Toxic sludge reaches Danube
ELIZABETH JACKSON: Toxic red sludge from a spill at an industrial plant in Hungary has reached the Danube, Europe's second longest river.
Officials from several nations along the Danube downstream from Hungary are now testing the river every few hours to monitor the effects.
They're hoping the river's huge water volume will minimise the impact of the spill.
Lindy Kerin reports.
LINDY KERIN: Today authorities' fears have been realised with the ochre coloured toxic sludge reaching the Danube.
The Hungarian rescue agency says the toxic mud has been diluted and is unlikely to cause as much damage as initially thought.
But Balazs Tomory from Greenpeace says it's still dangerous.
BALAZS TOMORY: They tried several materials like Gypsum, like chemical fertilisers and also some acid which was quite risky. But they did it in a small quantity and they mixed water with the polluted water and it seems properly so it could reduce the alkaline behaviour of the toxic sludge.
It's now 10 on the pH level which is better than it was. It was 12, 12 and a half. But still it's dangerous for the environment.
LINDY KERIN: Philip Weller is executive director of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube.
He told the Radio National Breakfast program that while there's been significant efforts to minimise the toxicity of the sludge the Danube will need to be closely monitored for some time.
PHILIP WELLER: It is clear that it is not going to have the kinds of dramatic health effects that could have had been the case in the Danube because of the dilution effects that were perhaps anticipated or potentially anticipated at the outset.
And the Hungarian authorities have done a significant amount of work to try to minimise that.
Coppied by http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2010/s3032897.htm
Showing posts with label toxic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label toxic. Show all posts
Friday, 8 October 2010
Thursday, 7 October 2010
Watch Hungary says clean-up of toxic spill could take a year
Hungary says clean-up of toxic spill could take a year
Budapest: A damburst of toxic sludge that killed at least four people and left scores needing treatment for chemical burns and other injuries could take up to a year to clean up, officials said on Wednesday.
"The clean-up and reconstruction could take months, even a year," Environment Secretary Zoltan Illes said.
On Monday, the retaining walls of a reservoir at an aluminium plant in Ajka in western Hungary collapsed, sending a toxic soup of industrial waste cascading through seven villages.
The devastation spread across an area of 40 square kilometres (15.4 square miles) in what officials say is Hungary's worst-ever chemical accident.
Three adults and one child were killed and 123 people were injured, while three people are still missing.
Karoly Tily, the mayor of Kolontar, the village where all four victims died, declared on Wednesday a day of mourning, and the company which owned the reservoir, the Hungarian Aluminium Production and Trade Company (MAL), said it would foot the costs of the funerals.
Illes told online publication Langlovak in an interview that the overall costs of the clean-up and reconstruction "could reach tens of millions of euros (dollars)”.
If MAL was unable to drum up the funds, "the sum will be borne by the Hungarian government, or it might be necessary to ask the European Union for aid”, he said.
The tidal wave of sludge overturned cars, swept away possessions and raised fears that pollution leeching from it could reach the Danube River, which courses through Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine before flowing into the Black Sea.
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Hungary toxic sludge spill reaches Danube
Late Wednesday, officials said they were confident the contamination would not reach Europe's second longest river
"If our calculations are right then by the time the sludge reaches the Danube contamination will be under the acceptable levels," Emil Jenak, president of Northern Transdanubian Water Management, said.
A pollution expert, quoted by the Hungarian news agency MTI, said rain and neutralising agents used so far had already led to a drop in alkaline levels in the Marcal river "and the connecting Raba will suffer much less damage" than feared.
But environmental organisation Greenpeace detected lead, chrome and arsenic in samples taken from a tributary of the Marcal, the river Torma.
Coppied by http://www.zeenews.com/news660066.html
Budapest: A damburst of toxic sludge that killed at least four people and left scores needing treatment for chemical burns and other injuries could take up to a year to clean up, officials said on Wednesday.
"The clean-up and reconstruction could take months, even a year," Environment Secretary Zoltan Illes said.
On Monday, the retaining walls of a reservoir at an aluminium plant in Ajka in western Hungary collapsed, sending a toxic soup of industrial waste cascading through seven villages.
The devastation spread across an area of 40 square kilometres (15.4 square miles) in what officials say is Hungary's worst-ever chemical accident.
Three adults and one child were killed and 123 people were injured, while three people are still missing.
Karoly Tily, the mayor of Kolontar, the village where all four victims died, declared on Wednesday a day of mourning, and the company which owned the reservoir, the Hungarian Aluminium Production and Trade Company (MAL), said it would foot the costs of the funerals.
Illes told online publication Langlovak in an interview that the overall costs of the clean-up and reconstruction "could reach tens of millions of euros (dollars)”.
If MAL was unable to drum up the funds, "the sum will be borne by the Hungarian government, or it might be necessary to ask the European Union for aid”, he said.
The tidal wave of sludge overturned cars, swept away possessions and raised fears that pollution leeching from it could reach the Danube River, which courses through Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine before flowing into the Black Sea.
Related Stories
Hungary toxic sludge spill reaches Danube
Late Wednesday, officials said they were confident the contamination would not reach Europe's second longest river
"If our calculations are right then by the time the sludge reaches the Danube contamination will be under the acceptable levels," Emil Jenak, president of Northern Transdanubian Water Management, said.
A pollution expert, quoted by the Hungarian news agency MTI, said rain and neutralising agents used so far had already led to a drop in alkaline levels in the Marcal river "and the connecting Raba will suffer much less damage" than feared.
But environmental organisation Greenpeace detected lead, chrome and arsenic in samples taken from a tributary of the Marcal, the river Torma.
Coppied by http://www.zeenews.com/news660066.html
Exited Hungary toxic sludge spill reaches Danube
Hungary toxic sludge spill reaches Danube
HUNGARY'S toxic sludge spill, which has killed four people, reached the Danube river today, threatening to contaminate the waterway's ecosystem, a water authority official said.
Water alkalinity, a measure of river contamination, was already above normal in the major waterway, the official said.
Samples taken at the confluence of the Raab river and the Danube showed "alkalinity slightly above nornal, around 8.96 per cent to 9.07 per cent'', against a normal tally of eight per cent, the source said.
A wave of toxic mud was unleashed on Monday from the reservoir of an aluminium plant at Ajka, 160km west of Budapest.
The red mud travelled down the Raab river and reached the Danube waters at around 0630 GMT (1730 AEDT) at Gyor.
The industrial accident triggered by the collapse of walls at the factory reservoir on Monday has been described as an ecological disaster and is now threatening the entire ecosystem of the Danube, Europe's second longest river.
Coppied by http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/breaking-news/hungary-toxic-sludge-spill-reaches-danube/story-e6freuyi-1225935614622
HUNGARY'S toxic sludge spill, which has killed four people, reached the Danube river today, threatening to contaminate the waterway's ecosystem, a water authority official said.
Water alkalinity, a measure of river contamination, was already above normal in the major waterway, the official said.
Samples taken at the confluence of the Raab river and the Danube showed "alkalinity slightly above nornal, around 8.96 per cent to 9.07 per cent'', against a normal tally of eight per cent, the source said.
A wave of toxic mud was unleashed on Monday from the reservoir of an aluminium plant at Ajka, 160km west of Budapest.
The red mud travelled down the Raab river and reached the Danube waters at around 0630 GMT (1730 AEDT) at Gyor.
The industrial accident triggered by the collapse of walls at the factory reservoir on Monday has been described as an ecological disaster and is now threatening the entire ecosystem of the Danube, Europe's second longest river.
Coppied by http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/breaking-news/hungary-toxic-sludge-spill-reaches-danube/story-e6freuyi-1225935614622
Watches this Hungary toxic sludge spill reaches Danube
Hungary toxic sludge spill reaches Danube
HUNGARY'S toxic sludge spill, which has killed four people, reached the Danube river today, threatening to contaminate the waterway's ecosystem, a water authority official said.
Water alkalinity, a measure of river contamination, was already above normal in the major waterway, the official said.
Samples taken at the confluence of the Raab river and the Danube showed "alkalinity slightly above nornal, around 8.96 per cent to 9.07 per cent'', against a normal tally of eight per cent, the source said.
A wave of toxic mud was unleashed on Monday from the reservoir of an aluminium plant at Ajka, 160km west of Budapest.
The red mud travelled down the Raab river and reached the Danube waters at around 0630 GMT (1730 AEDT) at Gyor.
The industrial accident triggered by the collapse of walls at the factory reservoir on Monday has been described as an ecological disaster and is now threatening the entire ecosystem of the Danube, Europe's second longest river.
coppied by http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/breaking-news/hungary-toxic-sludge-spill-reaches-danube/story-e6freuyi-1225935614622
HUNGARY'S toxic sludge spill, which has killed four people, reached the Danube river today, threatening to contaminate the waterway's ecosystem, a water authority official said.
Water alkalinity, a measure of river contamination, was already above normal in the major waterway, the official said.
Samples taken at the confluence of the Raab river and the Danube showed "alkalinity slightly above nornal, around 8.96 per cent to 9.07 per cent'', against a normal tally of eight per cent, the source said.
A wave of toxic mud was unleashed on Monday from the reservoir of an aluminium plant at Ajka, 160km west of Budapest.
The red mud travelled down the Raab river and reached the Danube waters at around 0630 GMT (1730 AEDT) at Gyor.
The industrial accident triggered by the collapse of walls at the factory reservoir on Monday has been described as an ecological disaster and is now threatening the entire ecosystem of the Danube, Europe's second longest river.
coppied by http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/breaking-news/hungary-toxic-sludge-spill-reaches-danube/story-e6freuyi-1225935614622
Wednesday, 6 October 2010
Watch Hungary: toxic sludge will take one year to clean up
Hungary: toxic sludge will take one year to clean up
The wave of toxic sludge that has poured into seven villages in Hungary could take up to 12 months and tens of millions of dollars to clean up, officials have warned
Zoltan Illes, the environment minister, told the BBC the clean-up of the country's worst chemical accident would take at least one year and probably require technical and financial assistance from the European Union.
The red tide, which inundated streets and homes after the walls of residue reservoir at an aluminium plant collapsed, has so far killed four people and injured 120, but the death toll is expected to rise.
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Six people are missing and another eight are in critical condition in hospital, suffering from chemical burns. The sludge is a mixture of water and mining waste containing heavy metals and is considered highly dangerous.
In some places the torrent, which swept cars off roads and damaged bridges, was eight feet deep.
It is estimated that 38.8 million cubic feet (the equivalent of 440 Olympic-size swimming pools) of red, poisonous sludge has affected some 15 square miles.
Hundreds of residents have been evacuated and a state of emergency has been declared in three western counties.
As the clean-up operation began fears mounted that the highly poisonous sludge could have reached the River Danube.
Coppied by http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/hungary/8045257/Hungary-toxic-sludge-will-take-one-year-to-clean-up.html
The wave of toxic sludge that has poured into seven villages in Hungary could take up to 12 months and tens of millions of dollars to clean up, officials have warned
Zoltan Illes, the environment minister, told the BBC the clean-up of the country's worst chemical accident would take at least one year and probably require technical and financial assistance from the European Union.
The red tide, which inundated streets and homes after the walls of residue reservoir at an aluminium plant collapsed, has so far killed four people and injured 120, but the death toll is expected to rise.
Related Articles
Hungary threatened by 'ecological catastrophe' from toxic sludge
The clean-up goes on
Hungary opens criminal investigation into toxic sludge flood
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Is the tide turning for Sandbanks?
Moody's downgrades Ireland's debt
Six people are missing and another eight are in critical condition in hospital, suffering from chemical burns. The sludge is a mixture of water and mining waste containing heavy metals and is considered highly dangerous.
In some places the torrent, which swept cars off roads and damaged bridges, was eight feet deep.
It is estimated that 38.8 million cubic feet (the equivalent of 440 Olympic-size swimming pools) of red, poisonous sludge has affected some 15 square miles.
Hundreds of residents have been evacuated and a state of emergency has been declared in three western counties.
As the clean-up operation began fears mounted that the highly poisonous sludge could have reached the River Danube.
Coppied by http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/hungary/8045257/Hungary-toxic-sludge-will-take-one-year-to-clean-up.html
Flood affected Hungary scrambles to contain toxic mud spill
Hungary scrambles to contain toxic mud spill
AFP – A man wades through his mud-soaked garden in Devecser. Hungary is scrambling to contain a toxic mud spill
BUDAPEST (AFP) – Hungary scrambled Wednesday to contain a toxic mud spill that left four people dead and more than 100 injured in what is being described as an "ecological catastrophe" for the region around the Danube river.
