SOS: The RADICAL factory - mercury "Chernobyl" at the capital of Ukraine
press-release for all of western MASS-MEDIA
Gratitude for a translation to
ps482
Original text is here
Can a broken thermometer cause you harm? It is recommended you call emergency personnel at once to clean up a premise from as little as one gram from a broken mercury thermometer.
Try to imagine a ton of mercury (a quantity large enough to supply our entire planet with thermometers) being spilled and left glittering in the sun in a capital of one European country just a couple hundred meters away from a metro station, shopping mall, business center or a residential neighbourhood.
Mercury is one of the most toxic substances in the world - mercury vapors remain in a human body forever and may trigger irreversible harm. You can read a detailed article about mercury in Wikipedia. But the point is that its production and utilization requires many safety precautions. However, not all people seem to think that way.
The RADICAL factory was launched in 1949. It was built outside a city in the forest that eventually became part of the city of Kyiv. The main part of its production was classified and consigned to the defense industry.
Different sources provide different names for this factory: It was called Factory #1000, Automobile Workshops, Mineral Fertilizers Factory, etc. In fact, Radical was one of the top 10 largest chemical factories in the USSR. Its production was also exported to Europe. It manufactured chlorine, caustic soda, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, DDT, and other important and very dangerous products.
It was considered prestigious to work for Radical because of its high salaries and early retirement at the age of 45, as opposed to 60. Despite the fact people who worked there for 10 years were transferred to other factories and retained their benefits, not many of them managed to live till retirement.
After the collapse of the USSR the factory could no longer survive without government orders. It eventually proclaimed bankruptcy and closed in 2000.
That same year Russian mass media reported tons of mercury spills on Radical’s territory. Ukraine’s Ministry of Emergency Situations, however denied the reports and claimed the news to be a provocation. Meanwhile, the factory was still classified and the public was not allowed in.
In 2001 the topic was brought up again and the power confessed that such a problem existed but “the situation was under control”. The manufacturing process, they said, “Provided for accidental spills and a special underground drainage system was to collect them and conserve.”
Other sources, however reported that the accident took place back in 1996 when a roof caved in and the chlorine shop was destroyed. Hundreds of tons of mercury were spilled in the shop, which can be seen in the photo.
Instead of addressing the people and informing them about the anthropogenic catastrophe that was comparable to Chernobyl and evacuating the neighbourhoods, government simply classified the information. Although a clean-up plan was developed it was never implemented because of the enormously high expenses: the factory had to be demolished and cemented. All in all, it was cheaper to sell the premises and shift the problem onto the new owners.
Cleanup was started in 2003 by the Kharkov Emergency Brigade, who had won the tender.
One of its members said that the clean-up budget was constantly being cut and the brigade finished works driven by bare enthusiasm.
They managed to collect 100 tons of mercury in 4 years. It was to be transported to NIKITRTUT factory in Gorlovka, but anonymous sources said it wasn’t because Nikitrtut does not have the facilities to store and process such a large amount of it. Thus the question of its present location is unknown.
As for the Radical premises, the preliminary analysis said that the ground, wood, concrete and even metal constructions absorbed around 200 tons of mercury. They must all be demolished, 15-meter layer of ground removed and buried somewhere very deep and far away.
Instead the territory has been actively sold or rented. Three large business center buildings are situated next to the ruined chlorine shop and various warehouses are located on Radical’s territory, including those of construction materials, cosmetics and possibly even food.
The present owners have nothing against leasing the premises for children’s products. Despite the hints and questions about the past chemical factory, they state that it’s “absolutely safe”. Moreover, the majority of the neighbouring offices’ employees don’t know anything about these events or do the clients of the popular Darynok shopping mall and Epicenter building materials hypermarket.
Two years ago hundreds of kilograms of mercury were spilled from the lorry transporting the dangerous substance just in the street. Darynok shopping mall was closed for three days to clean up the spill. Afterward, Deputy Mayor Irena Kilchitskaya came and personally assured everybody that the mercury concentration was “within the normal range”.
The official version said that some old tanks were found during the road reconstruction. They were taken out and sent to the dump. One of the tanks cracked while transporting.
Some witnesses state that a foundation pit had to be excavated for a new business center when a huge lake of mercury was discovered only a few meters deep. The constructors decided to collect it and take it out somewhere quietly. But one of the tanks let them down and the construction had to be stopped.
