Responding to an industrial Explosion

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Responding to an industrial Explosion
Presentation to the Association of Local Public
Health Agencies Howard Shapiro Associate Medical
Officer of Health, Healthy Environments June 15,
2009
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Overview

• The event and TPHs response
• Observations
• Public health response
• Happens after the emergency is over
• Interpreting responding to health impacts of
  event
• Explanation to impacted community

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• The Event

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The location of Sunrise Propane
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The magnitude of the event
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Sunrise Propane after note close homes
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Sunrise Propane After Looking East
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Sunrise propane after looking south
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Overview
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Salt Dome to the North
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Cemetery to the East
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Stores on Wilson Avenue
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Debris from explosion
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Impact on Homes
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Asbestos Contamination Non friable Close
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After People return Friable Asbestos Discovered
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The area affected by asbestos
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Responding to Friable Asbestos

• Toronto Public Health brought into response
• Is it safe?
• Short term do residents need to evacuate again
• Long term
• Clean up
• Who will do it?
• Which government agency is responsible for seeing
  the clean up is done and done properly
• What areas need to be cleaned up?

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TPH Response Immediate Risk

• Quickly Assembled Team
• Healthy Environments
• Environmental Protection Office
• Communications Public Relations
• Office of the MOH
• Quick Risk Assessment minimal risk short term
  exposure residents can stay
• Communicate Results
• Press conference news release
• Two large simultaneous community meetings

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Long Term Risk Clean up

• Sunrise Propane did not step forward to clean up
  contamination beyond its property
• MOE and TPH discuss roles eventually MOE issues
  order for clean up to Sunrise and oversees clean
  up
• Sunrise still does not respond to order
• City of Toronto steps in to take over under the
  Environmental Protection Act
• TPH to guide assessment of health impact of
  asbestos and communication of results

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Asbestos clean up
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Asbestos clean up
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Asbestos clean up
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TPH Long Term Risk Assessment

• Coordination required
• Included extensive indoor and outdoor air testing
  for asbestos
• Being paid for and coordinated by Facilities and
  Real Estate (City of Toronto)
• Two consulting firms conducting it (Pinchin
  ECOH)
• TPH needs results for assessment
• Methodology worked out as testing is proceeding
• MOE other contaminants

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TPH Long Term Risk Assessment

• Review of standards
• Occupational
• Air
• Calculation of outcomes based on levels set by
  standards
• Testing methodologies
• Consultation with experts
• Research on background levels

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TPH Long Term Risk Assessment

• Eventually came to some conclusions and models
• Asbestos present in urban environments
• Best that could demonstrate is that levels
  consistent with other urban exposures
• Closest guidance we could use was that done in
  the assessment of the WTC for both testing
  methods and analysis (issues)
• Started down path of hiring consultant to do
  formal risk assessment but stopped

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TPH Long Term Risk Assessment Results

• No detectable excess risk from asbestos due to
  event
• Levels comparable to typical urban environment
  (outdoors and indoors)
• Outdoor air
• 68 samples / 3 contained a single fibre lt 5 mm
• Indoor air
• 49 homes 222 samples
• 9 homes asbestos detected
• 7 at very low levels
• 1 asbestos tiles 1 recent renovation

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Public Health Response

• Provided call center on behalf of City
• Team of 20 Public Health Inspectors deployed
  twice
• Document extent and severity of asbestos
  contamination
• Provided written communication door to door and
  opportunity to answer questions
• Provided results of testing at both community and
  individual level

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Public Health Response Non asbestos

• Power outage
• Food safety in retail establishments
• Vaccines stability
• Unoccupied homes
• Un refrigerated food

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• Observations

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Media was everywhere
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Multiple Responders

• Toronto/Local
• Fire
• Police
• Ambulance
• Buildings
• Facilities and Real Estate
• Pinchin and ECOH asbestos testing
• 3 Asbestos Remediation Firms
• Communications
• Parks, Forestry and Recreation
• Childrens Services
• Legal and Risk Management
• City Manager
• Local Councillor other councillors
• Mayor
• Residents Association
• Both school boards

• Other
• Ministry of the Environment
• Ministry of Labour
• Ontario Fire Marshall (Ministry of Consumer and
  Corporate Affairs)
• TSSA (Ministry of Small Business and Consumer
  Services)
• Ministry of Municipal Affairs
• Ministry of Health
• Premier and Minister
• MPP (Monte Kwinter)
• MP (Ken Dryden)
• Leader of Opposition (at a community meeting)
• Downsview Park
• Other private asbestos remediators
• Multiple insurers
• Media

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Other observations

• Not there to make people feel better
• The importance of being there at a high level.
• in multiple places
• You cannot over commit
• Ask the experts
• Dont accept standards unquestioned
• Often not developed for population exposures

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Acknowledgements

• Toronto Public Health
• Josephine Archbold
• Mahesh Patel
• Maria Moustakis
• Marco Belmont
• Barbara Yaffe
• Reg Ayre
• Mary Margaret Crapper

• City of Toronto
• Tracey Smith
• Pinchin Environmental
• Don Pinchin
• Jay Inman
• ECOH Management
• Mark Lai
• Om P. Malik