Though today’s news seems to be focused solely on the demise of Osama Bin Laden, in Leicestershire the current topic is the huge fire that took place in Loughborough late last night.
The fire at the Jayplas Plastics warehouse contained 200 tonnes of plastic (according to BBC news). The police closed parts of the Derby A6 and nearby streets due to the very thick black smoke. Local residents were advised to keep their windows shut due to the falling debris and luckily nobody was injured in the fire. Residents living in the vicinity of the fire were also without power until around 8.30am.
Approximately fourteen hours after the blaze there is still noticeable smoke in the sky. Many notice the unpleasant smell of the plastic and others notice eye irritation. As I live nearby I haven’t seen any open windows despite the relatively warm weather.
Environmental Effect of Burnt Plastic
So what is the environmental impact of such huge amounts of plastic? Many types of burning plastic release toxic fumes. Jayplas Plastics is actually a plastic recycling warehouse and so it is very sad that a factory that works to encourage others to be green has been hit by such a devastating fire.
Burning plastics may breakdown the agents they are made from and many of them are respiratory irritants. If the plastics are recycled then it is difficult to identify what toxic substances are likely to be released. One of the more notorious chemicals is Dioxin which is invisible, and their health effects are not always immediate. Sometimes these can accumulate in your body causing health issues in the future.
Worryingly there is a real possibility of toxicity from the water being used to control the fire getting into the local water supply. Local authorities will be working on trying to prevent this.
The Jayplas warehouse is also quite close to an area that is fairly green with interesting wildlife including birds, foxes and rabbits. The fire may drive them away from their natural habitat.
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