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Series / Report no.
Open Access
Type
Report
Language
en
Date
2000-02-28
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Title
The cyanide accident in Barskoon
(Kyrgyzstan)
Translated Title
Het cyanide ongeval in Barskoon
(Kyrgyzstan)
Published in
Abstract
Bij een ongeval op 20 mei 1998 kwam 1700-1800 kg NaCN
in de Barskoon Rivier terecht, ongeveer 8 km stroomopwaarts van het dorpje
Barskoon. De cyanidelozing veroorzaakte grote commotie onder de bevolking
en de autoriteiten van Kirgizie, vanwege het potentiele gevaar voor
gezondheid en milieu, mede door het laat melden van het ongeval door het
betrokken bedrijf. Op 25 mei 1998 vroeg de WHO in Kopenhagen het RIVM om
bijstand, om de milieugevolgen van het ongeval te beoordelen. Een week
later verzocht de WHO opnieuw om bijstand, nu om follow-up analyses en om
medisch/toxicologische assistentie. Ervaringen van beide missies zijn in
dit rapport beschreven. De hoogste totaal-cyanideconcentraties, een week na
het ongeluk gemeten door het Laboratorium voor Anorganisch-analytische
Chemie van het RIVM, overschreden niet de waarde van 1 mg/kg (grond). Dit
concentratieniveau is niet bedreigend, noch voor het milieu, noch voor de
gezondheid van mens en dier. De resultaten en conclusies zijn direct gemeld
aan de Kirgizische autoriteiten. Echter, de bezorgheid voor de gezondheid
van de mogelijk blootgestelde bevolking had inmiddels geleid tot - deels
onnodige - behandeling van tientallen mensen, en tot honderden bezoeken aan
ziekenhuizen en klinieken. De evacuatie van enkele duizenden mensen in de
dagen na het ongeluk kon evenmin worden gerechtvaardigd door de cyanide
concentraties die in het milieu waren aangetroffenen. Op grond van onze
metingen en conclusies zijn aanbevelingen gegeven voor een passende
risico-management strategie, en voor de implementatie van maatregelen om
ongelukken in de toekomst te voorkomen. Ofschoon de conclusies van onze
missies de Kirgizische autoriteiten overtuigden, bleef de commotie onder de
bevolking nog meer dan een jaar aanhouden.
On May 20, 1998, a truck with 20 tons of sodium cyanide crashed and fell into the Barskoon River (Kyrgyzstan). This small stream, used by the local population for irrigation and drinking water purposes, flows into Lake Issyk-Kul, a major tourist resort. As a result of the accident, some 1700 - 1800 kg of sodium cyanide (NaCN) was released directly into the river, some 8 km upstream the village of Barskoon. The cyanide spill evoked a strong commotion among the population and the Kyrgyz authorities, due to its potential for health and environmental risks, and the omission of the company to report the accident immediately. On May 25, 1998, the World Health Organisation in Copenhagen asked RIVM for assistance to assess the environmental consequences of the accident. One week later, the WHO made a new request for follow-up analyses and toxicological/medical assistance. The outcome of both missions is reported here.The highest total cyanide concentration, as measured by the Laboratory of Inorganic Analytical Chemistry one week after the accident, did not exceed 1 mg/kg (soil). This concentration posed no threat, neither to the environment, nor to the health of humans and animals. These results and conclusions have been communicated to the the Kyrgyz government. However, great concern over the health of the possibly exposed population had led to - partly unnecessary - treatment of dozens of people, and hundreds of visits to hospitals and outpatient clinics. The evacuation of a considerable number of people in the days after the accident could not be justified by the environmental concentrations of cyanide. Recommendations have been made for a proper risk communication strategy and for the implementation of measures to avoid future accidents. Although the conclusions of our missions convinced the Kyrgyz authorities, the commotion among the population persisted for more than a year.
On May 20, 1998, a truck with 20 tons of sodium cyanide crashed and fell into the Barskoon River (Kyrgyzstan). This small stream, used by the local population for irrigation and drinking water purposes, flows into Lake Issyk-Kul, a major tourist resort. As a result of the accident, some 1700 - 1800 kg of sodium cyanide (NaCN) was released directly into the river, some 8 km upstream the village of Barskoon. The cyanide spill evoked a strong commotion among the population and the Kyrgyz authorities, due to its potential for health and environmental risks, and the omission of the company to report the accident immediately. On May 25, 1998, the World Health Organisation in Copenhagen asked RIVM for assistance to assess the environmental consequences of the accident. One week later, the WHO made a new request for follow-up analyses and toxicological/medical assistance. The outcome of both missions is reported here.The highest total cyanide concentration, as measured by the Laboratory of Inorganic Analytical Chemistry one week after the accident, did not exceed 1 mg/kg (soil). This concentration posed no threat, neither to the environment, nor to the health of humans and animals. These results and conclusions have been communicated to the the Kyrgyz government. However, great concern over the health of the possibly exposed population had led to - partly unnecessary - treatment of dozens of people, and hundreds of visits to hospitals and outpatient clinics. The evacuation of a considerable number of people in the days after the accident could not be justified by the environmental concentrations of cyanide. Recommendations have been made for a proper risk communication strategy and for the implementation of measures to avoid future accidents. Although the conclusions of our missions convinced the Kyrgyz authorities, the commotion among the population persisted for more than a year.
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