Flood of toxic waste in Hungary...

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/347164,hungary-flood-toxic-waste.html
Budapest - At least two were dead and two missing on Monday after hundreds of tonnes of red sludge flooded from an aluminium factory and washed through villages in central Hungary, emergency services reported.

Some 700,000 cubic metres of rust-coloured slurry, containing poisonous heavy metals that can cause burns on contact with skin, flooded out of the waste storage when the damn of an effluent reservoir burst.

At least 60 people required hospital treatment for burns after coming into contact with the toxic fluid, and two of them remained in critical condition, the Hungarian National Disaster Directorate reported.

It is really serious...here are some photos..
http://wiadomosci.onet.pl/fotoreportaze/Swiat/toksyczna-substancja-zalewa-wegry,3711504,7637630,fotoreportaz-maly.html#photo7637630

The Stuxnet worm seems to be hitting industries, there seems to be a lot more industrial accidents lately. I wonder if there is any connection.
Also, I was looking at some photos of the flood of sludge, why are the official workers wearing hasmut suits, while the general population is not?

nice photo gallery here:
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/10/a_flood_of_toxic_sludge.html

This is HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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6 October 2010

'One year' to clean toxic spill in Hungary


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11481740

Hungarian disaster management spokesman Dr Attila Nyikos says a large scale clean-up is under way

Hungary says it will cost tens of millions of dollars and take at least a year to clean up the damage caused by a spill of toxic, red industrial sludge.
Continue reading the main story
Related stories

Emergency workers are trying to stop the spill, from an alumina plant, from flowing into major waterways, including the River Danube

A state of emergency has been declared in three western counties after the chemical waste burst from a reservoir.

Four people are known to have died, and 120 were injured. Six more are missing.

At least seven villages and towns are affected including Devecser, where the torrent was 2m (6.5ft) deep.

The flood swept cars from roads and damaged bridges and houses, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of residents.

The sludge - a mixture of water and mining waste containing heavy metals - is considered hazardous, according to Hungary's National Directorate General for Disaster Management (NDGDM).

While the cause of the deaths has not yet been officially established, the victims are thought to have drowned.
'Desperate effort'

Some 600,000-700,000 cubic metres (21m-24m cubic feet) of sludge escaped from the plant, 160km (100 miles) from the capital, Budapest, affecting an area of 40 sq km (15.4 sq miles).
Continue reading the main story
Analysis
Julian Siddle Science reporter, BBC News

The muddy red sludge is waste from the early stages of aluminium production.

Aluminium-containing ore, bauxite, is washed at high temperatures in sodium hydroxide. This dissolves the aluminium, which can then be processed further, but the red sludge is left behind as a waste product. It is this which has leaked from the Hungarian storage reservoirs.

The sludge waste contains a mixture of metal oxides. According to MAL Hungarian Aluminium - the company which produced the waste - between 40% and 45% is iron oxide. This gives the mud its characteristic red colour. Between 10% and 15% is aluminium oxide, a further 10% to 15% silicon oxide and there are smaller quantities of calcium oxide, titanium dioxide and oxygen-bonded sodium oxide.

The sludge is a strong alkali, meaning it will cause burns when it comes into contact with the skin, and can damage lungs and the digestive system if it is ingested. This may cause death.

One of the rivers affected has been treated with chemicals - calcium and magnesium nitrates - to try to counter the alkaline effects.

Environment Minister Zoltan Illes told the BBC the clean-up would take at least one year and probably require technical and financial assistance from the European Union.

He described the spill as Hungary's worst chemical accident.

"The area is very big, very heavy contamination, lots of human resources are needed, definitely machinery is needed," he said.

Mr Illes said a layer of soil 2cm deep (0.8 inches) would need to be removed from the whole of the contaminated region.

With 7,000 people affected directly by the disaster, a state of emergency was declared in the county of Veszprem where the spill occurred, and Gyor-Moson-Sopron and Vas, where the sludge appeared to be heading.

At least 390 residents have been relocated and 110 rescued from flooded areas, the NDGDM said.

Nearly 500 police officers and soldiers, including six emergency detection teams, have been deployed. Plaster has been poured into the Marcal river in a bid to bind the sludge and stop further flooding.

An alert has been declared for the Marcal and Torna rivers, and Mr Illes said workers were "desperately" trying to stop contamination of the Raba and Danube rivers.

The BBC's Nick Thorpe is in the village of Kolontar, the first and worst affected of the settlements just downstream from the burst containment pond.

The dark red colour pervades everything, he says: the streets, the sides of the damaged houses and the forbidden zone beyond.

The army hopes to install a pontoon bridge to reach the part of the village cut off since the old bridge was swept away by the mud on Monday.

