Sheltering in buildings from toxic outdoor releases

1

• Sheltering in buildings from toxic outdoor
  releases
• R. Carrié, R. Goyet, and D. Limoges
• CETE Lyon
• SETRIC workshop
• Mitigation from experts to local authorities
• 30 June 1 July 2005

2
A concern for local authorities

• Risk prevention
• Urban planning and city code
• Preparation to crisis
• Information to the public
• Take measures to provide shelter in buildings
  owned or managed by the local authority (ex.
  schools, daycare centres, office buildings,
  residences, etc.)
• Train the public (safety drills)
• Financial compensations (together with industry
  and state authority)
• Share experience with other local authorities
  concerned
• Crisis management
• Provide shelter in buildings owned or managed by
  the local authority
• Temporary transfer of personnel (ex. city police)
• After a crisis
• Learn lessons

3
Background

• Toxic release
• Chemical, biological, or radiological
  contaminants may be accidentally released
  outdoors near SEVESO industrial sites
• Outdoor concentration
• Determined from risk assessment
• For each contaminant, a perimeter is defined
  based on health effects

4
Objective of shelter-in-place

• To protect immediately people from outdoor toxic
  release for a short time
• gt To maintain a breathable atmosphere in one
  interior room
• Can be active (ex. active pollutant filtration in
  mechanical systems) or passive (rely on building
  airtightness)

5
Effectiveness of shelter-in-place

• Examples
• Pensacola, FL 1977
• Amonia vapour release from railroad tank
• 2 deaths, 46 injuries
• Breathable and survivable atmosphere was
  maintained in confined houses (residents were not
  harmed)
• Texas City, TX 1987
• Hydrogen fluoride release
• 3000 people evacuated
• 500 treated for burns and respiratory problems
• People who stayed in their homes were not injured
• Pittsburg, CA 1998
• Chlorine release (400 kg)
• 7000 people sheltered in place
• 1 employee injured
• No injuries offsite

6
The role of building airtightness
7
Accompanying measures

• To be efficient, shelter-in-place strategy must
  entail
• Information and communication
• Why and how to shelter-in-place
• Emergency warning systems and safety drills
• Tests of warning systems
• Safety drills
• Procedures during and after an emergency
• Specific procedures (ex. open doors and windows)
• Listen to the radio (France Bleue Régions)

8
Practical experience

• School canteen (Salaise sur Sanne, FR)
• Primary school (Jarrie, FR)

9
School canteen

• Principal characteristics
• 1200 m away from phosgene (carbonyl chloride)
• 1300 m away from amonia
• 1800 m away from methyl chloride
• Objective
• Provide shelter for 234 persons
• Means
• Identify rooms potentially used as shelters
• Conduct adaptive measures
• Control shelter airtightness
• Work undertaken
• Selection of school canteen as shelter among 3
  candidates
• Verification of of airtightness of concrete
  structure
• Replacement of exterior doors
• Verification of ventilation, heating, and
  electricity systems
• Emergency shut-off and motorized fire valves
• Re-designing of pathways to shelter
• Emergency cabinet with tape, radio, safety
  flashlights, games, food, water)
• Airtightness n10 lt 0.5 Vol/h at 10 Pa

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School canteen
11
School canteen

• Procedure
• Emergency warning sirens
• Gathering of pupils in shelters
• Close airlocks
• Shut off ventilation system and fire valves
• Listen to the radio
• Manually tape joints
• Entertain pupils and wait for end of emergency
• End of emergency open airlocks

12
Primary school

• Principal characteristics
• 250 m away from chlorine container
• Old buildings (1930) not adapted for sheltering
• Objective
• Provide shelter for 315 persons
• Means
• Specially-built shelters to protect both from
  over-pressure and toxic release
• Quality management during construction work
• Shelter characteristics
• 3 reinforced concrete shelters
• Supply-exhaust ventilation system, with emergency
  shut-off and motorized fire valves
• Airtightness n10 lt 0.4 Vol/h at 10 Pa
• Measured 0.05 to 0.18 vol/h at 10 Pa
• Sanitary equipment included
• Telephone link between shelters
• Can be used for gymnastics or library (little
  furniture)
• Commissioning October 1994

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Primary school

• Procedure
• Emergency warning sirens
• Gathering of pupils in shelters
• Close airlocks
• Shut off ventilation system and fire valves
• Listen to the radio
• Entertain pupils and wait for end of emergency
• End of emergency open airlocks

14
The role of local authorities on measures to
provide shelter

• Call for tenders
• Define requirements
• Require that a quality management procedure be
  implemented
• Select main contractor
• Construction work
• If relevant, conduct simulation of
  shelter-in-place before construction work
• The contractor
• proposes technical solutions
• carries out the construction work according to
  the quality procedures
• Commissioning
• Third-party measurements
• Visual inspections

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Conclusion

• Sheltering-in-place is an effective measure
  against outdoor toxic release
• If there are requirements on airtightness,
  quality management should be implemented
• The sheltering time cannot be too long
• Accompanying measures (ex. safety drills) are
  essential