A fire occurred on Sunday 12 April at a battery recycling facility in Maddington. The facility was known to contain a large number of lithium batteries.
The risk to the public from the fire and smoke was assessed at the time to have the potential for odours, transient discomfort and mucosal irritation on the days of the fire ignition (12 and 15 April) when there was a large smoke plume in the local area next to the fire.
Throughout the incident, residents were advised to stay inside with doors and windows closed and air conditioning off, avoid the area, continue to follow emergency services advice and seek medical help if needed. This advice was also published to the DFES website.
Air sampling was undertaken to look for the different chemicals, particulates and gases known to be linked to lithium battery fires. During the fire, surface swabs were taken in the vicinity to look for any chemical and metal residue.
What did air quality and surface swab testing tell us about the fire?
All samples have now been analysed and compared with national and where applicable, international public health guideline levels.
Levels of all tested substances were below health guideline levels in residential areas, with the exception of hydrogen cyanide and smoke particulates.
Hydrogen cyanide is a common by-product of lithium-ion battery fires due to the breakdown of the battery components and surrounding plastics caused by high temperatures. It is highly volatile (evaporates) and will disperse quickly in open air.
The effects experienced by the human body depends on the concentration of the exposure and the length of time affected. While the hydrogen cyanide results were slightly elevated on 15 April, they had then dissipated by 16 April with slight elevations until 20 April as the material was cleaned up and removed from the area. The air measurements taken within the Maddington community have indicated that the concentrations experienced dissipated quickly from the air and no lasting health effects are expected.
Throughout the incident, residents were advised to stay inside with doors and windows closed and air conditioning off, and to stay away from smoke or fumes. This was appropriate advice to manage any potential health risks present at the time.
Smoke particulates were highest on the days of the fire (12 and 15 April) and intermittently during peak cleanup activity but improved steadily over the following days. Residents can be reassured that there are no side effects or ongoing effects from the detection of hydrogen cyanide.
Dust samples were taken from homes, schools and public places by surface swabs. Low levels of some metals were detected, but all were well below levels of health concern. No concerning levels of organic chemicals were found. Some oily residue was detected on a small number of outdoor surfaces. These substances are heavy oils that do not easily become airborne and do not pose a risk to public health.
Overall health advice
Based on the testing results, no immediate or ongoing health risk to the community has been identified. Further health investigation is not required.
