The 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12 set the world on a race to dig survivors out of rubble and give them aid. But the earthquake created many long-term hazards that experts are only now beginning to assess. Among these is the asbestos that once insulated now-crumbled buildings.

Asbestos isn’t dangerous as long as it is sealed within walls. But once released into the air it becomes deadly. Asbestos fibers are easily breathed in and can settle in lungs, causing several kinds of asbestos cancer and other potentially lethal diseases such as asbestosis, also called diffuse pulmonary fibrosis.

Because these diseases can take decades to develop, the children who now live in building rubble are of most concern. Approximately half of the buildings in Port-au-Prince, the capital city, were destroyed.

Martin Bjerregaard of Disaster Waste Recovery, a UK-based non-governmental agency, arrived in Haiti last week to assess the situation and begin planning for debris removal. The plan is to employ local people to sort through rubble, salvaging re-usable building materials such as bricks and safely disposing of the rest. The debris crews will be trained to identify and handle asbestos.

Often after disasters the rubble is simply bulldozed and dumped into ravines and rivers, Bjerregaard said, which both destroys needed materials and creates environmental hazards.

Another non-profit relief agency, Architects for Humanity, is preparing to erect temporary schools and other essential buildings as it prepares to rebuild permanent structures over the next three to five years.

(Mesothelioma & Asbestos Awareness Center, 26/01/2010)