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May 22, 2012
West Perth, Australia - A destructive fire ripped through an abandoned factory in the Vincent area of West Perth last Wednesday releasing a billowing cloud of hazardous smoke into the area, raising serious health concerns. The idle factory's roof was manufactured out of asbestos.
Immediately after the fire, Vincent officials were concerned whether the noxious plume produced by the burning building contained asbestos. A private firm, Parsons Brinckerhoff, was hired to test the quality of the air around the burn site to determine if any asbestos was released into the air and whether the site was hazardous.
Results from the air quality test deemed the area to be "safe" and "within prescribed limits," said John Giorgi, CEO of Vincent, though what the actual levels of asbestos in the air remains unclear.
However, the heavily damaged factory remains a potential health threat. If the unusable factory is demolished without proper environmental oversight, then it could potentially kick up any remaining asbestos materials not damaged by the fire.
Some members of the Vincent community were outraged at the lack of communication between city officials and residents over the potential health threat the fire posed. Inhaling airborne asbestos fibers without proper protective gear can lead to severe long-term throat, lung and other internal issues.
Asbestos exposure is the only known cause of mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer. Though there are three types of mesothelioma – pleural, peritoneal and pericardial mesothelioma – virtually all diagnoses of the cancer are deadly.
Though the Vincent Council ensures the community that any demolition of the site will be heavily monitored and any remaining asbestos would be removed carefully and professionally. For the duration of the projected 8 days to demolish the factory, the air quality surrounding the site would also be monitored to ensure that the asbestos levels in the air remain at safe levels.
The owner of the damaged factory has hired a firm to handle the demolition but has not released the name of the firm publicly.
Demolition of the factory is expected to start this Wednesday.
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