Barn Fire at Fradley - Q&A

It is understood that the barn roof is may have contained a small percentage of asbestos. If the barn roof did contain asbestos, it is possible that it could have been released in the smoke plume caused by the fire Lichfield District Council and the Health Protection Agency are working together to investigate, and further tests for asbestos are currently underway.

If asbestos is found to be present the Health Protection Agency has advised us that the associated health risks are low, providing any released material is handled appropriately.

The results of the tests may take some time, so as a precaution, until they are confirmed, the Health Protection Agency and Lichfield District Council have issued the following guidance for local residents:

What are the health risks from this fire?
The fire at Bridge Farm caused a smoke plume. If anybody came into contact with the smoke plume this may have caused persons to have had breathing difficulties, watery eyes, coughing and a sore throat. Individuals with asthma may have experienced some worsening of their symptoms. Anybody experiencing these symptoms (that are consistent with any exposure to most causes of smoke) should recover shortly after the exposure, and there are no long term health problems anticipated.

During this fire, fragments from the barn's roof were released in the smoke plume, which may be found to be asbestos containing materials (ACM). The health risks associated with this are covered in the following questions.

What is asbestos containing material (ACM)?
In older buildings, asbestos (because of its properties) was used as a component of building materials, such as roofing panels, insulation board and floor tiles. The barn which caught fire had a corrugated cement roof which might have contained a proportion of asbestos. When this is the case, it is usually described as an asbestos containing material or ACM. Visible fragments of ACM were carried in the smoke plume and may have been deposited on nearby properties, gardens and streets.

What are the health risks associated with asbestos containing material?
For asbestos containing material the majority of asbestos fibres are trapped within cement. This very much minimises the health risk as the fibres are not available for release into the air. However, if this material is handled it could crumble or break up and there is a chance that asbestos fibres could be released in the air. It is only breathing in asbestos fibres that presents a potential 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 have fragments from the fire on your property, please do not touch them. Please call the council on 01543 308999, Monday - Friday 8.45am - 5.15pm
 
I have debris from the fire on my property, what should I do?
If you find small or large fragments (debris) from the fire on your property, please do not touch or handle them and contact Lichfield District Council on 01543 308999 so that clean-up can be arranged. Offices are open from 08.45am to 5.15pm Monday to Fridays. You should also avoid mowing the lawn until the fragments have been cleared up and removed.

You may find that you have an amount of dust and soot on your property, which is unlikely to contain any asbestos. The council is not intending to clean this and you are advised to wash surfaces in the normal way using plenty of soap and water.

I need to clean away fragments urgently, for example to use my car, what should I do?
If it is absolutely necessary for you to move or remove fragments yourself, please follow this guidance:

•  gently damp down the fragments and dust using water
• flush away small particles to the drain 
• wearing protective gloves to carefully pick up larger pieces
• place larger pieces in two plastic bags (double bagged), knot the bag, and call Lichfield District Council on 01543 308999 to arrange collection.
• Do not sweep up or vacuum debris as this could create airborne dust.

If there is no risk from the debris, why do the clean up teams wear full protective clothing?
The clean-up operation will be done by specially trained council staff. As there is the possibility that they will be exposed to asbestos dust for many of their working days, their cumulative exposure would be higher and thus they are required to wear protective equipment, such as dust masks and overalls, to minimise any potential intake of asbestos on a daily basis.

When I handled some debris which landed in my garden, I think I may have breathed in some dust. What should I do?
If you have breathed in dust it is likely to be in a relatively small amount and 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 potentially breathing in small amounts of asbestos fibres over our lifetimes. The amount you may have breathed in from this one fire will be insignificant in comparison with our overall background exposure during the course of our lives.

I accidentally trod on some debris on my shoes and it is now in my carpet, what should I do?
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 Lichfield District Council for further advice. In addition your house contents insurer may also be able to assist.

I have some dust and debris from the fire on my clothing, what should I do?
If you were wearing the clothing outside, or if the clothing was drying in the garden at the time of the fire then as a precaution the clothing should be washed in lukewarm water for at least 10-15 minutes to remove any trace of asbestos fibres.

I have heard breathing in asbestos can cause cancer, can you tell me more in relation to this fire?
It is important to reiterate that asbestos fibres will not have been not released into the air unless the ACM is severely damaged or handled.

This is why it is important to not handle the asbestos containing material from the fire yourself and to let any debris be removed by those that have been trained to do so. To encounter any long term health effects from asbestos, a direct exposure by inhaling asbestos fibres would have needed to have taken place over a long period of time.

There is evidence to show that breathing in large quantities of asbestos over a long period of time (such as in occupational setting) mainly affects the lungs and in some cases it can cause a cancer of the lining of the lung called mesothelioma.

In relation to today's fire, the Health Protection Agency has offered reassurance to local residents that it will present a low risk to public health in the long term. However if people do have any questions then they should seek assistance from their own GP.