Preface
Inevitably, press photographs of devastated Gaza show something akin to the set of a film about planetary destruction. There is one difference. While film makers opt for clarity, for hard focus and crisp edges, film of Gaza is inevitably hazy, blurred by a dust pall; a brownish fog that diminishes colour and contrast. This deadly haze threatens to kill more than the obvious weapons of war.
Ashen figures emerge from clouds of smoke, staggering down bombed-out streets. The United Nations announced in early May that within the 37 million tonnes of debris within Gaza, likely lurks 800,000 tonnes of asbestos and other contaminants.
Several months ago, there were varying degrees of panic in NSW as small amounts of asbestos were found in patches of mulch. Journalists went into warning mode, their writings indicating they knew little about the various types of this fibrous silicate mineral, or if it bonded to other materials and thus less likely to be inhaled. Workers in full OHS ‘body armour’: coverall Tyvek suits, respiratory and eye protection turned up to clear the sites. TV cameras followed.
Similar care has not been possible in Palestine, where asbestos is a real and burgeoning issue.TV Cameras show kids sitting and playing in what is possibly deadly dust, the Palestinian people have little choice about the devastated environment they find themselves in. One thing is certain; the deaths have just begun.
Background
Despite bans on asbestos in most Western nations, in Palestine – and in parts of another conflict site, the Ukraine – many of the buildings and monuments are old enough to contain, this potentially dangerous material.
Left undamaged, asbestos is a useful insulator and fire proofing material, but its known toxicity has led to widespread international bans.
In Palestine, more people are likely to die, albeit over a longer period of time, from exposure to toxic dusts resulting from seemingly unstoppable bombing and shelling. As early as 2009 The Electronic Intifada was reporting that “The demolition waste created by the latest hostilities potentially contain hazardous materials such as asbestos,” ( UNEP’s Post-Conflict and Disaster Management).
Quarrying remains one of the few sources of income to this increasingly impoverished nation. Lloyds Bank reports that ‘Palestine gradually lost access to international markets… (as war disabled their ability to make and export) and… articles of stone, plaster, cement, asbestos, mica or similar materials (12.2%).’ (updated May 2024)
Experts looking at the devastation see that there will be no quick end to Palestinian mortality. If the World Trade Centre pattern (see later) indicates, it might be set to rise, even if the hostilities stop. While conflicts may end; weapons eventually returned to storage, speeches made, treaties signed, and of course lies told; adults and children in contaminated zones, will continue to suffer worsening breathing difficulties, requiring the type of medical support and equipment that no longer exists, until they eventually succumb. All while, the world watches and governments including Australia’s own, do nothing.
Asbestos Materials in War Zones – Photo by Emad El Byed on Unsplash
What there is.
The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) found that Gaza continues to be the most hazardous of global conflict regions, following another Palestinian town called Aida which in 2017, was said to be the most tear-gassed community on the planet.
Blue asbestos (crocidolite) the most dangerous, due to its easily inhaled, fine straight fibres, was found in ruined buildings, refugee camp sheds, sewage pipes, treatment stations; even in remaining livestock facilities.
While UN warns of potential rising death tolls from toxic airborne exposures, Al Jazeera is virtually alone in its press coverage of this hazard. Australian media agencies such as the ABC responded to my concern about reporter’s safety, with cynicism when contacted.
Health effects of acute exposure
Asbestos is a category 1 carcinogen meaning even small amounts can cause cancer in humans. In 2009, UNEP found one of the most dangerous types of asbestos: crocidolite, in damaged buildings and sheds in the refugee camps of Gaza, as well as in sewage pipes, treatment stations and livestock facilities.
Any effective diagnostic and treatment centres have been effectively destroyed, along with respiratory support such as positive pressure oxygen and stores of specialised pain control. Medical staff have migrated, been killed, injured or taken prisoner. High-level exposure, epitomised by children playing in the rubble, may result in various types of lung conditions, again with no effective treatment likely to be available.
The IDF uses machines which combine the destructive power of bulldozers and tanks, such as those made by Hyundai, J.C. Bamford Excavators Limited (JCB)and Caterpillar, designed to obliterate any structure left standing. Drivers have told of running over living Palestinians and bodies, while reducing all potential shelter to dust.
(Photo by Omar Al-Qattaa)
Many Palestinians survivors told Al Jazeera that they prefer to say near their destroyed neighbourhoods, fearing quite rightly, that refugee camps are obvious targets for further IDF violence.
Meanwhile in Gaza
In early May this year, Israel approved plans to seize the Gaza Strip, that is, occupy the conflict zone for an unspecified amount of time, expand the buffer zone, and relocate the population to the south while taking over the distribution of humanitarian assistance with the help of US private military contractors.
PM Netanyahu’s stated intention to occupy Gaza seems at first sight to be inevitable, but is he negligent, blinded by arrogance, or ill informed? Is he at all aware of how dangerous the environment is? Does he intend allowing settlers to take over heavily contaminated land? And what of the consequences? After all, Israel fully banned the use of asbestos in buildings in 2011 despite which Israel used asbestos until 2021, before invoking ’strict restrictions on the continued use of any structure still containing friable asbestos, until it is removed.’ Going on to say ‘asbestos fibres are often found in the vicinity of buildings or homes that are being destroyed or remodeled (sic)‘. That is, the Israeli government is fully aware of the outcomes of their incessant destructive activities. Asbestos fibres, once released by explosive weapons, can remain airborne for two to four days, before settling; however, a slight breeze can render them airborne again.
