Mesothelioma Fears Raised As San Bruno Fire Releases Asbestos

The recent fires in San Bruno, California, were one of the worst environmental disasters in the area’s history. Although the fires have been extinguished and the smoke has cleared, other potential health hazards still remain. Much of the debris left behind from the ruined homes and businesses contained several toxins. Some of the older structures contained asbestos fibers in the insulation, roofing shingles and ceiling tiles.

Typically, when left undisturbed, asbestos is not hazardous. However, when the loose asbestos fibers become airborne, unprotected bystanders could inhale the carcinogenic fibers. The fibers work their way through the lung sacs and become embedded in the pleural mesothelium, a band of tissue around the lungs. These fibers alter the genetic structure of the mesothelial cells over time, causing them to mutate into a deadly form of cancer known as mesothelioma.

City, county and state health officials have expressed concern that some of the smoke from the fires may have contained asbestos. Although firefighters usually wear protective clothes and breathing masks to prevent exposure to the deadly fibers, homeowners and other workers in the area may have been inadvertently exposed to the asbestos-laced smoke. Also, with many of the homeowners returning to their properties, the risk increases that they would be exposed to the asbestos left behind in the debris.

Dean Peterson, director of the San Mateo County Environmental Health Services Division, said that the debris and dust left behind from the fires “could be a hazard.” He also said that it would be impossible for environmental safety workers "to do 100 percent containment of the dust." He advised families in the area not to handle the debris, although he gave assurances that the contamination "won’t be a serious health hazard" for homeowners whose properties were far from the affected areas.

Don Johnson, an official with the local office of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), said that an inspection of the fire site found less asbestos than investigators first expected. He said that several of the older homes that had used asbestos-laced insulation had undergone remodeling and had the toxic substance removed. However, the EPA tests also showed that asbestos was still present in some structures.

Another issue facing residents is the potential for seasonal rains to carry the asbestos and other harmful substances into the local groundwater supply. Officials with the San Mateo County health department have removed several large drums of toxic waste from the area affected by the fires and have piled sandbags around storm drains. The storm drains carry excess water into San Bruno Creek, which drains into nearby San Francisco Bay.

Instead of taking samples of the dust to determine the level of contamination, workers will clear all of the debris as soon as possible. Heavy rains are expected in the area starting in mid-October, so government officials are working to get the area cleared in the upcoming weeks. Workers are also wetting down the debris to prevent seasonal wind gusts from carrying the dust further from the original burn site.