3.1 Introduction

Since 1992, the Chemical Hazards Management and Research Centre (CHMRC) has collected data on acute chemical incidents in the West Midlands health region.  In April 2003 the CHMRC became part of the Chemical Hazards and Poisons Division (CHaPD) of the Health Protection Agency (HPA)

The West Midlands Surveillance System for Chemical Incidents (WMSS), coordinated by CHaPD Birmingham, receives reports from a number of sources including the fire service, health protection units, primary care trusts, local authorities, the Environment Agency, and other CHaPD units, and through routinely reviewing local and national media.  Incident reports are maintained on a web-enabled database.  This database has also provided the basis for a national online chemical incident database.

Since its inception, WMSS reported a steady increase in the number of reported incidents up until 2001.  Since 2001 the number of incidents has shown a steady decrease, to 118 in 2005. 

Figure 3.01: Chemical Incidents Detected by Year

Chemical Incidents Detected by Year

There are two possible explanations for this decrease.  Firstly, there may have been changes in the way that reporting agencies, such as the West Midlands Fire Service, report incidents into the system, resulting in decreased incident capture.  CHaPD is working with all reporting agencies to ensure that appropriate reporting criteria are maintained.  Secondly, there may have been an actual decrease in the number of chemical incidents that occur in the West Midlands, especially in the number of incidents that involve asbestos.

Figure 3.02 shows the number of reported incidents in 2005 by chemical involved. Incidents involving asbestos were the most common.  This is consistent with previous years.

Figure 3.02: Chemical Incidents in 2005 by Chemical Involved

Chemical Incidents in 2005 by Chemical Involved

Figures 3.03, 3.04 and 3.05 show the distribution of incidents in 2005 by month, day of the week, and time of day.  The data show that a considerable proportion of acute chemical incidents occur outside normal working hours.  This demonstrates the need for specialist 24 hour support to public health professionals to enable an effective response to chemical incidents.

Figure 3.03: Chemical Incidents in 2005 by Month

Chemical Incidents in 2005 by Month

Figure 3.04: Chemical Incidents in 2005 by Day of the Week

Chemical Incidents in 2005 by Day of the Week

Figure 3.5: Chemical Incidents in 2005 by Time of Day

Chemical Incidents in 2005 by Time of Day

Figure 3.06 shows the distribution of incidents by Primary Care Trust.  It illustrates that chemical incidents occurred all over the West Midlands during 2005.  The highest number of incidents occurred in the Birmingham conurbation and Coventry.

Figure 3.06: Chemical Incidents in 2005 by PCT

Chemical Incidents in 2005 by PCT

There are two explanations for this distribution of incidents.  Firstly, the greater industrialisation and population of the West Midlands Conurbation increase the probability of chemical incidents as compared with the rest of the West Midlands region.

Secondly, the West Midlands Conurbation is served by the West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS).  WMFS is the only fire service in the West Midlands to have a formal agreement to supply WMSS routinely with comprehensive data on the chemical incidents that it attends.  Therefore, data capture for the West Midlands Conurbation is likely to be better than data collected through other fire services, which do not have a formal agreement to supply CHaPD with data.

For further information on chemical incidents, visit http://www.hpa.org.uk/chemicals/default.htm or contact John Dyer at john.dyer@hpa.org.uk

*A chemical incident is defined as “an acute event in which there is, or could be, exposure of the public to chemical substances which cause, or have the potential to cause ill health”