Asbestos particles may have spread in Toppstöðin fire smoke

It cannot be ruled out that asbestos particles spread from Toppstöðin in smoke during Monday’s fire, according to Reykjavik Environmental Health Authority, mbl.is reports. However, the authority says the fire was not extensive enough to pose a particular pollution risk to the public or the environment.

The fire reached part of the building’s exterior wall, which contains asbestos. The authority will assess the next steps once police open the scene.

“It naturally cannot be ruled out that particles were carried with smoke and air from the building,” said Svava Svanborg Steinarsdóttir, a health inspector with Reykjavik Environmental Health Authority.

Tómas G. Gíslason, the authority’s director, estimates that roughly 10 square metres of the building’s asbestos-containing exterior wall were destroyed by fire. The situation will be assessed in greater detail when the scene is opened.