Natural disasters pose dangers to human from the moment they occur, and the aftermath of them also presents concerns for safety. The availability of shelter, electricity, food, water and medical care are primary issues. But natural disasters also pose a threat to human health in the long run. The reason? Because events like earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and fires can expose human beings to asbestos and asbestos-containing products and materials.
Recent Natural Disasters
A large number of homes and commercial buildings constructed prior to the 1980s were built with asbestos materials. Those products are considered safe as long as they are contained. But once ripped, broken and burned, blown or washed away, the products become a possible health hazard: asbestos exposure lays the groundwork for the human body to develop mesothelioma cancer years after the exposure.
The hazard stems from toxic asbestos fibers becoming airborne. When this happens, emergency response crews and early response volunteers face an increased risk for asbestos exposure after a natural disaster because they typically arrive first on the disaster scene.
So soon after a natural disaster, these fibers may continue to circulate in the air, making them easily inhaled. Firefighters, law enforcement officials and cleanup crews are considered high-risk occupations for exposure after natural disasters. Homeowners of damaged properties also face these risks and should always use caution when cleaning or searching through debris.
Each natural disaster presents a particular set of circumstances by which asbestos fibers can be released and inhaled or ingested. Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana and Mississippi, tornadoes in Alabama and Missouri, fires in California and flooding in Missouri and New Jersey from Hurricane Sandy are examples of natural disasters that officials fear exposed the public to asbestos.
Fires
Fire and asbestos have an intriguing history with each other. Asbestos is one of the most heat-resistant substances known to man, yet it can be highly toxic when it is confronted by fire. The seemly magical ability of the material not to burn was displayed by the Roman Emperor Charlemagne (800-814 A.D.), who used an asbestos tablecloth to convince barbarian guests he had supernatural powers. After the banquet he would throw the tablecloth into the fire and leave it for a while to burn off all of the food scraps and then snatch it from the flames to show everyone that it was not burned and clean.
Today, asbestos tablecloths are not part of dinner, and any fire around asbestos is considered a danger to public health. There are plenty of examples why.
For example, the historic Iroquois Theatre fire in Chicago in 1903, quickly spread out of control when the asbestos curtain became hung up on the stage lights and could not be lowered. Many of the projection booths in theaters were also treated with the fireproof material to contain any fire resulting from the highly combustible nitrocellulose film that was used through the 1930s. Asbestos shields were placed under furnaces and stoves to protect wooden floors while asbestos roofs and ceilings prevented the spread of chimney and roof fires.
For a great part of the 19th century and most of the 20th century, products made with asbestos or with some asbestos products were used to keep houses, ships, buildings, pipes and other things from getting too hot and from catching fire. But when structures did catch fire, those products were exposed in various ways, leading to toxic contamination. Smoke also carries contaminants.
Smoke Inhalation
Smoke from debris piles is made up of carbon dioxide, water vapor, carbon monoxide, fine particulate matter, hydrocarbons and other organic and non-organic substances. Smoke can contain toxins, including minute asbestos fibers, particularly when hazardous materials are burned. Materials of particular concern related to asbestos are insulation, roof materials, drywall, ceiling tiles, flooring and asphalt.
To limit exposure to hazardous materials, the Centers for Disease Control recommends individuals remain at least 1,000 feet away from burning debris piles and wear appropriate protective clothing. Most protective equipment that firefighters use will eliminate the exposure to the fibers but in the secondary stages of the fire, firefighters may remove the protective gear for greater comfort and not realize that there may be high asbestos levels present.
Asbestos Debris
Fires leave a residue of ashes, half-burned materials and unburned materials that are otherwise destroyed or ruined. This debris is almost always removed from a fire site, and sometimes it contains dangerous asbestos. Only if a fire site is examined specifically for the existence of asbestos can cleanup workers be assured that none of the mineral is present. Three fires in California — in Malibu, Brawley and Alameda — serve as examples.
Malibu Fire
In Malibu, California, a coastal community hit hard by fires in 1993, 268 houses were destroyed. Most burned to their foundations. The city gave property owners six weeks to remove debris and then began removing remaining household debris. In clearing fire debris, the city collected the same amount of solid waste normally collected in an entire year. Later, the California State License Board widely acknowledged that homes constructed between 1930 and 1950 may have contained asbestos in 16 areas, including:
Asbestos Containing Materials Found in Homes
- Roofing felt
- Vinyl floor tiles
- Taping compounds and plasters
- Pipe lagging
- Acoustic ceiling material
- Block insulation
During these types of massive residential cleanups, homeowners and business owners sometimes handle asbestos-containing materials. While this work may be performed by homeowners legally, most are not skilled in identifying asbestos-containing materials and are often unaware of proper removal methods.
The result is that neighborhood cleanup operations may create an accumulation of asbestos-containing waste in local landfills, creating a hazardous site that can impact even more people. Many communities have recognized the potential of fire asbestos-contaminated debris affecting the local environment.
Planters Hotel Fire
On March 7, 2007, the 80-year-old Planters Hotel in Brawley, Calif., was demolished in an arson fire. The city of Brawley put two streets adjacent to the once-historic, four-story hotel off limits to the public. Residents raised concerns if the structure contained asbestos and about possible health effects. An experienced California contractor later stated that the building did contain asbestos and lead and projected abatement costs at more than $800,000.
