Specifically, the asbestos contamination normally must cleaned up by an asbestos removalist with an unrestricted WorkSafe license and this should be by following a plan devised by and be under the guidance of an asbestos consultant. In this way any asbestos fire contamination and associated public health risks will be fully addressed.
In the case of extensive soil contamination, e. Go back to Top. Skip to navigation Skip to main content Site map Accessibility Contact us. Search this site Search all sites. About us Improving health in WA Health for Open search bar Open navigation Submit search. Print this page Twitter Youtube LinkedIn. We now know that asbestos can be very dangerous. Repeated exposure to asbestos can cause medical problems including mesothelioma, a type of cancer. Mesothelioma is almost always fatal and can attack the mesothelium.
The mesothelium is a membrane that forms a protective lining to organs like the lungs, stomach and heart. During a fire where asbestos materials are present within a building, these materials can be subject to excessive damage. It is when asbestos materials become damage that they can release asbestos fibre. Asbestos strands can be split into smaller and thinner fibres during the disturbance. Asbestos mined ore will initially divide into visible strands, fibre bundles, and individual fibres.
This splitting can continue to minute levels of microscopic size. This process is unique to asbestos and is why airborne asbestos is such a problem. Asbestos fibres can become so small that they remain airborne longer and pass undetected by the respiratory dust defences. These microscopic fibres may become inhaled into the lungs.
As such asbestos fibres remain within the body and may cause significant health problems. When a fire is being extinguished, the asbestos fibres can easily become airborne. Once airborne, it can be hard to avoid breathing them in. Firefighting teams are normally provided with protective respiratory equipment when tackling fires of this nature. However, if this equipment is removed due to it being an uncomfortable or visual impairment, then there is a risk of exposure to asbestos fibre and asbestos dust.
Firefighting professionals are trained to keep their equipment on even if it does become uncomfortable, as it is designed to defend them from toxic substances including general dust, gases and indeed asbestos fibre.
When a fire has broken out nearby and there is a risk of asbestos exposure, the public is normally urged to close their doors and windows and remain inside their homes until the emergency services tell them otherwise.
Any building that was built or refurbished prior to could contain asbestos. Most people who do contract asbestos-related diseases do after repeated exposure to asbestos. Nonetheless, there is no known safe limit of exposure. Therefore, you should always follow the advice given to you by a professional if there is a chance you could be exposed to asbestos fibres. Individuals with asthma may experience some worsening of their condition.
Anybody experiencing these symptoms should recover shortly after the exposure and there are unlikely to be any long term health implications however if you experience any symptoms such as difficulty in breathing, watery eyes or cough following the fire contact your GP or NHS During fires, asbestos containing materials from a building may be released in the smoke plume.
The health risks associated with this are covered in the following questions. In older buildings asbestos was often used as a component of building materials, such as roofing panels, installation board and floor tiles. When material contains a proportion of asbestos it is usually described as an asbestos containing material or ACM.
The majority of asbestos fibres are held tightly within the asbestos containing material and are trapped within the cement. During the fires often visible fragments of asbestos containing material ACM can be carried in the smoke plume and may be deposited on nearby properties, gardens and streets.
As the majority of asbestos fibres are held tightly within the asbestos containing material they are not released into the air and this minimises the health risk. If this material however is handled, crumbles or is broken up and there is a chance that fibres are released in the air. It is only breathing in asbestos fibres that present a health risk.
For this reason it is best not to handle the fragments yourself in case they break up in the process, but to leave this to specialists. If you find ash and debris from a fire involving asbestos containing material on your property you are advised to leave it alone and to contact us for advice.
If there is evidence of debris in the garden you should avoid disturbing the material, for example do not mow the lawn until it has been cleared up and removed. You may also find that you have an amount of dust and soot on your property which is unlikely to contain any asbestos. We will not be involved in this type of clean up and you are advised to wash surfaces in the normal way using plenty of soap and water. If it is absolutely necessary for residents to move or remove debris themselves e.
Do not sweep up or vacuum debris as this could create airborne dust. If you have breathed in dust it is likely to be in a relatively small amount. This single short-term exposure should not significantly affect your health. Asbestos is present in small quantities in both urban and rural air in the UK and so we are all breathing in small amounts of asbestos fibres over our lifetimes. The amount you may have breathed in from this one fire is likely to be insignificant in comparison with our overall background exposure during the course of our lives.
The clean-up operation will be done by a specially trained team. As there is the possibility that they will be exposed to asbestos dust on more than one occasion during clean up procedures, their total exposure can be much higher than that of members of the public.
For this reason they are required to wear protective equipment, such as dust masks and overalls, to minimise any potential intake of asbestos. The carpet will need to be cleaned by specialists. Do not attempt to sweep or vacuum up the debris as this will only create or spread any dust. You are advised to contact us for further advice. In addition your house contents insurer may also be able to assist.
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