Chemical incident management: gaseous emissions from a stockpile of coal

Spontaneous combustion of coal releases a wide range of airborne pollutants which, in high concentrations, may be hazardous to hearth. Little is known about how the effects on hearth change in relation to the release of multi ple substances. This article reports an incident in which a stockpile of co al released potentially harmful gases into the environment. Although the re sultant health effects reported were few, the co-ordinated response by loca l authorities and health authorities highlighted the advantage of a multidi sciplinary approach. Public health departments need to be aware of major ch emical hazards within their district. Prompt environmental monitoring and e xposure measurement needs to be arranged as this is crucial to making an ap propriate response. Updated registers are needed from private companies and public bodies; who can provide timely measurements of chemical hazards. He alth districts with more than one local authority may benefit from pooling resources and knowledge in order to prepare for such an incident.