View Full Version : Hungary fears second toxic wave
papa_smurf
10-09-10, 06:06 AM
Not sure if anyone is following this, but the toxic spill in Hungary could get much much worse.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11506713
(I never knew aluminium process produced such toxic by-product, and that it could only be stored and not disposed off.)
Jimbuna
10-09-10, 06:13 AM
There are fears/concerns it could travel into other countries :o
SteamWake
10-09-10, 08:34 AM
Dont get me wrong this is a horrible situation and I hope they can get things sorted out.
But there is something that has bugged me from day 1 of this story.
Evidently the 'sludge' is from an aluminum mill 'storage pit'.
Maybe I'm wrong but I thought Hungary was one of the 'leaders' on the green bandwagon? Was there no regulatory oversight?
Ive heard two news reports that made me want to toss my radio out the window.
* "Sludge spill equals the amount of oil spilled in the gulf" (WTF does that have to do with anything?)
* Spill is equal in volume to storage arrangements of facilitys in the US (Lets hope there is a little better oversight and construction there)
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/49426000/jpg/_49426902_sludge_before_after976.jpg
:o:doh:
Schroeder
10-09-10, 10:04 AM
Maybe I'm wrong but I thought Hungary was one of the 'leaders' on the green bandwagon? Was there no regulatory oversight?
They are? Never heard of that. :hmm2:
But that might just be my ignorance.
There is more to this than is being released by Hungarian news agencies apparently.
I've been told by two Hungarian friends of mine who unfortunately have relatives in the affected area who they've yet to hear from, that the evacuation trucks are the old Urals and Zils from the early cold war, the medical teams have been mostly composed of local doctors and nurses and they are badly under equipped, to the point of having to use toilet paper and newspaper as bandages, the fumes around the waste are toxic so everyone is having to wear either a mask, be it a proper one or a scarf or something like that wrapped around their face and many of the rescue workers don't have proper protection and are getting burnt themselves.
Of course, confidence is medium on this, the Hungarian news agencies won't give the full story because apparently they're controlled by the government and the government itself is as corrupt as they come.
I'll be having their relatives and the relatives of all those affected by this disaster in my thoughts and prayers. It was, it would seem, a disaster waiting to happen, much like the Aberfan disaster of '66 and I suspect the verdict reached by the Tribunal there will be similar to that of this disaster:
" ...the Aberfan Disaster is a terrifying tale of bungling ineptitude by many men charged with tasks for which they were totally unfitted, of failure to heed clear warnings, and of total lack of direction from above. Not villains but decent men, led astray by foolishness or by ignorance or by both in combination, are responsible for what happened at Aberfan"
Betonov
10-10-10, 03:14 PM
Big news here, hungary is a neighbouring country
Jimbuna
10-10-10, 04:50 PM
Big news here, hungary is a neighbouring country
Then your country should be on alert!!
Tribesman
10-10-10, 06:12 PM
Then your country should be on alert!!
What for?
They are? Never heard of that.
I think he is very confused.
Former eastern bloc countries became a focus for some environmentalists due to the toxic legacy many faced after the communists "business first" policies.
But that certainly doesn't put Hungary down as a leader of the bandwagon.
Betonov
10-11-10, 03:07 AM
Then your country should be on alert!!
No need, any toxic flows would avoid Slovenia, no rivers flowing towards us
papa_smurf
10-11-10, 05:37 AM
Some latest pictures of the damage:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11510391
Jimbuna
10-11-10, 05:51 AM
What for?
Any potential toxic flows.
Tribesman
10-11-10, 07:15 AM
Any potential toxic flows.
Is it a special mutant sludge that is able to swim upriver and then climb mountains?
that the evacuation trucks are the old Urals and Zils from the early cold war, the medical teams have been mostly composed of local doctors and nurses and they are badly under equipped, to the point of having to use toilet paper and newspaper as bandages, the fumes around the waste are toxic so everyone is having to wear either a mask, be it a proper one or a scarf or something like that wrapped around their face and many of the rescue workers don't have proper protection and are getting burnt themselves.
These informations are from an e-mail of anonymous witness published on a website on Saturday,and some of these info are already disproved (toilet paper and newspaper as bandages,thats just ridiculous).
Hungary is not the most high tech country,but in situations like this you can be sure that the teams on field involved in the rescue and cleaning are equipped with best available equipment.
Jimbuna
10-11-10, 07:56 AM
Is it a special mutant sludge that is able to swim upriver and then climb mountains?
I've no idea....why don't you enlighten us all.
These informations are from an e-mail of anonymous witness published on a website on Saturday,and some of these info are already disproved (toilet paper and newspaper as bandages,thats just ridiculous).
Hungary is not the most high tech country,but in situations like this you can be sure that the teams on field involved in the rescue and cleaning are equipped with best available equipment.
I did wonder, these kinda things do surface during these times, that's why I said that the confidence is medium.
If this thing is going to get into waterways, the countries who need to be, and are, looking out are Slovakia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania, but I imagine by the time it gets to the Black Sea it'll be pretty diluted.
Tribesman
10-11-10, 09:34 AM
I've no idea....why don't you enlighten us all.
Betanov has alreadty spelt it out.
If Italy had a similar spill in Milan should Switzerland be worried about the approaching spill or would the spill be going in the opposite direction and be of no concern even though it is in a neighbouring country?
Betonov
10-11-10, 10:15 AM
Is it a special mutant sludge that is able to swim upriver and then climb mountains?
never thought of that, better prepare the shovels
these kinda things do surface during these times
Yes,and it's sad that some media like these kind of rumors and publish them as facts.
If this thing is going to get into waterways, the countries who need to be, and are, looking out are Slovakia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania, but I imagine by the time it gets to the Black Sea it'll be pretty diluted.
It has been neutralized and diluted,and the water quality of the Danube is as it was before the accident.
A new dam has been built,because new cracks appeared on the wall of the reservoir and it will probably collapse.
Betanov has alreadty spelt it out.
If Italy had a similar spill in Milan should Switzerland be worried about the approaching spill or would the spill be going in the opposite direction and be of no concern even though it is in a neighbouring country?
Opposite direction I think...the Po river, which I think is the primary river in the region of Milan, flows out to the Adriatic from the Western Alps...in fact, I do not believe that it actually leaves Italy. Therefore any toxic spill in the Po or a tributary leading to the Po would be an internal problem of Italy until it reached the Adriatic. Of course, the strength of the spill by the time it reached the Adriatic would be determined by a lot of factors and monitoring stations along the river would take samples constantly to measure it.
Once out at sea though...one would presume, although I'm not a scientist, that it would diffuse in the water.
Another spill this planet could do without...:down:
SteamWake
10-11-10, 11:03 AM
Another spill this planet could do without...:down:
No more aluminum for you :03:
TLAM Strike
10-11-10, 11:09 AM
Another spill this planet could do without...:down:
This planet does a pretty good job of polluting its self... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1883_eruption_of_Krakatoa#Global_climate)
No more aluminum for you :03:
Good I'm fed up with all this recycling guff. :DL
This planet does a pretty good job of polluting its self... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1883_eruption_of_Krakatoa#Global_climate)
Thats the planet telling us cross the line and you will go the way of the Dodo bird, don't mess with the planet. :shifty: ;)
papa_smurf
10-12-10, 03:49 AM
Latest situation at the dam:
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/49455000/gif/_49455237_hungary_breach_464.gif
Its getting pretty desperate, as an estimated 2.5 million cubic metres of the sludge is left, and its threatening to breach the wall.
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