Hungary fears second toxic wave

[papa_smurf]

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]

There are fears/concerns it could travel into other countries

[SteamWake]

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)

[Oberon]

[Schroeder]

Originally Posted by SteamWake

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.
But that might just be my ignorance.

[Oberon]

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]

Big news here, hungary is a neighbouring country

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Betonov

Big news here, hungary is a neighbouring country

Then your country should be on alert!!

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]

Originally Posted by jimbuna

Then your country should be on alert!!

No need, any toxic flows would avoid Slovenia, no rivers flowing towards us

[papa_smurf]

Some latest pictures of the damage:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11510391

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Tribesman

What for?

Any potential toxic flows.

Any potential toxic flows.

Is it a special mutant sludge that is able to swim upriver and then climb mountains?

[JEuler]

Originally Posted by Oberon

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]

Originally Posted by Tribesman

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.