New York City mayor Bill DeBlasio called the catastrophic gas explosion that leveled two buildings in East Harlem Wednesday morning “a tragedy of the worst kind.”
Witnesses say that the devastating explosion sent their neighbors “flying out of windows” of the two five-story buildings at 1644 and 1646 Park Ave. near 116th St. Authorities reported two women dead, 22 injured, and up to 12 missing.
More than 250 firefighters were at the scene minutes after the explosion trying to extinguish the five-alarm fire that broke out in the buildings. One of the buildings housed the Spanish Christian Church at ground level and the Absolute Piano store and repair shop next door. One building contained six apartments and the other nine, the Mayor said at a press conference.
Although the explosion remains under investigation, authorities believe that a gas leak is to blame. Residents say that the smell of natural gas has permeated the area for weeks, and those who witnessed the blast said that it came from the piano store in 1646 Park Ave.
The horrific incident has taken an immediate toll on those injured in the blast and those who lost their homes and businesses, but the potential for a release of asbestos dust into the air during the building collapse poses another problem – one that could have long-lasting implications for those who were near the blast as well as all the firefighters and other emergency responders who fought to contain the ensuing blaze.
Asbestos is the only known cause for mesothelioma, a form of incurable lung cancer that has been linked to the inhalation of airborne asbestos particles. Before it was largely banned in the 1970s, asbestos was commonly used in the manufacture of building products – everything from vinyl floor tiles to insulation, paint, and roof shingles.
Simply renovating an older home or building is enough to warrant taking extra precautions to guard against exposure to asbestos particles. Wednesday’s blast that leveled two older buildings in a densely populated Harlem neighborhood could very well have generated a sudden massive release of asbestos dust, as it likely did when the Twin Towers collapsed in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
Sadly, firefighters probably demonstrate the dangers of asbestos exposure better than any other group. A recent study conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) found firefighters had a rate of mesothelioma two times greater than the general U.S. population. NIOSH researchers believe that exposure to asbestos while fighting fires is to blame for the significantly higher mesothelioma rates among firefighters.
Sources:
New York Daily News
NIOSH
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