How we discovered the asbestos dangers lurking in Türkiye's earthquake zone – Global Investigative Journalism Network

Following the earthquake that rocked Turkey in February 2023, a thick cloud of dust blanketed the landscape around the country's southern Hatay province. Amid the rubble, a group of children made their way in search of a piece of land to play football. Unbeknownst to them, every breath they took was filled with a silent threat: asbestos.

Hailed as a wonder product, asbestos has been used for many decades in unexpected places – from cigarettes to baby powder, from cars to building materials. Its resilience against heat, corrosion, and even chemical corrosion made it beloved by many industries throughout the 20th century.

DW Turkey and the Environment Bureau decided to cooperate, and embarked on a mission to Hatay to directly investigate the extent of threats to public health in the region.

However, revelations of harmful health effects from inhaling it have prompted more than 60 countries, including Turkey, to ban its use. Classified as a carcinogen by the World Health Organization, exposure to asbestos, no matter how minimal, can lead to fatal diseases such as lung cancer, mesothelioma, and debilitating respiratory diseases such as asbestosis.

When the earthquake struck on February 6, it killed more than 53,000 people and displaced millions of people in 11 provinces. According to the World Bank, more than 800,000 buildings have been either damaged, demolished, or are currently being demolished.

More than a year after the earthquakes, Hatay is still shrouded in a persistent dust cloud due to inadequate demolition and dust suppression measures.

Many of these structures predate the asbestos ban, and contain materials such as the roofing product known to contain hazardous metals. When these materials are moved, they release asbestos fibers into the air, posing a significant public health risk.

Despite persistent warnings from local residents and NGOs about the serious risks to public health posed by unregulated demolitions, debris removal, and waste disposal practices in the governorate, the authorities appear to be ignoring the alarms raised. Time and again, concerns, including those related to asbestos, have been dismissed or downplayed.

“We have determined that there is no asbestos in the air,” the then deputy environment minister reassured the public a few months after the earthquake. “Our citizens in the earthquake zone can rest assured; “We work very carefully with asbestos.”

To verify the veracity of such claims, the Turkish Affairs and Environment offices of Deutsche Welle (DW) decided to cooperate and embarked on a mission to Hatay to directly investigate the extent of threats to public health in the region and collect scientific evidence. To explore the potential risks posed by asbestos exposure in the area.

Partnering with civil society organizations to ensure accurate reporting, we wanted to highlight this issue by combining our skepticism about official statements about asbestos with careful analysis of the data.

After talking to experts and staff at asbestos analysis laboratories, we realized that we would need professional assistance in collecting and analyzing samples, and we chose to cooperate with experts from the Turkish Chamber of Environmental Engineers. This strategic partnership enabled the collection of diverse samples from critical sites and enhanced the credibility of our research efforts by ensuring that we obtained reliable analyses.

An asbestos spread analysis involves several critical stages that require expertise. Identifying materials containing asbestos and determining appropriate sample collection methods are an integral part of this process. In addition, variables such as evaluating the effect of wind patterns on the quality of sample collection must be considered.

Given these complexities, it is unlikely that we, as journalists, will be able to properly collect high-quality samples, which may lead to inaccurate data analysis. To ensure accurate reporting, we wanted to shed light on this issue by combining our skepticism about official statements about asbestos with careful analysis of the data.

The assistance of environmental engineers was invaluable in this endeavor. They not only assisted in sample collection, but also contributed to the study design and provided guidance on safety measures in a suspected highly contaminated environment.

In countries like Turkey, where official data may be difficult to find or even more difficult to obtain, it is important for journalists and professional organizations to work together. While experts provide technical knowledge, journalists help convey this information to a wider audience, which is especially important in a situation like this when the public interest is at stake.

The journalists linked environmental sample collection to field interviews with local residents in Hatay, who may be at higher risk of cancer due to exposure to toxic asbestos dust. Photo: Courtesy of DW

Reports on the ground with masks

Our team traveled to Hatay and systematically collected 45 dust samples across six different neighborhoods. These samples included dust collected from various sources, including the tops of tents and containers in which earthquake survivors were living. We also took samples of local agricultural produce, leaves, fruits, soil, and debris.

To emphasize the human dimension of the issue, we supplemented the data with the experiences of local residents. During our field interviews, many residents expressed concerns about dust—which was constantly in the air—even though they had not known about the presence of asbestos prior to our discussions.

Our reports show that the asbestos risk was magnified in part because precautions were not taken during the demolition of condemned buildings after the earthquake.

In the wake of this traumatic disaster, many individuals are seeking to resume a semblance of normalcy. After venturing out to a local gym, we chatted with the young men during their training sessions. They openly shared how their lungs felt filled with dust while exercising, which led to increased fatigue.

In another neighbourhood, a local businessman was keen to share his experiences since the earthquake. He quickly showed us his arms and stomach, which were full of red dots. He said that they constantly breathe in dust, and added: “That's why we, our children, our mothers and our fathers got sick.”

