In Hatay, southern Turkey, crews are nonetheless demolishing buildings that have been closely broken within the earthquake that struck on February 6, 2023, and killed tens of 1000’s of individuals. Yellow diggers transfer piles of leftover rubble, kicking up clouds of mud that shroud town. Some children stroll by means of the particles to discover a spot to play soccer. As they breathe, they’re probably inhaling a silent killer: asbestos.

The poisonous constructing materials has contaminated crops, soil and rubble in the important thing agricultural area, pointing to a critical, unfolding public health disaster, based on an unique investigation by DW’s Turkish and Environment desks. An skilled staff from the Turkish Chamber of Environmental Engineers collected mud samples in Hatay, which have been then analyzed by AGT Vonka Engineering and Laboratory Services, an internationally accredited laboratory, for DW. The investigation reveals the presence of asbestos within the area regardless of official claims on the contrary.

Public well being specialists advised DW that individuals dwelling within the earthquake-hit space, together with 1000’s of youngsters, are at critical danger of asbestos-linked cancers of the lungs and larynx. Mesothelioma, which is a very lethal and aggressive most cancers, is one other hazard. “In the coming years, we may face the deaths of tens of thousands of very young people due to mesothelioma cases,” stated Özkan Kaan Karadag, a medical physician and skilled in public and occupational well being, after seeing the preliminary lab outcomes from DW’s investigation.

Asbestos danger heightens throughout earthquake particles cleanup. Once hailed as a miracle materials with an enormous vary of makes use of, asbestos is now categorized as a “definite carcinogen” by the World Health Organization. But asbestos building supplies are nonetheless discovered in lots of buildings in Turkey constructed earlier than a 2010 ban on its sale — the precise quantity is unclear. When these supplies — usually present in roofs, sidewalls and insulation — are damaged, the asbestos can crumble to microscopic sizes and change into airborne, spreading within the wind.

The February 6 earthquake destroyed 100,000 buildings in 11 cities, together with Hatay. More than 200,000 others have been severely broken. The UN additionally estimated the quake, alongside a smaller one two weeks later, left between 116 million and 210 million tons of rubble. That’s sufficient particles to cowl an space almost twice the scale of Manhattan. Workers are nonetheless demolishing broken buildings and eradicating particles, usually with out masks or protecting gear. In some instances, they don’t seem to be utilizing suppression strategies — like spraying water — that will forestall the unfold of mud. The DW staff on the bottom noticed just one case of mud suppression with water throughout their investigation.

Organizations such because the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects say their warnings concerning the public well being dangers posed by haphazard post-earthquake demolition, particles elimination and waste disposal practices are being ignored. In response to those warnings, Mehmet Emin Birpinar, the then-Deputy Minister of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change, wrote on social media in June that there was no asbestos within the air.

“Our citizens in the earthquake zone can rest assured; we are working very carefully on asbestos,” he stated. DW uncovers asbestos presence in quake-hit area regardless of official denials But the outcomes of the DW evaluation of 45 samples from six totally different neighborhoods in Hatay seem to contradict official statements. Sixteen randomly taken samples, together with mud collected from the tops of tents of these made homeless by the earthquakes — in addition to from leaves, fruit, soil and rubble — contained asbestos.

In Gaziantep, 200 kilometers (124 miles) from Hatay, DW took a last mud pattern from the roof of their rental automotive. The pattern was constructive for asbestos. The staff had taken a management pattern earlier than leaving Gaziantep for Hatay after washing the automotive two days beforehand, and that pattern was damaging. Experts advised DW that this confirmed how the fibrous materials can cling to automobiles and journey lengthy distances.

Cancers linked to asbestos publicity can take many years to seem. However, the thick mud within the area is already harming well being, with kids at substantial danger, based on specialists. Fifteen-year-old Limar Yunusoglu and her household fled to Turkey from Syria to flee the conflict. After the earthquake they moved into tents close to a rubble dump. Her brother is now unwell.

“My brother got sick from the dust. We take him to the hospital, and they give him oxygen. But then we come back here where the dust hurts him. Sometimes he sleeps the whole week,” stated Yunusoglu. Some 50 kilometers alongside the coast, a tradesman advised DW that mud is making him and his household sick too. In the ruins subsequent to his store, there’s lots of waste, from digital items to insulations supplies identified to comprise asbestos.

“We all have our noses and mouths full of dust. Our houses, our tents, the front of our houses, our cars are all full of dust. That’s why our children and us, our mothers and fathers are all sick,” he stated, whereas exhibiting pink blotches which have appeared on his arms and abdomen. Public well being skilled Karadag stated it was tough to find out how many individuals are affected within the area with out goal well being monitoring research.

“Official statements claiming that people are not affected only result in covering up the problem,” he stated. Community efforts ramp as much as deal with the asbestos risk. In April, Hatay Bar Association and environmental and well being organizations filed a lawsuit to halt demolition actions within the metropolis, however the case continues to be pending after 5 months. Ecevit Alkan from the Hatay Bar Association is without doubt one of the legal professionals attempting to combat in opposition to dangerous practices of waste elimination. He too fell unwell from the mud.

Alkan helped map out all of the rubble dump areas used within the metropolis, as a result of the authorities haven’t made the data public, he stated. He reveals DW one web site that’s near a highschool in addition to to the container metropolis for earthquake victims and an irrigation canal for farming. Hatay is a part of the nation’s fertile crescent, and its agricultural produce like parsley and chard are transported everywhere in the nation. “So, it is very risky to use this place as a rubble dump, for both humans and the environment,” stated Alkan.

Utku Firat, an environmental engineer who helped gather mud samples for DW, stated the hazard may have been minimized by eradicating asbestos supplies earlier than buildings have been demolished. “Not only did they fail to do so, but they also still do not even cover the lorries carrying the rubble with tarpaulins. Even this would have helped a lot,” Firat stated of the authorities and demolition corporations. While the harm that is occurred to date can’t be reversed, some security measures would no less than diminish a few of the risks for individuals like Limar Yunusoglu and her brother.

“Masks should be distributed to the people and the workers in the region, and they should be encouraged to use them,” stated Firat. “Residential units in areas that are affected most by dust should be identified and moved to another place.” But the principle answer, specialists say, is to confess the issue and safely eliminate the lethal materials.

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