This is how the chlorine shop looks like today…
http://fotki.yandex.ru/users/kinoman-i-ya/album/92817/
Gratitude for a translation to
ps482
Original text is here
Can a broken thermometer cause you harm? It is recommended you call emergency personnel at once to clean up a premise from as little as one gram from a broken mercury thermometer.
Try to imagine a ton of mercury (a quantity large enough to supply our entire planet with thermometers) being spilled and left glittering in the sun in a capital of one European country just a couple hundred meters away from a metro station, shopping mall, business center or a residential neighbourhood.
Mercury is one of the most toxic substances in the world - mercury vapors remain in a human body forever and may trigger irreversible harm. You can read a detailed article about mercury in Wikipedia. But the point is that its production and utilization requires many safety precautions. However, not all people seem to think that way.
The RADICAL factory was launched in 1949. It was built outside a city in the forest that eventually became part of the city of Kyiv. The main part of its production was classified and consigned to the defense industry.
Different sources provide different names for this factory: It was called Factory #1000, Automobile Workshops, Mineral Fertilizers Factory, etc. In fact, Radical was one of the top 10 largest chemical factories in the USSR. Its production was also exported to Europe. It manufactured chlorine, caustic soda, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, DDT, and other important and very dangerous products.
It was considered prestigious to work for Radical because of its high salaries and early retirement at the age of 45, as opposed to 60. Despite the fact people who worked there for 10 years were transferred to other factories and retained their benefits, not many of them managed to live till retirement.
After the collapse of the USSR the factory could no longer survive without government orders. It eventually proclaimed bankruptcy and closed in 2000.
That same year Russian mass media reported tons of mercury spills on Radical’s territory. Ukraine’s Ministry of Emergency Situations, however denied the reports and claimed the news to be a provocation. Meanwhile, the factory was still classified and the public was not allowed in.
In 2001 the topic was brought up again and the power confessed that such a problem existed but “the situation was under control”. The manufacturing process, they said, “Provided for accidental spills and a special underground drainage system was to collect them and conserve.”
Other sources, however reported that the accident took place back in 1996 when a roof caved in and the chlorine shop was destroyed. Hundreds of tons of mercury were spilled in the shop, which can be seen in the photo.
Instead of addressing the people and informing them about the anthropogenic catastrophe that was comparable to Chernobyl and evacuating the neighbourhoods, government simply classified the information. Although a clean-up plan was developed it was never implemented because of the enormously high expenses: the factory had to be demolished and cemented. All in all, it was cheaper to sell the premises and shift the problem onto the new owners.
Cleanup was started in 2003 by the Kharkov Emergency Brigade, who had won the tender.
One of its members said that the clean-up budget was constantly being cut and the brigade finished works driven by bare enthusiasm.
They managed to collect 100 tons of mercury in 4 years. It was to be transported to NIKITRTUT factory in Gorlovka, but anonymous sources said it wasn’t because Nikitrtut does not have the facilities to store and process such a large amount of it. Thus the question of its present location is unknown.
As for the Radical premises, the preliminary analysis said that the ground, wood, concrete and even metal constructions absorbed around 200 tons of mercury. They must all be demolished, 15-meter layer of ground removed and buried somewhere very deep and far away.
Instead the territory has been actively sold or rented. Three large business center buildings are situated next to the ruined chlorine shop and various warehouses are located on Radical’s territory, including those of construction materials, cosmetics and possibly even food.
The present owners have nothing against leasing the premises for children’s products. Despite the hints and questions about the past chemical factory, they state that it’s “absolutely safe”. Moreover, the majority of the neighbouring offices’ employees don’t know anything about these events or do the clients of the popular Darynok shopping mall and Epicenter building materials hypermarket.
Two years ago hundreds of kilograms of mercury were spilled from the lorry transporting the dangerous substance just in the street. Darynok shopping mall was closed for three days to clean up the spill. Afterward, Deputy Mayor Irena Kilchitskaya came and personally assured everybody that the mercury concentration was “within the normal range”.
The official version said that some old tanks were found during the road reconstruction. They were taken out and sent to the dump. One of the tanks cracked while transporting.
Some witnesses state that a foundation pit had to be excavated for a new business center when a huge lake of mercury was discovered only a few meters deep. The constructors decided to collect it and take it out somewhere quietly. But one of the tanks let them down and the construction had to be stopped.
This is how the chlorine shop looks like today…
http://fotki.yandex.ru/users/kinoman-i-ya/album/92817/
Click to view