That is where the damage is biggest and where several people lost their lives, our correspondent says.

Dr Attila Nyikos, of the NDGDM, told the BBC News website that a police investigation had been opened and tests were still being carried out to determine the environmental impact of the leak.



The sludge escaped from a reservoir at the Ajkai Timfoldgyar plant in the town of Ajka. Police say they have confiscated documents from the company's headquarters.

The plant makes alumina, a synthetically produced aluminium oxide. It is a white or nearly colourless crystalline substance that is used as a starting material for the smelting of aluminium metal.

Weeks of heavy rain are likely to have played a role in the accident, the BBC's Nick Thorpe reports.

MAL Rt, the Hungarian company which owns the plant, earlier said that by EU standards the sludge had not been considered hazardous.

There had been no sign of the impending disaster and the last examination of the reservoir pond on Monday had shown nothing untoward, it added.

Love Always
mudra

Hungary: Toxic red sludge has reached the Danube

KOLONTAR, Hungary – The toxic red sludge that burst out of a Hungarian factory's reservoir reached the mighty Danube on Thursday after wreaking havoc on smaller rivers and creeks, and downstream nations rushed to test their waters.

The European Union and environmental officials fear an environmental catastrophe affecting half a dozen nations if the red sludge, a waste product of making aluminum, contaminates the Danube, Europe's second-longest river.

Officials from Croatia, Serbia and Romania were taking river samples every few hours Thursday but hoping that the Danube's huge water volume would blunt the impact of the spill.

The Hungarian reservoir break on Monday disgorged a toxic torrent through three villages and creeks that flow into waterways connected to the Danube. Creeks in Kolontar, the western village closest to the spill site, were still swollen and ochre red days later and villagers said they were devoid of fish.
The red sludge reached the western branch of the Danube early Thursday and its broad, main stretch by noon, Hungarian rescue agency spokesman Tibor Dobson told the state MTI news agency.

Dobson said the pH content of the red sludge entering the Danube had dropped and was unlikely to cause further environmental damage. It had been tested earlier at a pH level of 13 and now was down under 10, and no dead fish had been spotted in the Danube, he said.
A neutral pH level for water is 7, with normal readings ranging from 6.5 to 8.5. Each pH number is 10 times the previous level, so a pH of 13 is 1,000 times more alkaline than a pH of 10.

The Hungarian Academy of Science said sludge samples taken two days ago showed that the muck's heavy metal concentrations do "not come close" to levels considered dangerous to the environment. But the academy said Thursday it still considered the sludge dangerous — apparently due to its caustic characteristics.

read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101007/ap_on_he_me/eu_hungary_sludge_flood

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mudra

Hungarian Alumina Refinery Disaster – What Exactly is This Red Mud?
by STUART on OCTOBER 7, 2010

http://agmetalminer.com/2010/10/07/hungarian-alumina-refinery-disaster-what-exactly-is-this-red-mud/

We have had lead contamination, mine accidents, and now it is the turn of the aluminum industry to come under the microscope following a major, and we mean major, spill of liquid waste from the Hungarian Aluminum Production and Trade Company (MAL) alumina refinery between Ajke and Kolontal in Hungary. At least four people are confirmed dead, several more missing and over 60 hospitalized.

To be fair this isn’t the aluminum industry as we know it. The plant in question refines bauxite to produce special calcined aluminas and aluminum hydroxides, synthetic zeolites and gallium for sale in central and western Europe for refractories, ceramics and a wide range of aluminum containing chemical reactants. This is not, nowadays anyway, a plant for producing alumina for aluminum smelting.

As you can see in this link the holding ponds are only a short distance from the town of Kolontal, the town that suffered a 6-8ft wave of red mud sludge that surged through the streets and went on to cover an area of some 16 square miles. Although the firm asserts that 98% of the waste has remained in the ponds, it is estimated (a curiously precise) 35.3 million cubic feet have contaminated a wide area. One source puts the volume as equivalent to 440 Olympic sized swimming pools.



Contamination is an interesting issue, MAL asserts the red mud is just a non toxic by-product of the refining process, produced as the alumina is precipitated out from a caustic soda solution. Reports of acid burning are therefore more likely to be due to high alkalinity – an Australian CSIRO report states that in similar Australian tailings ponds the ph could be up to 11 or more. By comparison Ammonia is 12 and Bleach is 13, so 11 is certainly strong enough to cause intense irritation.

Some articles are suggesting the waste contains heavy metals and is toxic. One report specifically mentions lead as a contaminant but in truth, metals contained are going to depend on the source of the bauxite from which the alumina was refined. One source states the refining process yields three tons of sludge for every ton of alumina produced but a more scholarly piece of research in Turkey suggest the figure is more like one for one and CSIRO’s report suggest more like 2 for 1.



