Department of Health
INFORMATION SHEET

14 January 2005
Bushfires and Environmental Health

CLEANUP OF BUILDINGS BURNT IN BUSHFIRES
Precautions to protect health and environment

Buildings that have been burnt in a bushfire can produce a range of materials that may be hazardous. If your house or sheds or other buildings have been burnt, clean up carefully to prevent risks to your health and your community.

Household materials that may cause risks after a fire can include asbestos, treated timber, medicines, cleaning fluids, garden and farm chemicals and other household chemicals, residues from household appliances, and general dust and particles.

This sheet contains specific advice about cleanup of asbestos, then some general advice about cleanup of buildings after a bushfire.

ASBESTOS

• Buildings built before 1986 may contain some asbestos, such as cement sheeting (“AC sheet”) used for walls or roofs, tiles, floor tiles, water and pipe flues.

• Asbestos, if broken, damaged and/or cut, can be reduced to fine fibres. The asbestos fibres can become a danger to health if the fibres are inhaled.

• After a bushfire, the amount of any airborne asbestos is likely to be very low, as the fine particles from the site would mostly have been carried away at the time of the fire. It is likely that the heat will have caused the remaining fibres to fuse together to form clumps, which will not release fibres unless disturbed during excavation or cleanup of the site.

• Despite the low risk, broken or damaged asbestos, and building debris that may contain asbestos, should be removed very carefully and disposed of at a landfill site approved to accept the waste. Asbestos waste should be wrapped securely in heavy duty 200μm thick plastic sheeting, or 200μm thick plastic bags for small fragments, before taking to the approved landfill. To locate an approved landfill, contact your local Council or Environment Protection Authority on 8204-2004 or country areas, freecall – 1800 623 445.

• You are also advised to use a licensed removalist if quantities of asbestos above 10m2 are to be removed. To locate a licensed removalist, contact Workplace Services on 8303 0405 or visit www.eric.sa.gov.au

• Where asbestos is to be removed from a workplace (which includes working farms and other places where people are employed), it must be removed by a licensed removalist, and transported in an EPA-approved vehicle. To locate a licensed removalist, contact Workplace Services on 8303 0405 or visit www.eric.sa.gov.au

If you think that your fire-damaged house or other buildings may have contained asbestos:

• Restrict access to the site to people unless they are wearing appropriate protective equipment.

• Try to keep the area damp at all times to prevent fibres or dust being released into the air. Make sure the area is still damp when any removal of debris is undertaken.

• When watering the site, wear a particulate “P2” face-mask obtainable at hardware stores, to reduce breathing ash, dust and other particles.

• Dispose of waste in an approved landfill, after wrapping it securely in 200μm plastic.

GENERAL ADVICE FOR CLEANUP AFTER BUSHFIRES

• Take care when entering buildings because there may be physical and chemical hazards in the area. Take care in attempting to recover items from any damaged buildings or structures.

• Wear sturdy footwear to protect against any hazards such as broken glass and be mindful that injuries can often occur in these circumstances. Also be careful about using unfamiliar machinery. Also wear sturdy protective clothing that is worn only on the site. It is most practicable to wear overalls with long sleaves. Carefully remove and launder clothing after cleaning up.

• If entering a dry ash area, wear a particulate “P2” face-mask obtainable at hardware stores, to reduce irritation from breathing in ash, dust and other particles.

• During the fire, asbestos fragments may have become buried below other waste, or in the soil, and may not be easy to see. Therefore you should still be careful when handling building waste if you think asbestos was present before the building was burnt. It is safest to regard all building waste as potentially contaminated.

• Do NOT bury asbestos waste or other building waste on your property, or in nearby gullies, etc. It may contaminate land and it may cause harm to your family or other members of your community at a later time.

• If you have any concerns about your health after exposure to a fire, or from materials left after a fire, you should discuss them with your doctor.

Further advice

• For general information about asbestos, contact Workplace Services 8303-0405. They can provide an information booklet titled "Asbestos and the Home Renovator", which gives advice on how to safely handle asbestos.

• For information about transport and disposal of asbestos and other building materials, contact the EPA Office during business hours on 8204-2004; country callers, freecall - 1800 623 445.

• For information about asbestos in the workplace, contact Workplace Services on
  8303-0405 or visit www.eric.sa.gov.au

• For health information on any hazardous substance: Environmental Health Service, Department of Health – tel. 8226-7100.