Tackling the debris crisis is virtually impossible due to the scale and time frame of supposed settlement. The amount of toxic debris presents a deadly hazard to residents and rescuers, unless full protective clothing is worn, assuming that enough protective clothing is available and the season/weather allows its use. The volume of rubble is immense, continuing to accumulate with every IDF attack. Data collected by UNOSAT, 163,778 structures were damaged in the Gaza Strip, UNOSAT. ‘These correspond to around 69% of the total structures in the Gaza Strip…’ Aerial photography indicates a significant increase in destruction since that report was filed.
If it was honest with its own peoples, Israel would have to build medical facilities to replace those it destroyed, with the emphasis given to specialist respiratory medicine. News of the contamination will inevitably arrive in Isael, possibly leading to resistance, possibly building on increasing anger with Netanyahu’s intransigence on the hostage issue.
Settlers may show reluctance or refusal to move. What then?
The UNEP reported:
An estimated 39 million tonnes of debris have been generated by the conflict – for each square metre in the Gaza Strip, there is now over 107 kg of debris. This is more than five times the quantity of debris generated from the 2017 conflict in Mosul, Iraq. Debris poses risks to human health and the environment, from dust and contamination with unexploded ordnance, asbestos, industrial and medical waste, and other hazardous substances […] Clearing the debris will be a massive, complex task, which needs to start as soon as possible to enable other types of recovery and reconstruction to proceed.
Ironically, with changes in global weather patterns, it is likely that airborne dust will also constitute a health risk for Israelis, even if they choose not to relocate to what is still Palestinian land.
World Trade Centre: A Comparative Example
The World Trade Centre illustrates the long tail of conflict; the number sick or dead resulting from aerial attacks, now far exceeds the number killed and injured initially. By December 2023, 6,781people, including first responders, had died from illnesses or cancer linked to the attacks, compared to the 2,974 people who died on the infamous date of September 11.
Marcy Borders, pictured below in the Washington Post, survived the WTC attack, and was considered lucky to be alive. But as asbestos-related cancers are slow to emerge. The ‘Dust Lady’ as she was known, died of cancer in 2015.
“The rescue crews on September 11 … were exposed to asbestos particles for 10 to 12 hours before continuing the next day,” Professor Roger Willeyan expert on asbestos, hazardous materials and health, safety, and environmental issues, told Al Jazeera.
“That’s a death sentence… that’s going to be the same for the people in Gaza.” Wiley went on.
The comparison to September 11 is important, as that was one of the only incidents in which it was possible to study asbestos exposure after an explosion, said Liz Darlison, CEO of the charity Mesothelioma UK.
“It’s very easy to be preoccupied with the immediate dangers posed by ground fighting and aerial bombardments. They always take precedence over long-term hazards,’ Darlison noted.
No escape, no ‘safe’ level of exposure
Palestinians rescue Mahmoud al-Ghol from under the rubble of a house with asbestos ceilings struck by Israel F-16s during Israel’s 2014 war on Gaza.[Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters] He survive the bombing but may not survive the contamination.
Willey also told the Al Jazeera news outlet that airborne concentrations will have been “enormously high” asserting it would ‘guarantee mesothelioma.’ Take note Netanyahu.
‘You’ve got smashed asbestos pieces on the ground, in the air from the explosion, and people are walking through it and kicking it up all the time, so it’ll never come back to a safe environment until it’s all cleared away,” Willey said. He continued, saying ‘Adequate clean-up processes can take years and must be carried out by professionals’
What is the chance of that?
It Does Not Stop There.
The world’s seventh largest weapons manufacturer, U.K. company BAE Systems manufactures the M109 howitzer, a 155mm mobile artillery system that the Israeli military has been using extensively, firing tens of thousands of 155mm shells into the Gaza Strip.
Some are white phosphorus bombs, potentially amounting to a war crime as their use is forbidden in densely populated civilian areas. So who lays the charges?
Despite all this devastation, Palestinian and international partners are taking steps towards the recovery of the critical Coastal Aquifer, and restoration of an internationally important wetland, Wadi Gaza for food production, but ongoing bombing and conflict threatens their ability to carry on with these activities.
Not Only But Also
Another future disaster unreported in the mass media, is asbestos contamination in the Ukraine. Until 2017 when it was banned, Ukraine used asbestos stemming from its historical links to the Russian Federation. Russia (and China) have consistently resisted the global move to ban asbestos mining. Perhaps the world’s largest asbestos mines, is appropriately named Asbest. It’s clear that Ukraine was a major consumer of Russian asbestos, notes PreventionWeb.net. Russian production and Ukraine’s use of asbestos was extensive, particularly during the Soviet era.Sewage, wastewater and solid waste management systems and facilities have collapsed. The destruction of buildings, roads and other infrastructure has generated over 39 million tons of debris, much of which is contaminated with unexploded ordnance, hazardous industrial materials and human remains.
Understanding the scale, extent, and appropriate remediation measures to address any, much less all these challenges, will require specialised, science-based assessment.
Environmental analysis needs to be incorporated into plans for humanitarian response and early recovery. The vast quantity of debris must be safely managed to avoid further contamination of land and watercourses. Systems for the management of sewage, wastewater and solid waste must be restored, and contamination from munitions, chemical and fuel spills identified and removed, requiring coordinated and well-funded environmental management teams. This of course insinuates a cease-fire and safe access for ground crews. Hardly likely while Netanyahu and the Likud stay in power.