Chemical Plant Fire Increases Asbestos Exposure Risk

After a  fire at Blue Island Phenol, a chemical plant in Alsip, Illinois, hazardous chemicals leaked into the area.  The plant manufactures phenol that is used in pharmaceuticals, herbicides, cosmetics, and acetone.  The  danger was increased because of the asbestos present at the site. 

The fire caused several problems for the plant, not only repairs to the plant, but also the difficult problem of how to handle the issues around the asbestos exposure.  Because  the asbestos was disturbed by the fire, it is very likely that there is asbestos as well as phenol in the  runoff that was created in fighting the fire and which may have been absorbed into the groundwater and soil near the plant site.

Asbestos is hazardous because it has been linked to  asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma.  Because these diseases take a long time to develop - anywhere from 15 to 50 years - diagnosis is often delayed.  Usually, by the the time a diagnosis is made, the disease has progressed so much that the treatment is aimed more at keeping the patient comfortable than to cure.

Blue Island Phenol has reached an agreement with the state Attorney General in which the company must close off any areas where hazardous material, including asbestos, may have been disturbed.  They must also hire engineers to determine how much contamination was caused by the runoff and also what caused the incident that caused the fire.