5/21/07

Was this a green cloud ?

XI.) UKRAINE'S EMERGENCY MINISTRY CONFIRMS ACCIDENT AT SKHIDNYI ORE PLANT AND RELEASE OF ACID CLOUD:

Ukrainian News Agency, May 15, 2007



The Ministry for Emergency Situations and Protection of Population from Chornobyl Accident Consequences has confirmed that an accident took place at the Skhidnyi ore mining and enrichment plant (Zhovti Vody, Dnipropetrovsk region) and that a cloud of acid was released by its hydrometallurgical factory on May 11.


Viktor Butkovskyi, acting head of the ministry’s main department in Dnipropetrovsk region, announced this at a session of the Dnipropetrovsk regional council on May 14.

«Two heat exchangers broke down. As a result of the accident, the tolerable level of concentration of sulfur acid and sulfurous anhydride vapors was exceeded at the plant,» he said.

The concentration of sulfur acid vapors in the sulfur acid shop was three times above the norm, sulfurous anhydride vapors - four times above the norm.

Butkovskyi said the situation is under control and no one has suffered.

Dnipropetrovsk Region First Deputy Governor Hryhorii Verbytskyi said the production was suspended on May 11 until the malfunction is repaired.

As Ukrainian News earlier reported, the leadership of the Skhidnyi ore mining and enrichment plant denied the report that an acid cloud was released from the plant’s hydrometallurgical factory.

Acting director general Petro Kucha said there was no accident and that suspension of the sulfuric acid shop was due to regular start-and-stop works.

The hydrometallurgical factory processes uranium ore.

Dnipropetrovsk region's Deputy Prosecutor Oleh Rychko said an acid cloud was released from the hydrometallurgical factory at the Skhidnyi ore mining and enrichment plant at 11 a.m. on May 11.

The prosecutor's office in Zhovti Vody opened a criminal case against some factory executives under the Criminal Code's Section 1, Article 241 (pollution of atmosphere) and Section 1, Article 365 (exceeding one's authority).