Thetford plastics fire, October 1991: the role of a preventive medical team in chemical incidents.

Baxter, Peter; Heap, B J; Rowland, M. G. M.; Murray, Virginia

doi:10.1136/oem.52.10.694

Cited by 16 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous studies looking at the health effects of chemical incidents have entailed either sheltering or evacuation 10 11 14 – 16. In one previous study of a fire in a plastics factory, the residents were advised to shelter and did not report any serious side effects 14. The theoretical basis for expert advice favouring sheltering over evacuation is that protection offered by barriers between the exposure and the population is at least as effective as the protection offered by increasing the distance between the exposure and the population—that is, evacuation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Evacuation decisions in a chemical air pollution incident: cross sectional survey

Kinra

Lewendon

Nelder

et al. 2005

BMJ

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Objective To compare the health outcomes in sheltered and evacuated populations after a chemical incident in a plastics factory. Design Cross sectional survey. Setting Urban area in southwest England. Participants 1750 residents from the area exposed to the chemical smoke, of which 472 were evacuated and the remaining 1278 were advised to shelter indoors. Main outcome measure Number of adverse health symptoms. A case was defined by the presence of four or more symptoms. Main results 1096 residents (63%; 299 evacuated, 797 sheltered) provided data for analyses. The mean symptom score and proportion of cases were higher in evacuated people than in the sheltered population (evacuated: symptom score 1.9, cases 19.7% (n = 59); sheltered: symptom score 1.0, cases 9.5% (n = 76); P < 0.001 for both). The difference between the two groups attenuated markedly at the end of two weeks from the start of the incident. The two main modifiable risk factors for the odds of becoming a case were evacuation (odds ratio 2.5, 95% confidence interval 1.7 to 3.8) and direct exposure to smoke for more than two hours on the first day of the incident (2.0, 1.7 to 2.3). The distance of residence from the factory or level of exposure before intervention (first six hours) had little effect on the odds of a person becoming a case. Conclusions Sheltering may have been a better protective action than evacuation in this chemical incident, which is consistent with the prevailing expert view. Although this study has limitations, it is based on a real event. Evacuations carry their own risks and resource implications; increased awareness may help to reduce unnecessary evacuations in the future.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evacuation decisions in a chemical air pollution incident: cross sectional survey

Kinra

Lewendon

Nelder

et al. 2005

BMJ

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“…Hundreds of thermal by-products occur during plastic fires. 5,6,7,8 The exposure limits for some of the most common thermal by-products are also listed in Table 1.…”

Section: Evaluation Criteriamentioning

confidence: 99%

HETA 2001-0043-2844, Madison Fire Department, Madison, Wisconsin.

2001

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“…In 1991, in Thetford, UK, over a 72 h period a fire consumed about 1000 metric tons of plastic which was sitting on a plastic waste site and contained PVC, PE, polypropylene (PP), ABS and polystyrene (PS) [82]. The medical team called in to estimate the health impact this might pose for the local community and concluded that it was difficult to fully describe and quantify the exposure [82]. While accidents of this kind are never desired, the issue with using plastics is that such risks are an inherent feature of these materials.…”

Section: Disposal Of Pvcmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving the Healthiness of Sustainable Construction: Example of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)

Petrović

Hamer

2018

Buildings

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Abstract:With the increasing emphasis on sustainable construction, it has become important to better understand the impacts of common materials. This is especially paramount with the introduction of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which call for more comprehensive evaluations, adding many aspects of social consideration to the issues of environmental sustainability, including human health. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)/vinyl can be seen as a material with potential for significant adverse effects on a multiplicity of levels, and the construction industry is its single most significant consumer. This article presents a transdisciplinary review of adverse health impacts associated with PVC showing a number of issues: some that could be eliminated through design, but also some which appear inherent to the material itself and therefore unavoidable. The totality of issues revealed in relation to PVC presents a compelling case for a call for complete elimination of use of this material in sustainable construction.

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Thetford plastics fire, October 1991: the role of a preventive medical team in chemical incidents.

Abstract: Objectives-To review the role of a medical team in the emergency management of a major polyvinyl chloride (PVC) fire in an urban area.

Cited by 16 publications

References 7 publications

Evacuation decisions in a chemical air pollution incident: cross sectional survey

Evacuation decisions in a chemical air pollution incident: cross sectional survey

HETA 2001-0043-2844, Madison Fire Department, Madison, Wisconsin.

Improving the Healthiness of Sustainable Construction: Example of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)

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