A table of analysis from samples of red mud taken from the Etibank Aluminium refinery suggest the color comes from the high iron oxide content. More disturbingly the report goes on to say the waste can contain thorium and uranium and confirms it can be highly caustic. The majority of the constituents are relatively harmless, iron oxide, aluminum oxide, silica and sodium, titanium and calcium oxides. It’s the minor constituents and caustic ph of this sludge that could prove to be the most dangerous contaminants.

MAL, the operators of the Ajka refinery make much on their website of environmental responsibility and the firm carries certification to ISO 14001, the environment management system. As the Google Earth map above showed earlier, ponds have been gradually covered over and some level of vegetation reintroduced, suggesting that in the long term the sludge may not be damaging to vegetation. Quite why this pond burst on this occasion will be the subject of intense investigation and possibly even criminal proceedings if the management or their procedures are found to be seriously wanting. Meanwhile the Marcal and adjoining Torna rivers have been put on high alert by the Western Transdanubian Environmental Protection and Water Management authority (that’s a mouthful isn’t it) – the Hungarian EPA. But the growing fear is run off will reach the Danube, one of Europe’s major waterways, in which case the effects of this spill could spread the environmental disaster well beyond Hungary’s borders.

–Stuart Burns

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mudra

I am not 100% convinced that it was a pure accident....it isn't local anymore...like with the Gulf oil leak...

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/10/08/hungary-sludge-flood.html

Rescue workers in Hungary have found two more victims of the catastrophic flood of toxic sludge, raising the death toll to seven.

The unidentified victims were found Friday afternoon near Devecser, a town in western Hungary inundated by the sludge, said rescue agency spokesman Tibor Dobson. He said they were most likely residents missing from the nearby town of Kolontar. One more Kolontar resident is still missing.


Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/10/08/hungary-sludge-flood.html#ixzz11nMf39Cc

Hungarian officials recalculate volume of red sludge flood _ almost as much as Gulf oil spill

New Hungarian government figures on the red sludge flood show that the volume of muck that escaped from a burst reservoir was almost as high as the blown-out BP oil well spewed into the Gulf of Mexico.

Hungarian firefighters, wearing protective gear, survey a yard flooded by toxic mud in the village of Kolontar, Hungary, Thursday, Oct. 7, 2010. The toxic red sludge that inundated three Hungarian villages reached Europe's mighty Danube River on Thursday but no immediate damage was evident, Hungary's rescue operations agency said. The...
Hungarian firefighters, wearing protective gear, survey a yard flooded by toxic mud in the village of Kolontar, Hungary, Thursday, Oct. 7, 2010. The toxic red sludge that inundated three Hungarian villages... (Associated Press)

A Hungarian soldier, wearing protective gear, cleans a yard flooded by toxic mud in Devecser, Hungary, Thursday, Oct. 7, 2010. The toxic red sludge that inundated three Hungarian villages reached Europe's mighty Danube River on Thursday but no immediate damage was evident, Hungary's rescue operations agency said. The European Union...
A Hungarian soldier, wearing protective gear, cleans a yard flooded by toxic mud in Devecser, Hungary, Thursday, Oct. 7, 2010. The toxic red sludge that inundated three Hungarian villages reached Europe's...

A Hungarian rescue man searches for missing bodies possibly washed away by flooding toxic mud near the village of Kolontar, Hungary, Thursday, Oct. 7, 2010. Monday's flooding was caused by the rupture of a red sludge reservoir at a metals works in western Hungary and has affected seven towns near...
A Hungarian rescue man searches for missing bodies possibly washed away by flooding toxic mud near the village of Kolontar, Hungary, Thursday, Oct. 7, 2010. Monday's flooding was caused by the rupture...

A man walks across a foot-bridge over the River Marcal containing the toxic red sludge that spilled Monday from a giant industrial container near Mersevat, Hungary, Thursday, Oct. 7, 2010. Life in the River Marcal has been extinguished, Rescue official Tibor Dobson told The Associated Press, referring to the river's...
A man walks across a foot-bridge over the River Marcal containing the toxic red sludge that spilled Monday from a giant industrial container near Mersevat, Hungary, Thursday, Oct. 7, 2010. "Life in the...

A fisherman pulls a net on the Danube River near the city of Bezdan, Serbia, Thursday, Oct. 7, 2010. The toxic red sludge that inundated three Hungarian villages reached Europe's mighty Danube River on Thursday but no immediate damage was evident, Hungary's rescue operations agency said. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
A fisherman pulls a net on the Danube River near the city of Bezdan, Serbia, Thursday, Oct. 7, 2010. The toxic red sludge that inundated three Hungarian villages reached Europe's mighty Danube River on...

