Indiana recycling plant fire spews carcinogenic asbestos-filled debris more than a mile away
Efforts to contain a large industrial fire that broke out at a plastics recycling facility in Richmond, Indiana, earlier this week are said to be working, but the fire may have caused wider issues. Officials said Thursday they found that some debris spewed from the fire contains cancer-causing materials.
EPA on-scene coordinator Jason Sewell said at a press conference that officials collected two samples for "asbestos-containing material analysis." Those samples were from "bulk debris" that spewed within about a mile-and-a-half area from the fire site.
Of the two, one tested positive for chrysotile asbestos, Sewell said. This substance, also known as white asbestos, is the most commonly used form of the six types of asbestos – all of which have been linked to cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. Among the potential cancers is one that is the "fairly rare" mesothelioma, the ACS said, which is "closely linked" to exposure.
Lung cancer has also been linked to all forms of asbestos.
While most cases of the cancer stem from work exposure, people who live near factories and mines are also at greater risk.
"Although the risk of mesothelioma increases with the amount of asbestos exposure, there is no clear safe level of asbestos exposure in terms of mesothelioma risk," the ACS says, adding that it usually takes about 30-plus years after first exposure to get a diagnosis.
Sewell said the "worst thing" people can do if they find debris from the fire in their yard would be "to mow and break up that material."
"If you think you have debris in your yard, don't disturb the debris for now," he said, adding that disturbing the debris could result in it dispersing in the air and getting inhaled. "Avoid mowing until we come out with more instructions on outdoor cleanup."
The EPA is conducting tests on other samples collected after detecting particulate matter in the air, which was expected, officials said. Those tests include analyses for particulates, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, benzene, chlorine, hydrogen cyanide, hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid.
By Thursday night, the Richmond government website announced that the fire had been extinguished, two days after it began.