After two days of reporting and collecting samples on the ground, we took a final sample of the dust on top of our car in Gaziantep, a city 200 kilometers (125 miles) from Hatay, on our way to the flight back to Istanbul. We wore professional masks as best we could while in the area, but it was difficult in the heat and humidity. We threw our clothes away after the trip, fearing they would be contaminated as well.

The collected samples underwent analysis in an accredited asbestos laboratory. The result was both astonishing and ominous: 16 out of 45 samples, more than a third, contained traces of different types of asbestos.

DW's reporting team collaborated with local environmental engineers to ensure the investigation properly collected evidence of asbestos. Photo: Courtesy of DW

This discovery indicates that another disaster is looming for the hundreds of thousands of people who still reside in the area. These survivors have already lost their homes, jobs and loved ones. Our reports show that the asbestos risk was magnified in part because precautions were not taken during the demolition of condemned buildings after the earthquake.

The insidious nature of asbestos-caused cancer has been unfolding for decades, but the region's heavy dust has already led to severe disease. According to health experts, children, in particular, face great risks.

We met Limar Yunusoglu, a 15-year-old Syrian girl who fled the war in Syria to seek refuge in Hatay with her family. Their tent was located next to a huge rubble dumping site. Sharing the plight of her younger brother who fell ill due to dust, she told us that there were times when he would sleep for an entire week, deprived of the energy to go out and play.

The dust sample extracted from the car also confirms an alarming fact. The risks posed by asbestos extend far beyond the area most affected by the earthquake. Even individuals residing hundreds of kilometers away are vulnerable to exposure to asbestos, which is transported by vehicles and carried by wind.

What is the effect?

We continued to produce a series of five articles on the asbestos threat in Türkiye. Our research initially focused on the asbestos problem in Hatay, but it soon became clear that this problem is a problem in other areas of Turkey. Beyond emergency conditions, such as earthquake conditions, our investigations revealed that urban transformation, particularly in Istanbul, poses similar risks due to inadequate demolition practices.

We found that there is an ongoing trade in asbestos, which continues despite the ban, which prompted us to expand our coverage to include a broader context. By showcasing examples from different countries, we aimed to emphasize accountability and highlight ways in which this public health issue can be addressed.

DW reports found that post-earthquake demolition of condemned buildings often failed to include dust control strategies, increasing the risk of asbestos spreading among local residents. Photo: Courtesy of DW

The Istanbul Medical Association has honored our asbestos series with its prestigious annual award. The Special Jury Prize was awarded “for a comprehensive investigation into the dangers of asbestos, which has once again become a prominent issue, and for highlighting the potential repercussions of exposure in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake.”

After the initial report, many media outlets in Turkey covered the issue, and many residents took to the streets after our initial coverage, urging the authorities to urgently address the problem. Many MPs raised questions with the relevant ministries.

These data confirm the urgent need to take comprehensive measures to address the escalating environmental and health crisis in the region.

Despite inquiries from opposition parties regarding the removal of rubble and measures taken against asbestos risks in Hatay and the earthquake zone, the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Health have remained largely silent.

While there is no official monitoring of the presence of asbestos in the region, some government data confirms the severity of dust on air quality in general. Recent statistics from the Ministry of Environment reveal a worrying trend: the concentration of particulate matter pollutants (PM10) in central Hatay has risen from an annual average of 69 micrograms per cubic meter in 2022 to 96 in 2023.

PM10 refers to any particles in the air that are 10 micrometers in diameter or less, which can be inhaled and potentially pose health risks due to their ability to penetrate deep into the respiratory system. The World Health Organization's recommended limit for PM10 particles is 15 micrograms per cubic metre, almost six times lower than current levels in Hatay.

These data confirm the urgent need to take comprehensive measures to address the escalating environmental and health crisis in the region.

“In the coming years, we may face the death of tens of thousands of young people due to mesothelioma cases,” warned Dr. Ozkan Can Karadağ, the public and occupational health expert who evaluated our results. While the damage done so far may be irreversible, there is still merit in taking preventative action now, he said.

“Strict monitoring and public dust suppression measures are urgently needed to eliminate this dust cloud as quickly as possible,” he said. “Although the damage cannot be repaired, implementing these measures today will still be beneficial.”

Serdar Vardar is an investigative journalist with a degree in political science from the University of Buenos Aires. After living for more than a decade in South America, he moved to Germany to cover Turkey and global environmental stories for Deutsche Welle. Vardar was part of ICIJ's global investigations into the Pandora Papers and Shadow Diplomats.

Belen Unker is an ICIJ investigative journalist with Deutsche Welle. Unker has worked on ICIJ's Panama Papers, Paradise Papers, Transplant Files, FinCEN Files, Ericsson List, Pandora Papers, Uber Files, and Shadow Diplomats Investigations. Her work has included investigations of macroeconomic data on the state of the Turkish economy. It also investigated corruption, tax evasion, privatization, public contracts and other topics.

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos