Asbestos Risk After Illinois Chemical Plant Accident

A chemical plant in Alsip, Illinois has leaked hazardous chemicals into the area after catching fire last week. According to Attorney General Lisa Maddigan, the plant should stay closed until the cause of the accident can be fully investigated.

Compounding the risk is the presence of asbestos, which could keep Blue Island Phenol closed for quite some time. The plant manufactures phenol that is used in pharmaceuticals, herbicides, cosmetics, and acetone.

Asbestos exposure is extremely hazardous because it has been linked to cause mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis. These diseases typically take anywhere between 15 to 50 years to develop, which commonly results in a late diagnosis for most patients. Because of this late diagnosis, mesothelioma treatment options are usually palliative rather than curative.

The incident occurred in August when the plant lost power due to a lightning strike. The lack of a backup power supply caused a loss in fuel that was used to cool and provide circulation in manufacturing units. The resulting increase in temperature caused the fire to break out in the plant.

The meltdown has caused several problems for the plant, including the need for repairs and the handling of asbestos issues. Today, asbestos is still a “miracle insulator,” but most uses of the substance are now discontinued due to the fact that exposure is known to cause malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.

Since the incident at the chemical plant disturbed the asbestos present in areas where the fire spread, airborne asbestos is likely to be in the area. In addition, it’s also likely that the soil and groundwater near the site has been contaminated by asbestos and phenol due to runoff from water used to extinguish the fire.

According to an agreement the Blue Island Phenol plant has reached with Attorney General Lisa Maddigan’s office, the plant must cordon off all areas of the plant where asbestos or any other potentially hazardous material has been disturbed to prevent anyone gaining access.

The company must also hire licensed engineers to determine what caused the accident and determine how much contamination was caused by runoff.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 19th, 2008 at 2:44 pm and is filed under Asbestos Exposure, Mesothelioma. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed. Responses are currently closed, but you trackback from your own site.