Government officials said Friday that 600,000 to 700,000 cubic meters (158 million to 184 million gallons) of sludge escaped and inundated three villages before entering the Danube.

The oil spill amounted to more than 200 million gallons. That translates into 757,000 cubic meters.

Government officials previously calculated the volume of the sludge spill at 1 million cubic meters, or 264 million gallons.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

KOLONTAR, Hungary (AP) _ An official says caustic water is being drained from an industrial reservoir near the one that ruptured in western Hungary and sent a torrent of red sludge into hundreds of houses and waterways leading into the Danube.

Tibor Dobson told the state MTI news agency that 100,000 cubic meters (3.5 million cubic feet) of the fluid is being gradually released into a local river already declared dead in the wake of Monday's environmental catastrophe. The move is apparently meant to prevent new spills of toxic material.

Dobson said Friday that gypsum will be dropped into the river to neutralize the alkaline effect of the fluid.

The red sludge entered the Danube Wednesday amid fears that it will kill off the river's fish and plant life. But there have been no reports of major damage to the waterway's ecosystem.

http://www.newser.com/article/d9ine94g0/hungarian-officials-recalculate-volume-of-red-sludge-flood-almost-as-much-as-gulf-oil-spill.html

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mudra

This is completely awful This is going to poisin the soil for years
How are people going to be able to go back to homes ,gardens, farms ,communities ?
This is all the price for the way we choose to live . This sludge is not an accident !
Where it now lies is an accident ( possibly ) but it is a product of the way we choose to live our lives
we just dont like it when it lands in our back gardens. when will it be your turn or mine
I would like to know where the sludge is normally dumped
( out of sight out of mind )
bright red ,can you see it .
Is someone , something , telling us something


silver*

http://www.statesman.com/news/nation/hungary-sludge-reservoir-at-risk-of-collapse-962305.html
AJKA, Hungary — The walls of a red sludge reservoir in Hungary were "very likely" going to collapse, the prime minister said Saturday as the government rushed to prevent another deluge like the one earlier this week that killed at least seven people.

Photographic evidence shows scandal: toxic sludge pool leaking for months
WWF: Disaster in Hungary could have been prevented



The WWF has published a photo from June 2010, which proves that the poison sludge basin of the bauxite plant in Ajka was already leaking for months and red mud flowed. "The accident and the current seven deaths could have been easily prevented if the operator had complied with their duty of care," said Andreas Beckmann, director of WWF's Danube program. The recent evidence that the pool was rather bleak for months and heavily licked must be investigated immediately. This applies not only to the accident pool but also for all other toxic sludge pool in Hungary, "says Beckmann, since" such negligence and deficiency in the safety regulations were the cause of the greatest environmental disaster in the history of Hungary. "
The photograph was taken by the company InterSpect, which was commissioned to photograph mud pools, mining activities and other hazardous industrial zones. Representative of the company stated to the WWF, they were particularly concerned about the condition of the accident Basin Kolontar because it is so close to homes.

The picture of June 2010 is clear that the sludge has already flowed out and parts of the dam of the tenth basin are damaged, "said Beckmann. Ultimately, the dam burst while in another place, but the photo is a clear indication that the basin of an urgent inspection was necessary. The red mud in the photo is visible in the canals that surround the campus. The red color comes from iron oxide, which is insoluble in water.


The WWF expects the company operating an explanation of why the tank was not checked regularly to prevent such a disaster. WWF calls for a speedy investigation of the other basins in Hungary as well as follow-up films of this toxic landfill from the air. "It took only a disaster like this, so that the authorities are finally active and more dangerous for man and environment control," said Beckmann. With simple aerial photographs, such threats are detected at an early stage.

WWF is particularly concerned about the much more toxic sludge pool in Almásfüzítő, which stands directly in an earthquake zone next to the Danube. The basin, which is 80 km from Budapest contains, in addition to red mud from aluminum production, many other toxins.


Love Always
mudra

This is tragic on multiple levels because of the toxic poisoning and how it can affect the environment leaving traces in water, land and elsewhere which would continue to harm the people down the road.

I remember being in Budapest in 1988 and thinking the area reminded me a lot of Sacramento, California.. with lots of low lying areas.

I'm also aware of some type of bacteria (not sure what type) that is used to clean up toxic waste sites (also not sure what type of toxins it is used on either. I suspect the greatest concern is how it will affect the water which will have a very negative impact on the people.

Here is the link where bacteria is used to clean up oil spills. http://www.accessexcellence.org/RC/AB/BA/Cleaning_Up_Wastes.php

Impressive pictures of the sludge

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/10/a_flood_of_toxic_sludge.html

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mudra

I was just browsing for relevant forum posts for my project research and I happened to discover yours. Thanks for the useful information!
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