Army Medical Depot Fire
On March 29, 2009, the former Army Medical Depot Hospital in Alameda, Calif., caught fire and burned for 19 hours. Residents later reported finding fire residue in their yards, on their vehicles and in the streets. They inquired whether the residue contained lead, asbestos, or other hazardous material. Alameda city officials determined the hospital had been contaminated with asbestos, and the city's redevelopment agency is spending more $1 million to clean up the burned-down facility.
Floods
A home damaged by flood waters can expose asbestos through damaged flooring, drywall and ceilings. Water can damage even the strongest structures, and once they invade a home or building they can break down asbestos into fine fibers. When the fibers dry out, they can become airborne and can be easily inhaled during cleanup.
Asbestos was used in more than 3,000 construction materials and manufactured products and was used as a part of new home construction or remodeling until the early 1980s. Common household materials that may contain asbestos include:
Common Household Matierals Containing Asbestos
- Adhesives
- Appliance components
- Ceiling products
- Cement board
- Electricial insulation and panels
- Heating and cooling systems
- Gardening products
- Flooring
- Paints
- Roofing
- Table pads
- Wallboard
- Insulation
- Firepalce decorations
Natural Asbestos and Flooding
Having a house or other facility damaged by water is not the only way floods can make asbestos fibers become airborne. The naturally occurring mineral is found some parts of California, Virginia and New Jersey (and across the globe in Turkey and Corsica) in asbestos-bearing rock. It is close enough to the surface that construction and other activities can disturb it, leading to release of high concentrations of asbestos fibers into the air and dust.
These rocks are harmless until crushed into a fine dust that releases microscopic asbestos fibers. During a flood these fibers are easily carried in the waters.
For example, in parts of the North Cascades in Washington State, the mineral was released by a slow-moving landslide and then was carried into the Swift River. When the river flooded, asbestos fibers were deposited into residents' yards and in homes.
Demolition After Floods
For severely damaged structures built before 1980, demolition should only be performed by individuals who are trained in the provisions of the asbestos NESHAP regulations and a MDEQ certified asbestos abatement supervisor should be on-site or available by cell phone to the demolition site, to provide guidance and assistance.
All demolition workers should use equipment specifically designed to protect them from asbestos exposure during demolition and handling of debris, especially respirators as required by OSHA regulations. It is recommended to make sure the structure is damp and fold in the walls to the center to confine the asbestos particles.
Earthquakes
An earthquake occurs when two blocks of the earth suddenly slip past one another. Earthquakes strike suddenly, and often create significant damage to buildings and can also trigger tsunami waves that cause damaging waves along coastal communities.
Three recent examples of large-scale earthquakes around the world are giving experts concerns about the level of exposure to asbestos. Quakes in Sichuan, China; Christchurch, New Zealand; and in Japan have not yet been tied to any cases of mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases. All of the diseases generally have a 20- to 50-year latency period between exposure and the presence of symptoms.
Sichuan, China
On May 12, 2008, an earthquake in Sichuan, China, destroyed many buildings, including hospitals, schools, government offices and private homes. The external walls, roofs, window awnings and bathrooms in many of these buildings had been made using asbestos cement sheets — commonly known as "fibro" or "fibro cement." The earthquake broke the fibro into small pieces, releasing fine fibers of asbestos at the broken edges.
During cleanup operations, there was the risk of disturbing substantial quantities of asbestos fibers, particularly when using heavy equipment to demolish damaged structures and load the rubble into vehicles. These asbestos fibers were a determined to be significant risk to public health. A joint statement by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Environment Program provides a guideline on how to control the risk of the cleanup and to safely dispose of asbestos waste in the areas affected by an earthquake.
Christchurch, New Zealand
Following the Christchurch earthquake on May 27, 2011, in New Zealand, the Canterbury District Health Board member Andrew Dickerson said the group would have to deal with 4.25 million tons of rubble in coming months. Dickerson expressed concerns to the public about exposure to things like asbestos, toxins from electronic waste, toxins in the dust and toxins from treated timber. Thousands of homes contained asbestos, and owners were often unaware that the material was present and the health risks from exposure to the airborne fiber.
"This is a very serious matter," said Darrell MacLean, president of Suburban Middlesex Insulation who has more than 25 years' experience dealing with environmental hazards. "When an old building is demolished, like many were in Christchurch and the suburban areas by the earthquake, there are massive amounts of toxic materials released and exposed which are a definite danger to those working in the debris, those living close by and those who have to haul it away."
Japan
The massive earthquake that hit Japan March 13, 2011, destroyed many buildings and lives, caused massive tsunamis that desolated entire towns and also caused their nuclear power plant to leak dangerous radiation. However, inside the debris of houses, building and insulation materials that were shattered and spread out by the massive waves is asbestos. According to the health ministry, structures built before Japan's 2006 asbestos ban may have used the material for heating insulation. Experts said it would be difficult to identify the asbestos material amid the debris.
In addition, many people removing debris were temporary workers, residents and volunteers not used to such work, thereby increasing the risk of contracting asbestos-related diseases. Although the ministry has distributed 90,000 dust prevention masks, many workers prefer not to wear them because they restrict breathing and they are uncomfortable to wear when temperatures are hot.
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