Grenfell Tower: Fires

(asked on 13th December 2018) - View Source

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the validity of reports of high levels of toxins including hydrogen cyanide being found within a radius of two-thirds of a mile around the site of Grenfell Tower; and whether he will make a statement.


Answered by
Kit Malthouse Portrait
Kit Malthouse
This question was answered on 18th December 2018

The Government is aware of reports that stem from unpublished research findings. The Government announced on 26 October that additional environmental checks are to be carried out in and around the Grenfell Tower site to reassure the local community that the risk of potential land contamination and health impacts will be fully assessed, and appropriate action taken.

The Government has established a Multi Agency Partnership to oversee delivery of the environmental checks and advise on the findings. The Environment Agency has developed a strategy to enable independent specialists to be commissioned by mid-December to carry out the checks. The Government Chief Scientific Adviser has established an independent Science Advisory Group to review the process and ensure it is robust. The Government has made a commitment that residents will be able to influence the design and implementation of the investigation through input to the initial assessment and consultation workshops to inform the scope of the sampling. We expect the initial findings to be available in Spring 2019.

Public Health England (PHE) have been monitoring the air around Grenfell Tower since June 2017 with results continually showing that the risk to public health is very low, and that is still the case.

There is a risk of exposure to chemicals that are produced during any fire which are present in the smoke, but these chemicals, including hydrogen cyanide, will not be present now. PHE has provided advice on the risks from cyanide exposure which is available to view here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/public-health-advice-following-the-grenfell-tower-fire#health-advice.

Any residents who are concerned about their health should contact their GP or NHS 111.

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