbestos, and this risk is thought to be minimal provided that appropriate clean-up operations are undertaken."

The report found that a number of factors help to reduce exposure of the general public to asbestos following a fire involving materials containing asbestos. For example, not all the materials containing asbestos in a building may be involved in a fire; fibres may become trapped in larger pieces of material stopping them from being released into the environment; asbestos fibres which can be breathed in only make-up a part of the total released; some fibres may disintegrate due to the high temperatures in the fire; the weather, such as wind and rain, will affect local air concentrations; and the duration of exposure to asbestos during a fire will usually be short.

Notes:

1. The Agency's Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards (CRCE) comprises the Radiation Protection Division (formerly the National Radiological Protection Board) and the Chemical Hazards and Poisons Division. The Headquarters for the Centre is based at Chilton in Oxfordshire.

2. The Chemical Hazards and Poisons Division (ChaPD) provides advice to UK Government Departments and other Agencies on human health effects from chemicals in water, soil and waste. The Division also provides information and support to the NHS and health professionals on toxicology.

3. Asbestos is the name given to a small group of naturally occurring silicate minerals that can be readily separated into thin, strong fibres. These are divided into two sub-groups: serpentine (chrysotile), which is the most commonly used form of asbestos, and the amphiboles (amosite, tremolite, actinolite, anthophylite, and crocidolite), of which crocidolite is the most commonly used.

4. Former use of materials containing asbestos in the building industry included sprayed coatings/lagging, insulating boards, ropes, cloth, millboard, asbestos-cement sheets, coated metal, textured paints and reinforced plastics.

5. Further general information on asbestos can be found at the following link .

http://www.hpa.org.uk