The fires which recently ravaged San Bruno, California may have passed, but officials say that some danger still remains. That’s because many different types of toxins common to home structural components and insulation materials could have been released during the blaze. Among those potential toxins is the dangerous mineral asbestos, which is commonly found in homes constructed before the late nineteen eighties in the form of siding, ceiling tiles, pipe insulation, wall insulation and more. The Director of San Mateo County Environmental Health Services Division, Dean Peterson, has warned that dusts and debris spread by the fires “could be a hazard,” and maintains that the state’s environmental safety efforts won’t be able to completely contain the dust.
When they’re not disturbed, asbestos products don’t generally constitute a risk to the people around them. If they are aggravated, however, they can shed microscopic fibers which cause a variety of diseases if inhaled or ingested. Mesothelioma, one of the most well known asbestos related diseases, is an aggressive and rapidly progressing cancer which attacks the lining of the lungs, abdomen and heart. The disease can be contracted by breathing only a small amount of asbestos dust, and while it can take several decades to fully develop, patients generally survive only six to eighteen months beyond a positive diagnosis.
Asbestos fibers are cause for particular concern in San Bruno because they could easily have been carried far from their sites of origin in smoke or hot air currents. Once the fibers have settled as dust, rain, dew and other precipitation could carry them into various water sources where they’re more likely to pose a contamination threat.
Peterson advised families in the area to steer clear of any fine dust or debris which appears to have been deposited by the fire. He went on to assure area residents that those who live a considerable distance from the fire damage don’t face any serious health hazards.
While the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) expected to find considerable asbestos contamination following the San Bruno fires, their preliminary inspections returned surprisingly good results. While asbestos fibers were found in a concentration considered to be a substantial health hazard, Don Johnson, an EPA official, reported that the agency found far less than they expected. Johnson speculated that the low asbestos levels may have resulted from asbestos removal performed on the fire damaged homes in years past.
San Mateo County health department officials have taken steps to control asbestos contamination. Among other measures, sandbags have been placed around storm drains to prevent asbestos fibers carried in rain water from reaching county water supplies. The health department officials are working to protect as many storm drains and other run-off areas as possible in anticipation of rains expected later this month.