Bridgman S A
Industrial and Community Health Research Centre, Keele University School of Postgraduate Medicine, Hartshill, Stoke-on-Trent.
J Public Health Med. 1999 Jun;21(2):158-65. doi: 10.1093/pubmed/21.2.158.
Fallout containing asbestos from a factory fire at Tranmere, Wirral, England, landed on a highly populated urban area with an estimated 16000 people living in the area worst affected, which included a shipbuilding community. There was considerable public concern over the health impact of the acute environmental incident, and great media interest.
A descriptive study was carried out of the acute environmental incident and its management, and the difficulties encountered.
Practical lessons learnt include need for: increased fire-fighter awareness of potential adverse health effects from asbestos in the structure of buildings; early involvement of both Local Authority environmental health and National Health Service public health departments; creation of a systematic local database of potential environmental health hazards in the structure of buildings as well as their contents; 24 hour on-call arrangements with laboratories expert in analyses of fire fallout; rapid quantitative analyses of multiple environmental samples; district written policy on handling asbestos incidents; systematic assessment of fright and media factors in public impact of an incident; dedicated public help-lines open long hours; consistent evidence-based public messages from all those communicating with the public; measurement of asbestos levels in the street and homes for public reassurance; local and health authorities' subscription to an environmental incident support service; formation of an acute environmental incident team to jointly manage and publicly report on airborne acute environmental incidents; clear government definition of responsibilities of different agencies.
This paper provides a description of important lessons learnt during an acute environmental incident with asbestos-containing fallout. It will be helpful to those involved in the practical planning for and management of future incidents.
英国威尔拉尔郡特兰米尔的一家工厂发生火灾，含有石棉的沉降物落在了一个人口密集的市区，据估计，受影响最严重的地区有16000人居住，其中包括一个造船社区。公众对这起急性环境事件的健康影响极为关注，媒体也高度关注。
对这起急性环境事件及其处理情况以及所遇到的困难进行了描述性研究。
汲取的实际经验教训包括需要：提高消防员对建筑物结构中石棉潜在健康危害的认识；地方当局环境卫生部门和国民保健服务公共卫生部门尽早介入；建立一个系统的地方数据库，记录建筑物结构及其内部潜在的环境卫生危害；与擅长分析火灾沉降物的实验室安排24小时随叫随到服务；对多个环境样本进行快速定量分析；制定关于处理石棉事件的地区书面政策；系统评估事件对公众影响中的恐慌和媒体因素；设立长时间开放的专门公众求助热线；所有与公众沟通的人员传递一致的基于证据的公众信息；测量街道和家庭中的石棉水平以安抚公众；地方和卫生当局订阅环境事件支持服务；组建急性环境事件小组，共同管理并公开报告空气传播的急性环境事件；政府明确界定不同机构的职责。
本文描述了在一次含有石棉沉降物的急性环境事件中汲取的重要经验教训。这将对那些参与未来事件实际规划和管理的人员有所帮助。
