Buncefield oil fire: Health advice for Hertfordshire residents

The Health Protection Agency has issued the following health advice in response to the oil fire near Hemel Hempstead. The fire produced a large plume of smoke rising above the town and dispersing over southern England.

The general health advice for people in the Hemel Hempstead area continues to be 'stay in doors, keep windows closed and tune into local media for further updates'.

Air quality testing has not shown significant pollution from the fire and therefore the risk to health is low but as a precaution residents are advised to follow the existing advice. Local health services have been on standby but have not seen increased numbers of people suffering from breathing problems, which would be associated with an incident of this kind. The Health Protection Agency will continue to closely monitor the situation and encourages residents to monitor its website www.hpa.org.uk for updates and any new advice.

Those most at risk from inhalation of smoke particles are people with existing respiratory problem such as asthma or chronic bronchitis or cardiac problems. People in these categories should be especially vigilant. If they see smoke or there are soot particles on windowsills or external surfaces they should stay indoors with windows and doors closed. People in these categories who have concerns should NHS Direct.

If people are affected, mostly it will produce immediate effects such as coughing or a tight chest. These symptoms usually disappear very soon once exposure to the smoke or ash has ceased and are unlikely to result in any long-term health problems.

For general health advice people should contact NHSDirect on 0845 4647.

ENDS

More information is available on the Health Protection Agency website www.hpa.org.uk