Israel has experienced 100 asbestos-related fires in just one year, prompting the Firefighting Authority to come up with new ways to deal with the dangerous mineral in order to keep firefighters safe and to increase their life expectancy.

“Firefighters around the world have a life expectancy that is 10 years shorter than average, probably due to exposure to smoke, toxins and asbestos,” Israel Fire Commissioner Shimon Romach said in an article in Ha’aretz.

Recently, Romach called on Yitzhak Shalev, Israel’s national asbestos officer, to draw up new regulations for firefighters to follow when tackling fires where asbestos is present. Shalev said he “drafted a method to deal with asbestos fires, including using protective gear and coordinating with various bodies, such as the Environmental Protection Ministry, to remove the asbestos once the fire is out.”

“Nowadays firefighters have protective equipment and I am briefed about every event involving asbestos,” he added.

Shalev adds that there are millions of square meters of asbestos in buildings and garbage dumps around the country and that a recent report by Labor and Welfare Ministry showed that firefighters in Israel have a much higher-than-average rate of serious breathing problems.

Asbestos, a known carcinogen, can be harmless when undisturbed. However, fire causes the mineral to crumble and dangerous fibers to become airborne. The special gear now worn by the firefighters can help avoid inhalation, Shalev reports.

However, individuals living or working near asbestos fire sites should still take care to avoid the mineral, which often spreads after fires. He cited a fire at a fireworks storage house on Kibbutz Afek three years ago, which spread asbestos over a large part of the kibbutz and may have affected those living and working there.

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