In Kyiv, on Tuesday, November 14, 20 kg of mercury was found in the Darnytsky district.
A container with toxic metal was left near the railway tracks, reports the Main Directorate of the DSNS of Ukraine in Kyiv.
It is noted that the rescuers found out about the mercury from a report from concerned citizens who told about a container with an unknown substance.
"Arriving at the place, the chemists' department established that there is about 20 kg of mercury in the metal container," the press service said.
The press service emphasized that the mercury was hermetically packed and handed over for further disposal. Currently, law enforcement officers are establishing the circumstances of this case
As you know, mercury is a silver-white liquid metal, the vapors and compounds of which are very poisonous to all living beings. The melting temperature of the metal reaches 38.87°C, and as it increases, evaporation increases. Mercury is not excreted from the body.
The concentration of mercury vapor in the air above 0.2 mg/m3 causes acute poisoning in humans, the symptoms of which appear after 8-24 hours, namely:
- general weakness;
- headache;
- the temperature rises;
- stomach pains;
- upset stomach;
- gum pain
Earlier, EcoPolitic wrote, that in May the Verkhovna Rada adopted draft law No. 0199 "On the accession of Ukraine to the Minamat Convention on mercury". From January 1, 2024, the country will stop producing, importing and exporting goods containing mercury, including mercury thermometers and sphygmomanometers, mercury-containing lamps, cosmetic skin lighteners, dental amalgam, etc.
As EcoPolitic previously reported, 200,000 tons of industrial waste are stored at the "Radykal" plant in Darnytskyi district of Kyiv, of which 10,000 tons are highly saturated with mercury. This threatens the city with an ecological disaster.