"We've been working to neutralise the rivers since yesterday and we're already getting good results showing that alkaline levels in the water are falling," a spokewoman for the disaster relief services Timea Petroczi told AFP.
"We've got 500 people involved in the clean-up today. We're using high-pressure water jets to clean roads and houses."
Two adults and two young children were killed on Monday when the walls of a reservoir of residue at an aluminium plant in Ajka in western Hungary broke, sending a tidal wave of slightly radioactive, highly corrosive sludge through seven nearby villages.
While the death toll has not risen so far, out of 123 injured, eight people are in serious condition in hospital suffering from burns and another 53 also remain hospitalised.
Originally, six people had been feared missing, but that number has been revised downwards to three, Petroczi said.
The stinking red sludge left a path of devastation across 40 square kilometres (15.4 square miles), leading the interior ministry to declare a state of emergency in three counties.
The two-metre (six-and-a-half-foot) tide of mud overturned cars, swept away possessions and has raised fears that pollution leeching from it could reach the Danube River, which courses through Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine before flowing into the Black Sea.
The mud destroyed all vegetation other than trees and seeped into hundreds of houses in seven villages, leaving residents asking when they could return.
In Kolontar, one of the villages affected, the army had to build a temporary bridge to replace one that was swept away by the flood.
Petroczi confirmed the drinking water system had not been affected so far, but "as a precautionary measure, people are not allowed to use the water wells," she said.
Residents were also banned from eating any home-grown produce or from hunting or fishing in the region, she said.
Environment state secretary Zoltan Illes, who visited the area on Tuesday, described the accident as "an ecological catastrophe" and the worst chemical accident in the country's history.
The red mud is a toxic residue left over from aluminium production. It is slightly radioactive, highly corrosive and contains toxic heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, arsenic and chromium.
Coppied by http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101006/wl_afp/hungaryaccidentchemical
AFP – A man wades through his mud-soaked garden in Devecser. Hungary is scrambling to contain a toxic mud spill
BUDAPEST (AFP) – Hungary scrambled Wednesday to contain a toxic mud spill that left four people dead and more than 100 injured in what is being described as an "ecological catastrophe" for the region around the Danube river.
"We've been working to neutralise the rivers since yesterday and we're already getting good results showing that alkaline levels in the water are falling," a spokewoman for the disaster relief services Timea Petroczi told AFP.
"We've got 500 people involved in the clean-up today. We're using high-pressure water jets to clean roads and houses."
Two adults and two young children were killed on Monday when the walls of a reservoir of residue at an aluminium plant in Ajka in western Hungary broke, sending a tidal wave of slightly radioactive, highly corrosive sludge through seven nearby villages.
While the death toll has not risen so far, out of 123 injured, eight people are in serious condition in hospital suffering from burns and another 53 also remain hospitalised.
Originally, six people had been feared missing, but that number has been revised downwards to three, Petroczi said.
The stinking red sludge left a path of devastation across 40 square kilometres (15.4 square miles), leading the interior ministry to declare a state of emergency in three counties.
The two-metre (six-and-a-half-foot) tide of mud overturned cars, swept away possessions and has raised fears that pollution leeching from it could reach the Danube River, which courses through Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine before flowing into the Black Sea.
The mud destroyed all vegetation other than trees and seeped into hundreds of houses in seven villages, leaving residents asking when they could return.
In Kolontar, one of the villages affected, the army had to build a temporary bridge to replace one that was swept away by the flood.
Petroczi confirmed the drinking water system had not been affected so far, but "as a precautionary measure, people are not allowed to use the water wells," she said.
Residents were also banned from eating any home-grown produce or from hunting or fishing in the region, she said.
Environment state secretary Zoltan Illes, who visited the area on Tuesday, described the accident as "an ecological catastrophe" and the worst chemical accident in the country's history.
The red mud is a toxic residue left over from aluminium production. It is slightly radioactive, highly corrosive and contains toxic heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, arsenic and chromium.
Coppied by http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101006/wl_afp/hungaryaccidentchemical
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