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Asbestos and 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.

Asbestos is a common insulation material that was used up until the late 1980s for vinyl flooring, roofs, and ceilings foundations and around pipes. When an earthquake has shaken a building, damage to building materials containing the asbestos fibers can result in a release of tiny asbestos fibers that can become airborne and easily inhaled. The fibers can remain in the lungs for long periods of time and can cause serious lung diseases including asbestosis, lung cancer, pleural thickening and mesothelioma.

To understand why airborne asbestos is so dangerous, ask for a free informational packet from The Mesothelioma Center about the mineral and the diseases it can cause. The comprehensive packet outlines occupations and jobsites that are considered potentially hazardous. Fill out this form to receive your free packet.

Earthquakes Releasing Asbestos

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. Those earthquakes were:

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.

Asbestos in Earthquake Cleanup

Generally during cleanup of damaged and destroyed buildings after an earthquake, it is likely that there will be a need to handle, break up and dispose of asbestos-containing building and insulation materials. Much of this work may be undertaken by temporary laborers, volunteers and local residents who are unaware of the hazards of asbestos and who may be unable to identify asbestos-containing material. Further, it is unlikely that the workers will, in the first instance, be provided with appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), thus increasing their risk of long-term health problems. Many people will also be unaware of proper abatement methods for the proper cleanup and removal of the asbestos materials. As a result of the cleanup operations there may be an accumulation of asbestos-containing waste that will present a hazard to people in the local environment and those living in close proximity to the site of final disposal.

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