Hazelwood Power Station in Gippsland demolished today, 25 May 2020

[red750]

[onetrack]

Red - The sprinklers aren't doing too much towards keeping the dust down! I'm surprised the authorities allowed demolition in such dry conditions.

 

My workshop landlord wanted to demolish 12 asbestos-sheeting-clad factory units - by simply dismantling them - but the local council refused permission to dismantle them in Summer, he was told it had to be done mid-Winter, to keep the dust down.

Edited May 25, 2020 by Guest

[old man emu]

Was interesting to see the soot released from the chimneys when they fell. Not the grey stuff, but the real black stuff

[Jerry_Atrick]

I imagine they were burning quite a while before scrubbers were installed...

 

Worked between Hazelwood, Yalllourn and Morwell in m y year before emigrating to the UK.. Brings back some great memories.

[red750]

Onetrack, over here in Victoria it has been raining for days. The ground is like walking on a wet sponge. Our dog hates to go outside for a leak. Straight back inside.

[onetrack]

Red - But it's not raining when they carry out the demolition. If they were half-smart, they would've planned it for a rainy day, and reduced the dust levels to near-zero. That dust is likely to be full of carcinogens.

[Jerry_Atrick]

Agree.. Looking at that video - the "wall of water" was quite a pathetic attempt. Hopefully the density of carcinogens (asbestos not being the only one - but possibly the lighter) had sufficiently thinned/rarified as not to pose a serious threat by the time it hit areas where people are.

[Yenn]

There would be very little asbestos in those chimneys. I worked for Tilemans who built all of them and for a short period, between my own jobs I worked with George Light who was the boss there. It seems to be an ongoing thing, knocking down chimneys I have worked on. The big one at Port Kembla was also on TV news. Others at Broken Hill, Gosford and Townsville have quietly disappeared.

[onetrack]

Yenn, every school I ever went to, has been knocked down - nearly all due to unacceptable asbestos levels! But I'm still here, and (cross fingers) I haven't picked up any asbestos-related disease.

Unfortunately, those diseases can strike you down very quickly. Had a plumber friend who was pretty fit at 70 - but he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, and died within a few months.

[facthunter]

You can be lucky or unlucky. Some people got it after a small time In Wittenoom. Some from washing their husbands clothing. You only need a microgram of Plutonium to condemn you to death. Plutonium came with the A bomb tests. Silicon dust can kill you That's happening with all the cement/sandstone grinding that's going on. Nev

Edited May 27, 2020 by facthunter

[Yenn]

The only asbestos in those chimneys would have been around the steel flue where it entered the concrete shell and those flues would have ben removed before the stacks were dropped.

[octave]

According the The Age

 

There is about 50 kilograms of asbestos in each chimney and about 12 tonnes of concrete.

 

Community members voiced concerns about the spread of asbestos from the explosions during the live Facebook forum.

 

Mr McDowall said the detonations would not fragment the asbestos and that it would stay contained upon demolition.

 

"It's a bonded product, it's not a fragmentation product, it's secure within its structure," he said.

 

"It then hits the ground and becomes an asbestos product on the ground."

[onetrack]

Not a lot of people know that coal often contains asbestos, so it is a threat right through the entire coal system, including the power stations. Asbestos dust was identified as a serious risk to power station employees way back in WW2.

 

https://www.ohsrep.org.au/dust_in_the_air_in_1950s_victoria

[facthunter]

Coal like anything formed near sediments contains heavy metals and impurities like sulphur and really toxic complex organic compounds, tars etc. It's safest where it is. You don't have to burn it to release the toxics. Blasting and mucking up the water table and watering the dust concentrates heavy metals as the water evaporates. Methane leaks to the atmosphere..Nev

[Yenn]

Octave. I would look at those figures from the age with great care.

Having built chimneys with the same firm that built those at Hazlewood, I can assure you that 12 tonnes of concrete is a laughable amount. Without sitting down and doing the calculations I would reckon 500 cubic metres would have gone into each of them, so that makes it look as if they are out by a factor of 100 on the concrete.

A bit better on the asbestos figures, my guess they are out by a factor of 2.

[octave]

Octave. I would look at those figures from the age with great care.

Having built chimneys with the same firm that built those at Hazlewood, I can assure you that 12 tonnes of concrete is a laughable amount. Without sitting down and doing the calculations I would reckon 500 cubic metres would have gone into each of them, so that makes it look as if they are out by a factor of 100 on the concrete.

A bit better on the asbestos figures, my guess they are out by a factor of 2.

 

Yes I thought 12 tonnes did not sound like much. I wondered if they left a zero or 2 off.

Edited June 4, 2020 by Guest